Who Could Hit a Darlington Grand Slam in the Goodyear 400?

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NASCAR

Stratta’s Six: Who Will Dance with The Lady in Black at Darlington Raceway?

Perhaps one of the biggest unknowns of this entire NASCAR season lies ahead this weekend. Darlington Raceway is the largest and fastest track where Next Gen Cars will use the new 750-horsepower, low downforce rules package. This tweak led to a very wild difference seen two weeks ago at Phoenix Raceway. In short, drivers up and down the grid are equal parts eager and a bit on edge for Sunday’s Goodyear 400. Here are a few who hope to be crowned king of The Track Too Tough To Tame.

Denny Hamlin

Different horses are built for different courses — Denny Hamlin and Darlington Raceway are a match that fit like hand in glove. The defending Goodyear 400 winner picked up his fifth Darlington triumph 12 months ago, thanks to a lightning-fast final pit stop. A year removed and coming off the most recent 2026 win, Hamlin’s excited to see how the new rules package handles on the worn out surface.

“One thing I will tell you is that heads up on Darlington, you want to see some cars out of control here,” Hamlin said. “These cars, with essentially little to no underbody because we’re now going to the short track aerodynamic package for Darlington, these cars are out of control. I’m predicting four seconds of fall off, it might be more. It’s just the cars with the underbody taken off and that simple diffuser, just even on new tires, just absolutely out of control. So, it’s going to be a wild card race.”

Hamlin’s Darlington stats alone are Hall of Fame worthy, with the best all-time average finish (7.9) by all drivers with over two starts. This includes four-straight top 10s, 1,022 laps led, and time out front in the last 12 trips here. Hamlin was not the man to beat in either Darlington race last year, but that could easily change this weekend. Hamlin’s electric 2025 campaign kicked off with back-to-back wins; 2026 may be more of the same for team 11.

Kyle Larson

If anyone can rival Denny Hamlin for top honors Sunday, it’s Kyle Larson. Despite only one Cup win here in the 2023 Southern 500, the No. 5 Chevrolet has been a near-constant presence up front here. Entering Darlington with three straight top 10s, Larson hopes to keep this momentum up.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to Darlington and applying what we’ve learned as an organization,” Larson said. “I feel like this track suits my racing style. And I’m excited to continue the momentum we’ve built as a team. Hopefully [we’ll] put the HendrickCars.com Chevy back in Victory Lane.”

Larson’s stout Darlington stat line is highlighted by nine top-10s in 16 starts, 1,050 laps led, a 12.9 average finish, and laps led in five of the last six races. Despite all of that, the No. 5 has run into trouble in five-straight Darlington spring races. Larson is quite literally checkers or wreckers at The Lady in Black, eyeing to join the multi-win club here. Which Larson we get on Sunday remains to be seen. Expect the 5 to be one of the first men pinned up against the outside wall making time. Larson will also have added track time in this weekend’s O’Reilly Series race.

Brad Keselowski

Steadily rising up the standings and after a Las Vegas top 10, Brad Keselowski eyes a Darlington breakout run. This race two years ago was his maiden win with RFK Racing, still his most recent Cup triumph. Darlington is far from a stranger to benefitting veteran drivers who know how to race the track first and competition second. Keselowski was honest on just how drastically different the new horsepower will affect tire wear here.

“My eyes are wide open,” Keselowski said. “The biggest thing I’m thinking about at Darlington is to go 50 laps on a set of tires was almost impossible with the Next Gen car in the last two or three seasons. Now that we have more horsepower and less aero, I don’t know if we’re gonna be able to go 35 laps. So, keeping up with the tires is going to be a big challenge. The drivers managing it, the teams putting our setups to where it can do it. Darlington is going to be a heavy lift. It’s always a heavy lift, but it’s a heavier lift now, I think, with these circumstances and a lot of unknowns entering the race at Darlington. It might turn out no different, but I don’t think that will be the case. I think it’s gonna be a really difficult race.”

Sitting at a perfect .500 batting record for Darlington top 10s, Keselowski has not earned one since winning here. Tire conservation and reserved aggression will be two keys to victory lane on Sunday. Perhaps the past champion can have the seas part for him again on NASCAR’s grittiest track.

Chase Briscoe

Few have been more lights-out fast anywhere recently than Chase Briscoe at Darlington. The two-time reigning Southern 500 winner, Briscoe earned both of these victories with different teams. He came in clutch to win 2024’s Labor Day classic with Stewart-Haas Racing. Last year, however, the Joe Gibbs Racing transplant was the dominant force, leading 309 laps. In desperate need of a strong run this year, can Darlington be the 19’s breakout party again?

“It’s gonna be absolutely out of control,” Briscoe said. “It’s gonna be I think the hardest track we run on all year long. The added power is one thing, but the biggest thing is taking the diffuser and everything off. I mean, I’ve ran the sim for probably a week-and-a-half and you are crashing every corner on every lap, even on new tires. It is out of control. It’ll be very interesting in practice, qualifying, like, literally the whole weekend I think is gonna be must-see. One team is gonna hit it right and they are gonna murder the field I feel like, just because of how drastically different this thing drives.”

Currently 26th in points, Briscoe is in dire straits for a Chase berth. Two of his last three races have been marred by mechanical issues, and he was eighth-place a week ago. If the No. 19 Toyota can stay in one piece, the Next Gen Darlington master may just Chase down another victory.

William Byron

Calling Darlington Raceway one of his favorite tracks, William Byron should not be overlooked this weekend. The No. 24 returned to South Carolina victory lane in this race three years ago, and has been close ever since. 2025’s Goodyear 400 saw Byron be a not-so-distant second after dominating from the pole. Losing out on a chance at a wire-to-wire win last year, Byron eyes retribution this time around.

“Last week’s race (at Las Vegas) was definitely more indicative of what we are expecting for this season,” Byron said. “We were close on speed from unloading and got the car better throughout the weekend. [We] just needed a little bit more in the end. We’ve had success at Darlington, but last fall was a bit worrisome. Hopefully we can use some of the notes we have on the new Chevrolet body from this year and apply it to what we used for last spring’s race. I’m hopeful, for sure.”

Byron was in a class of his own 12 months ago at Darlington, leading the opening 243 laps unopposed. If not for a pit strategy miscue, the 24 had a chance to possibly lead every lap that day. This marked Byron’s seventh Darlington top 10 across 15 starts, helping out his 15.4 average finish here. The last four trips to Darlington alone have Byron with a 6.9 average running position, showing his dominance on this unique track. Do not be surprised if the 24 is a contender in the hunt once again.

Tyler Reddick

Current points leader Tyler Reddick has done everything but win at Darlington Raceway. Second here last fall, the No. 45 also briefly led in the Goodyear 400 before the overtime finish. In a similar vein to Larson years ago, Reddick’s seen three runner-up results here, 322 laps led, and an 11.5 average finish.

Reddick also rides a streak of three-straight Darlington top 10s, and laps led in his last five starts. Can the hottest team to start off 2026 find an unprecedented fourth victory? Reddick’s dirt track history all but makes his a shoo-in for eventual Darlington success.

Darlington has the chance to be an early race of the year contender with how much mystery surrounds Sunday. Past stars of the sport will also be celebrated by Alumni Weekend and some honorary throwback paint schemes. In short, nobody truly knows what to expect in this year’s Goodyear 400. The South Carolina green flag will fly Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. One of NASCAR’s toughest tracks may have just gotten back a more fear and reverence from all drivers.

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo credits to James Gilbert/Getty Images