March 22, 2026

Team Penske's Ryan Blaney finished third in the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Blaney began the race from the seventh position, but showed he had a fast car suitable for longer green flag runs. As the first stage progressed, Blaney went from seventh to third at the end of the first stage, earning eight stage points. Between stages, however, Blaney's pit crew did not get one of his tire's lug nuts tight and relied on teammate Austin Cindric's pit crew to fix the issue. As a result, Blaney started the second stage from the rear of the field and spent the stage recovering from his pit road mistake. Blaney fell short of scoring more stage points as he finished stage two in 12th. In the final stage, Blaney kept his car out of trouble and took advantage of his car's long-run speed to return to the top 10 and passed cars until he reached third by the end of the race. This is Blaney's best career finish in his Cup career at Darlington, and he is now second in the regular-season standings after six races this season.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 22, 2026

Carson Hocevar placed fourth in Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway after a hard-fought race where he started from the rear of the field. Hocevar was originally slated to start 16th, but his team made unapproved adjustments before the race that forced him to start last per the NASCAR rulebook. The No. 77 Chevrolet driver spent the entire race making up for starting in the back of the pack. By the end of the first stage, Hocevar made it up to 24th but was a lap down and did not score any stage points. Hocevar returned to the lead lap by using the wave around and continued to get closer to the front. At the end of the second stage, Hocevar finished 16th and failed to earn stage points. In the final stage, Hocevar continued to gain positions, and on the final green flag run, he went to pit road for his final stop later than most drivers, giving himself a tire advantage for the end of the race. Using this tire advantage, Hocevar went from 12th all the way to fourth by the end of the race, obtaining his first top-5 finish at Darlington. After six races, Hocevar is now 13th in the regular-season standings.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 22, 2026

Kyle Larson ended Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway with a disappointing result of 32nd. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver began the race from the fourth position and displayed solid speed throughout the entire race. In the first stage, Larson ran inside the top 10 for most of the stage, but did not have the speed to compete for the lead against the top two drivers of the race, Tyler Reddick and Brad Keselowski. At the end of the first stage, Larson finished fifth and earned six stage points. During the second stage, Larson was able to lead the race as Reddick dealt with car issues and Keselowski dealt with a slower pit stop that allowed Larson to compete for the lead with Chris Buescher. The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 20 laps, but eventually lost the lead to Keselowski and slipped back to third, where he ended the second stage. In the final stage, Larson continued to run inside the top 10 through most of the stage, but as the stage progressed, he kept slipping and losing positions until he eventually was running 11th with 10 laps to go. Suddenly, Larson's car experienced internal issues with the toe link, causing him to fall off the lead lap and eventually finish in 32nd, two laps down. This continues a streak of not finishing a spring Darlington race in the top 10 since 2021, and he is now 10th in the regular-season standings after six races. --Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 22, 2026

It should come as no surprise that Tyler Reddick is fast at Darlington Raceway this weekend. "The Lady in Black" has long been one of his best tracks on the circuit, and Reddick has had a ton of speed to start out the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, with three wins along with finishes of eighth and 13th over the last two weeks. Now, back to Darlington. Although Reddick has always shown a ton of potential at this race track, he has yet to go to victory lane at "The Track Too Tough To Tame." Reddick has come close (he has three runner-up finishes over the last eight races here) but has yet to get over the hump. Will that happen this weekend? The No. 45 Toyota was the clear fastest car in practice on Saturday, and Reddick went out and won the pole by over a tenth of a second in qualifying as well. All signs are pointing to a big day for this No. 45 team, and possibly their fourth win in the first six races.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Jayski

March 22, 2026

Kyle Larson has always been a high risk, high reward driver. However, that has never been more apparent than at Darlington Raceway, where "Yung Money" has notched six podium finishes (including one win) in 16 career starts. Larson has also led more laps (1,050) than any other active driver at this track. However, as mentioned before, there is some downside. To go along with those six podium finishes, Larson also has five results of 19th or worse at this track, but in several of those he still a contender before running into issues. This weekend, Larson will roll off the starting grid from fourth-place when the Goodyear 400 goes green, and there is no doubt that he has the talent to win on Sunday. The upside is definitely there, but is it worth the risk? Avoiding trouble is often times easier said than done at Darlington.--Jordan McAbee
Source: ifantasyrace

