Goodyear 400

Lady in Black • v3.0 Update
Darlington Raceway
Sunday, March 22, 2026
POINTS LEADER: Tyler Reddick (~255)
TV: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM / HBO Max
STAGES: 115 / 230 / 293

Tech Section: Unrestricted 750 HP & Safety Compliance

The Cup series utilizes the unrestricted 750 HP package. Why? This maximized throttle response is required to manage the "Darlington Stripe" risk on the high-side groove.

Goodyear Specs: Teams will run Tire Codes D-5284 (Left) and D-5290 (Right). So What? This is the same setup utilized last weekend at Vegas.

Technical Momentum: Denny Hamlin and Toyota have won 4 of the first 5 races. So What? Their current intermediate aero-map is the technical standard of the field. Each team is allotted 12 total sets (10 new for the race).

Safety Mandate: All cars must deploy body post flaps in tandem with roof flaps. Underneath surfaces must be painted bright orange for high-visibility compliance inspection.

Drivers & Teams: Roster Intelligence

The entry list features 37 cars for 40 spots. Timmy Hill (#66) is the lone open entry.

  • Justin Allgaier (#48): MAJOR UPDATE: Subbing for Alex Bowman (vertigo) for at least the next three races. So What? Allgaier’s success at Darlington in the O'Reilly series makes him a high-threat technical substitute.
  • Denny Hamlin (#11): The defending spring winner and master of the "Track Too Tough to Tame."
  • Kyle Larson (#5): The betting favorite (+350); historically dominant with over 1,000 laps led at this track.

Pre-Race Section: Saturday Schedule

Qualifying uses a performance metric order. So What? As the previous race winner, Denny Hamlin (#11) qualifies last, benefiting from the maximum amount of rubber on the track surface.

Order: Timmy Hill (#66) starts the session; Denny Hamlin (#11) anchors the session.