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
- Denny Hamlin has 41 starts at Darlington Raceway with 10 wins and a 7.5 average finish.
- Chase Briscoe has 13 starts at Darlington Raceway with 2 wins and a 13.3 average finish.
- Ryan Blaney has 22 starts at Darlington Raceway with a 17.9 average finish.
Based on Cup Series results at Darlington Raceway from 1949-2026.
The 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 | 1679 | P11 |
| 2 | Chase Briscoe | 1605 | P12 |
| 3 | Chris Buescher | 1579 | P9 |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | 1568 | P3 |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 1560 | P15 |
| 6 | Christopher Bell | 1559 | P19 |
| 7 | William Byron | 1555 | P8 |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | 1544 | P1 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 1544 | P34 |
| 10 | Daniel Suarez | 1526 | P7 |
NR-Rating Predictions
Last updated: Sun, Aug 16, 2026, 07:09 AM ET
| # | Driver | Exp. Finish | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin Best in Field | 6.2 | 18.2% |
| 2 | Chase Briscoe | 7.8 | 17.8% |
| 3 | Ryan Blaney | 8.2 | 16.3% |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 9.2 | 15.4% |
| 5 | Christopher Bell | 9.2 | 12.8% |
| 6 | Chase Elliott | 10.1 | 11.0% |
| 7 | Ty Gibbs | 10.7 | 9.9% |
| 8 | William Byron | 10.7 | 8.7% |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | 11.2 | 7.7% |
| 10 | Joey Logano | 11.9 | 6.7% |
| 11 | Daniel Suarez | 12.7 | 5.5% |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace | 12.7 | 5.2% |
| 13 | Kyle Larson | 13.1 | 4.5% |
| 14 | Carson Hocevar | 13.2 | 3.9% |
| 15 | Ryan Preece | 13.3 | 3.6% |
| 16 | Ross Chastain | 14.5 | 3.1% |
| 17 | Erik Jones | 14.7 | 2.8% |
| 18 | Austin Cindric | 15.4 | 2.2% |
| 19 | Brad Keselowski | 15.4 | 2.2% |
| 20 | Alex Bowman | 16.2 | 1.7% |
| 21 | Michael McDowell | 16.9 | 1.3% |
| 22 | A.J. Allmendinger | 17.1 | 0.9% |
| 23 | Shane van Gisbergen | 18.3 | 0.7% |
| 24 | John Hunter Nemechek | 18.3 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Zane Smith | 18.3 | 0.5% |
| 26 | Todd Gilliland | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 27 | Casey Mears | 19.1 | 0.5% |
| 28 | Austin Dillon | 19.9 | 0.4% |
| 29 | Riley Herbst | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 30 | Kevin Magnussen | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 31 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 32 | Jimmie Johnson | 19.9 | 0.3% |
| 33 | Noah Gragson | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 34 | Josh Berry | 21.4 | 0.1% |
| 35 | Cole Custer | 22.0 | 0.1% |
| 36 | Ty Dillon | 22.9 | 0.1% |
| 37 | Katherine Legge | 22.2 | 0.1% |
| 38 | B.J. McLeod | 24.7 | 0.1% |
| 39 | Connor Zilisch | 26.1 | 0.0% |
| 40 | Cody Ware | 57.0 | 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
Anduril 250: Model picked Chase Elliott at P1 → Actual P12
(1/5 top-5 hits)
37% top-5 hit rate across 13 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 | 574 |
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