Goodyear 400
Darlington RacewayDarlington Raceway's spring race is an annual celebration of NASCAR's past — Throwback Weekend, where teams paint their cars in classic schemes that honor decades of Cup history. The Goodyear 400 brings the field back to the Track Too Tough To Tame, the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval where the wall is the ultimate equalizer. Darlington's asymmetric corners — turn 1 tighter and faster than turn 4 — punish drivers who can't read tire fall-off, and the abrasive surface chews through rubber so fast that 40-lap runs can lose nearly two seconds of pace. Recent Goodyear 400 winners have all relied more on patience and tire conservation than on raw qualifying speed. The 293-lap race splits into three stages where pit strategy meets tire management in a way no other intermediate replicates, and the Darlington Stripe — that signature scrape mark on the right rear — remains the unofficial badge of honor every team wants to bring home. Throwback Weekend also delivers some of the season's best paint schemes and most emotional victory-lane moments, with crews and families paying tribute to the eras that built the sport.
Your watchlist, historical context, and race-week curiosities.
Your Drivers' Outlook
Historical Context
- Tyler Reddick has 21 starts at Darlington Raceway with 1 win and a 13.4 average finish.
- Chase Elliott has 23 starts at Darlington Raceway with 1 win and a 12.8 average finish.
- Denny Hamlin has 41 starts at Darlington Raceway with 10 wins and a 7.6 average finish.
Based on Cup Series results at Darlington Raceway from 1949-2026.
Darlington Raceway is one of the most unpredictable tracks in NASCAR with an average chaos score of 71.6.
Explore Darlington Raceway statsJustin Allgaier won the 2026 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway.
See Justin Allgaier's resultsThe narrative arc, drivers to watch, and race-weekend color.
Schedule, predictions, entry list, track history, fantasy, and betting angles.
TV & Start Time
What channel is the Goodyear 400 on?
The Goodyear 400 airs on FS1 on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET, broadcast from Darlington Raceway. The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule splits between FOX, FS1, TNT, NBC, USA, and Amazon Prime Video.
What time does the NASCAR Cup race start this race weekend?
The Goodyear 400 ran on Sunday, March 22, 2026 with a 3:00 PM ET green flag on FS1.
NR-Rating Track Rankings
| # | Driver | Elo Rating | Last Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 1624 | P11 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 1617 | P15 |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 1597 | P1 |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 1591 | P9 |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 1579 | P12 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 1570 | P2 |
| 7 | William Byron | 1561 | P8 |
| 8 | Ryan Preece | 1544 | P13 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 1543 | P34 |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | 1539 | P19 |
NR-Rating Predictions
Last updated: Wed, May 13, 2026, 07:50 AM ET
| # | Driver | Exp. Finish | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick Best in Field | 6.2 | 18.2% |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 7.8 | 17.8% |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 8.2 | 16.3% |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 9.2 | 15.4% |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 9.2 | 12.7% |
| 6 | Ryan Preece | 10.1 | 10.9% |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 10.7 | 9.6% |
| 8 | William Byron | 10.7 | 8.4% |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 11.2 | 7.6% |
| 10 | Chase Briscoe | 11.9 | 6.4% |
| 11 | Kyle Larson | 12.7 | 5.2% |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace | 12.7 | 5.1% |
| 13 | Carson Hocevar | 13.1 | 4.3% |
| 14 | Ross Chastain | 13.3 | 3.8% |
| 15 | Alex Bowman | 13.5 | 3.3% |
| 16 | Daniel Suarez | 14.0 | 3.1% |
| 17 | Ty Gibbs | 14.5 | 3.0% |
| 18 | Joey Logano | 14.7 | 2.7% |
| 19 | Austin Cindric | 15.4 | 2.2% |
| 20 | Erik Jones | 16.7 | 1.7% |
| 21 | Casey Mears | 16.9 | 1.4% |
| 22 | Michael McDowell | 17.0 | 1.2% |
| 23 | Kyle Busch | 17.0 | 1.1% |
| 24 | Austin Dillon | 17.1 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Shane van Gisbergen | 18.3 | 0.7% |
| 26 | A.J. Allmendinger | 18.3 | 0.5% |
| 27 | Zane Smith | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 28 | John Hunter Nemechek | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 29 | Todd Gilliland | 19.1 | 0.4% |
| 30 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 31 | Josh Berry | 22.9 | 0.2% |
| 32 | Connor Zilisch | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 33 | Katherine Legge | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 34 | Cole Custer | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 35 | Noah Gragson | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 36 | Riley Herbst | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 37 | Ty Dillon | 23.4 | 0.1% |
| 38 | B.J. McLeod | 24.8 | 0.0% |
| 39 | Cody Ware | 56.1 | 0.0% |
Win probabilities reflect full-field Monte Carlo simulations. A 10% pWin means roughly 1-in-10 chance of winning — higher than most bettors realize for a 36-car field where the average driver has ~2.8% odds. Top 5 and Top 10 percentages similarly reflect simulated outcomes, not historical averages. Learn how the model works.
Predictions powered by NR-Rating model (MAE: 8.5 positions)
Prediction Scorecard
Go Bowling at The Glen: Model picked Chase Elliott at P1 → Actual P24
(1/5 top-5 hits)
38% top-5 hit rate across 11 races
History at Darlington Raceway
Cup Series data from 1949-2026 (22 races)
Recent Results
| Year | Race | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Goodyear 400 | Tyler Reddick |
| 2025 | Cook Out Southern 500 | Chase Briscoe |
| 2025 | Goodyear 400 | Denny Hamlin |
| 2024 | Cook Out Southern 500 | Chase Briscoe |
| 2024 | Goodyear 400 | Brad Keselowski |
All Results at This Track
Laps Led Leaders
| Driver | Total Laps Led |
|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | 1070 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 841 |
| Denny Hamlin | 724 |
| Kyle Busch | 620 |
| Brad Keselowski | 570 |
Track Type Tendencies
Intermediate tracks like Darlington Raceway reward the complete package — car setup, pit strategy, and driver consistency all factor in. These are the races where elite teams separate themselves.
Track position and tire management are critical, especially in long green-flag runs.
Fantasy
High laps-led totals at this track
50%+ top-5 rate at this track
Strong avg finish but no wins — lower ownership