Tyler Reddick Masters Darlington for Fourth Win in Six Races

Tyler Reddick won the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, earning his fourth win in the first six races of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. The race was Reddick’s first win at Darlington Raceway, and the 12th of his Cup Series career.

Not only does Reddick’s win build on one of the most dominant season openings in recent memory, but it was a major statement on its own merits. The No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota took off flying after starting on the pole, but the crew were forced to change a battery at the conclusion of Stage 1. Reddick then battled issues with his cooling suit later in the race.

“From Lap 1, to have the alternator problems we were having, and just be cutting fans and not to be able to run things that I was counting on to keep me cool all day was tough,” Reddick said as reported by NBC Sports. “Just an incredible Camry. So proud of this team, and everyone that is a part of it.”

Just one sixth of the way through the 2026 season, 23XI Racing has already set a new team record for the wins in one year. All four of those have come from Reddick, although teammate Bubba Wallace is another force to be reckoned with at third in the standings.

RFK Racing’s Big Day

While Reddick carved his way back through the running order, Brad Keselowski dominated the race for best run so far this year. The No. 6 RFK Racing Ford won both of the first stages, earning a perfect 20 extra points over the course of the day. Keselowski entered the day having only earned two stage points in 2026.

“We were not that close to him,” Keselowski said after his second-place finish. “I’m disappointed to not win but not incredibly disappointed. You really get disappointed when you have the fastest car and don’t win. Those are the days you get really disappointed, we didn’t quite have that today. We were close, but again, I thought we executed really well and made the most of what we had.”

Keselowski, along with teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece, drove throwback schemes honoring the late Greg Biffle. At one point the trio ran first, second, and third, prompting memories of Biffle’s distinguished record at Darlington. Buescher brought his No. 17 Ford home ninth, while Preece’s No. 60 Ford finished 13th.

Carson Hocevar Earns His Colors

After being sent to the rear of the field at the start of the race for an unapproved adjustment, Carson Hocevar got sto work making his way through traffic throughout the day. His No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet finished fourth, running some of the fastest lap times in the field up to the checkered flag.

“They did a really good job on pit road, adjusting on it and getting it close,” Hocevar said. “I felt like I was able to manage [the tires] well, but having a good car kind of helps with that.”

For Darlington Raceway’s alumni weekend, Hocevar raced a paint scheme that recalled Dale Earnhardt Sr’s 1981 Wrangler livery. After weeks of fielding comparisons to Earnhardt and the two’s similarly aggressive driving styles, the 23-year-old phenom delivered a performance that invoked memories of The Intimidator himself.

Riding on his second fourth-place finish of the season, Hocevar gained two spots in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings. He currently sits 13th, with 12 points between him and the cutoff line after six races.

Breakthrough for Austin Cindric

Finishing fifth in Sunday’s race was Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, who snapped a frustrating streak of 17 consecutive races without a top-ten finish. Having left Las Vegas Motor Speedway last week 30th in points, Cindric vaulted all the way to 21st with one solid performance.

“My group proves time and time again that they come prepared, whether it’s changes or practice to race, things like that, so we really had a solid package to work with all day, something that we could adjust with and change with the conditions, Cindric said per NBC Sports. “We were overdue for this group to have a good run and I’m proud to be able to deliver it and get us to the finish line for the first time, it feels like all year without an issue, so I’m proud of the team and something to build on.”

Riley Herbst’s Long Day

Initially, Tyler Reddick wasn’t the 23XI Racing driver turning heads in Sunday’s race. Riley Herbst ran in the top-15 for significant portions of the first two stages, well ahead of his usual pace. On Lap 197, however, contact from Connor Zilisch on the exit of Turn 4 sent his No. 35 Toyota spinning into the inside wall. Herbst sustained damage to his car’s front end and re-entered the race multiple laps down.

“I barely, barely touched him and he got a little loose off the corner,” Zilisch said after the race. “I was already right there on him and just…yeah, enough to get him loose which eventually spun [him] around. It’s really hard to catch it at this place.”

Herbst was told over the radio that Zilisch misjudged the exit. “Tell him to go f**k himself,” Herbst fired off in response.

Later in the closing laps of the race, Herbst made contact with the No. 19 Toyota of Chase Briscoe. Both cars hit the wall and Briscoe’s machine hooked upward at a hard angle. Briscoe still limped to a 12th-place finish while Herbst was forced to settle for 35th.

Points Outlook

With 20 races remaining until the Chase field is set, Tyler Reddick extended his already commanding lead in the standings to 95 points. Ryan Blaney retook second place as he and Bubba Wallace swapped positions for the third straight week. Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott remain fourth and fifth, the same positions they held entering the Darlington weekend.

The Chase cutoff line sits between two drivers who are tied in points. Joey Logano is scored 16th, 186 points behind Reddick. Although McDowell has the same points total, Logano’s best finish of 2026 (third) gives him the tiebreaker over McDowell (fifth).

Austin Cindric gained the most positions on Sunday, moving up nine spots. Next best was Chase Briscoe, who continued his steady march toward the top by ascending four positions from 26th to 22nd. The biggest fall came from Joey Logano, whose 33rd-place Darlington finish dropped him from 11th to 15th.

Race Results