March 22, 2026

Historically, Darlington Raceway has been a weak spot on the schedule for Ryan Blaney. Over 18 career starts at "The Lady in Black," Blaney has a middle-of-the-road average finish (18.7) and just four top-10 finishes. And despite all that time on track, Blaney has only led 24 laps in his career at this track. With that being said, the Team Penske driver is getting better, and in the spring race here last season, he walked away with a career-best fifth-place finish. This weekend, the No. 12 Ford will roll off the starting grid from seventh place, and Blaney looked to have good long-run speed in practice (seventh-fastest in 30-lap average) to challenge for a top-10 result. In DFS, Blaney is an interesting play at his $10,200 salary on DraftKings. He's definitely a viable option, though, as he has some Place Differential upside, and has a knack for racking up fastest laps late in the run at intermediate tracks.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Team Penske

March 22, 2026

It has been a blazing-hot start to the 2026 season for Bubba Wallace, as the 23XI Racing driver sits second in the points standings after five races, thanks in part to a series-leading 53 stage points amassed. And the hot streak looks to continue this weekend at Darlington, as Bubba not only announced the birth of his daughter, but also qualified on the outside pole for Sunday's Goodyear 400. Bubba will be alongside his teammate, Tyler Reddick, to bring the field to the green flag on race day, as the drivers sitting 1-2 in points will start 1-2 in this race as well. As far as Darlington goes, Bubba has been solid here as of late, with five top-10 finishes over the last seven races (along with seven top-10 Stage results over the last eight). At $8,500 on DraftKings with no Place Differential upside, Bubba Wallace is a risky DFS pick this weekend, but he could pay huge dividends if his strong run continues on Sunday.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Heavy

March 22, 2026

Keep an eye on Chris Buescher this weekend at Darlington Raceway. The Roush-Fenway Keselowski Racing driver was a contender for the win here back in 2024, and over the the last six races at this track, Buescher has walked away with a top-10 finish five times. This weekend, the No. 17 Ford has been solid since the team unloaded it, ranking ninth-best in 30-lap average in practice and qualifying in sixth-place for Sunday's Goodyear 400. As far as DFS playability goes, Buescher is a risky play at $8,300 on DraftKings, simply because he has limited Place Differential upside, and he's not likely to be a main dominator during the race. Although he should have a solid top 10 race car to work with, that may not be enough for Buescher to hit value in DFS contests on Sunday--although you shouldn't fade him entirely by any means.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Catchfence

March 22, 2026

Don't sleep on Austin Cindric for Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Although he's definitely not the first driver to come to mind when the Cup Series visits "The Track Too Tough To Tame," Cindric has been pretty decent here (for his standards) over his career, including three straight finishes between 11th and 13th over the last year and a half here. As far as this weekend goes, the No. 2 Ford for Team Penske was one of the strongest on the long run in practice on Saturday, as Cindric had the best 10-lap average and even ranked third-quickest in 30-lap average. He qualified 12th for this weekend's Goodyear 400 and comes at a very affordable salary of $6,900 on DraftKings. In tournament/GPP formats, Cindric is absolutely worth rolling the dice on in DFS this weekend.--Jordan McAbee
Source: ifantasyrace

March 22, 2026

It shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone to see Erik Jones' name at the top of the speed chart in practice on Saturday at Darlington Raceway. "The Lady in Black" is one of the best tracks on the schedule for Jones, as he is a two-time winner there and has one of the best average finishes (12.8) among all active drivers there as well. Erik Jones simply has a knack for racing at Darlington. Jones and his Legacy Motor Club Toyota led the way in practice with a lap of 29.925 seconds (164.331 mph) but the No. 43 wasn't able to back that speed up in qualifying, and instead Erik will start from back in 24th-place for the Goodyear 400. As far as DFS goes, that makes Jones a pretty attractive option with his Place Differential upside, especially at his affordable salary of just $7,500 on DraftKings. Remember, he finished third here last fall after starting 19th.--Jordan McAbee
Source: RACER

