Goodyear 400
It was a long drive for the haulers, as the NASCAR Cup Series goes from Las Vegas to Darlington, SC for the Goodyear 400. This race will be 293 laps around the 1.366-mile track, making it actually 400.238 miles. This is the first of two stops at Darlington, with the other race coming in the Cup Series Chase as the first “playoff” race of the season.
This is the sixth race of 36 for the Cup Series season, which includes three road course races as mentioned, a street course in Coronado, a revamped playoff format, the second annual In-Season Challenge, and a whole lot of exciting Saturdays and Sundays for race fans and bettors.
How to Watch The Goodyear 400
When: Sunday, March 22, 2026
Where: Darlington Raceway in Darlington, SC
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Channel: FS1
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Winners and Standings
Through five races, we have three winners, as Tyler Reddick won the first three races of the season, followed by Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin over the last two weeks. The Cup Series altered the points awarded for winning, adding some extra value to the checkered flag. Reddick is pacing the field with 255 points, 61 more than Bubba Wallace, who has not finished in the top five yet, but hasn’t finished worse than 11th.
Through five races, Reddick, Wallace, Blaney, Hamlin, and Chase Elliott are in the top five. Elliott has finished in the top five twice, finishing fourth at Daytona and second last week in Las Vegas. In terms of the top 10, Christopher Bell has three straight top-five finishes, including two stage wins, to be sitting in sixth place. Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chris Buescher, and Ty Gibbs, who also has three straight top-five finishes, are seventh through 10th.
The postseason format has changed, as there are no rounds anymore and playoff points will not be awarded. The top 16 drivers in points will qualify for the Cup Series Chase and how they perform over the 10 races as a whole is how a winner will be decided. In other words, a win does not guarantee entry into the Chase like it would have in the past.
Goodyear 400 Winners
Data points for Darlington Raceway are in high supply, as this has been a twice-a-year since 2020. Hamlin has a chance to win another race here, as this has been a very good track for him. Overall in 27 starts, he has 20 top-10 finishes and 14 top-five finishes. He owns five career wins and two in the last 10 races.
A potential long shot on the board is Chase Briscoe, who has a couple of wins and three top-five finishes over 10 starts. Reddick hasn’t won over his last 10 starts at Darlington, but has five top-five finishes. Larson and Byron both have four top-five finishes, so they are considerations as well.
Goodyear 400 Predictions
For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s simulation results and more stats on the drivers.