March 22, 2026

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin will start in ninth place for this week's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway after qualifying. Hamlin is the only driver from JGR to qualify inside the top 10 this week. In 27 races at Darlington, Hamlin has five wins (most of active drivers), 20 top-10 finishes (most of active drivers), 1,022 laps led (second-most of active drivers), and an average finish of 7.9 (best of all drivers all-time). The No. 11 Toyota driver is also the defending winner of this week's race and has placed in the top 10 in each of the last four Darlington races. Through five races in the 2026 season, Hamlin has one win, three top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.0, and is currently fourth in the regular-season standings. In practice for Sunday's race, Hamlin ranked 34th in overall lap averages and as high as 12th in 30 consecutive lap averages. Although his practice speeds were underwhelming, Darlington is one of Hamlin's top statistical tracks and always is a threat to be considered for the win at the site. Fantasy players should not underestimate Hamlin because of his incredible track history at Darlington.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 22, 2026

Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the 23rd position for this week's Darlington Raceway Cup event, the Goodyear 400. Briscoe has not qualified this far back in the field in a Darlington Cup event since May 2023 and marks his first start at the site outside of the top 20 since joining JGR in 2025. In 10 Cup races at Darlington, Briscoe has eight top-20 finishes, two wins, and an average finish of 14.4. The No. 19 Toyota driver led more laps at this particular track than any other in the Cup Series (338). With five races completed this season, Briscoe has two top-10 finishes, but also three outside of the top 30, with an average overall finish of 24.0, and he currently is 26th in the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's Cup race, Briscoe ranked 33rd in overall lap averages, but displayed top-10 speeds in the 15-30 consecutive lap average categories. Darlington is one of Briscoe's best tracks statistically, and he has fast long-run practice speeds this week. Combine that with his high upside from his starting position, and Briscoe is one of the top DFS options of the week to consider for all formats.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 22, 2026

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron will start in the 13th position for this week's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. It will be Byron's lowest starting position at the site in the Cup Series since September 2023. In 15 Cup starts at Darlington, Byron has one win, seven top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 15.4. Through the first five races this year, Byron has four finishes of 13th or better with an average finish of 12.6, while he is currently seventh in the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's Cup race, Byron ranked 14th in overall lap averages while ranking as high as 24th in 20 consecutive lap averages. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver may not have the fastest practice speeds, but his overall history at Darlington has been respectable. Fantasy players could take a chance on Byron this week in any DFS format, especially based on his season-wide performance to date.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 22, 2026

Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the 22nd position for this week's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. This is the lowest starting position for Bell in the Cup Series at Darlington since joining JGR in 2021. In 13 Cup races at the South Carolina track, the No. 20 Toyota driver has nine top-20 finishes, including four inside the top 10, and an average finish of 15.3. Through five races so far this season, Bell has an average finish of 13.0 with three top-5 finishes and is currently sixth in the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's Cup race, Bell ranked 27th in overall lap averages and as high as 24th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Bell's practice speeds were slow, but his Darlington track history has been decent. Since he drives for one of the top Cup Series teams in terms of equipment, Bell should not be fully underestimated for this week's race, but he is more favored in cash games than tournaments for DFS due to his upside from starting in the middle of the pack.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 22, 2026

Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports will start in the third position for Darlington Raceway's Goodyear 400 after qualifying. This will be Elliott's first top-5 starting position in a Darlington Cup race since 2021. In 18 Cup races at the site, Elliott has eight top-10 finishes with an average finish of 15.9. He also scored Positive Place Differential in each of the last six Darlington Cup races. After five races this year, Elliott sits fifth in the regular-season standings with an average finish of 9.4 and three top-10 finishes. In practice for this week's Cup race, Elliott ranked 19th in overall lap averages while ranking 26th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Although his practice speeds were underwhelming, his overall positive track history still makes Elliott a driver who should not be overlooked for this week's race. However, the limited upside from his high starting position makes him playable only in tournament DFS contests.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com