PREVIEW: Several driver announcements at Darlington come late in the week, presenting a tattered field for Saturday’s race
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Team Penske, @Team_Penske
Saturday, September 5, 2026 (Green Flag 7:42 P.M. ET, CW)
O’REILLY Race 25 of 33
Chase Race 1 of 9
Fleetio 200 at Darlington
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Joey Logano
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for as many starting spots, so all will qualify for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ Chase opener in Darlington.
MISSING: #4-Alpha Prime Racing
Not among this week’s entrants on the O’Reilly side is Caesar Bacarella, whose early cut tire and resulting pit road penalty kept him two laps down at the checkered flag in 31st.
RETURNING: #9-JR Motorsports
Returning to action tomorrow is Jake Finch, marking his third career series stat and second this year, his first since a crash in Atlanta this summer left him in the 30th spot. Jarrett Logistics, most often seen with JRM teammate Justin Allgaier’s #7, sponsors Finch’s #9, the returning part-time effort last seen at Iowa for Ross Chastain’s 4th-place finish.
DRIVER CHANGE: #38-RSS Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #39-RSS Racing
Last Friday, Ryan Sieg finally scored his first career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory in his 424th series start. Curiously, he did so after a team swap put him in the #38, a number the team most often used for “start-and-park” efforts in 2026. This week, Sieg returns to his familiar #39 in place of Andy Jankowiak, who took 30th in his series debut in Daytona. The #38 was listed with TBA in the driver’s column until later this week, when Brad Perez landed the ride in the team’s Ford. This marks the fifth start of the season for Perez, his first since logistical issues before the race at Sears Point kept him from competing in Joey Gase’s #55 Toyota. Perez has also announced a “throwback” Kyle Larson / Target #42 scheme for the upcoming race at Gateway, and is seeking additional sponsors.
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Young’s Motorsports
Another TBA on the preliminary entry list was that of the #42 for Randy Young’s team, which revealed Matt DiBenedetto will drive the car in the upcoming race at Las Vegas. This week, taking the place of 22nd-place Daytona finisher Natalie Decker is Logan Bearden, marking his fifth series start of the year and first since Atlanta, where he ran the RSS Racing Ford to a 35th-place finish.
DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
Still another late driver announcement involves the Gase team’s #53, piloted last week by Carson Ware for a 24th-place finish, just one spot behind Gase himself in the team’s #55. Taking the wheel for Darlington is a returning Glen Reen, who finished a career-best 15th in his latest start in Atlanta, driving for this same team.
MISSING: #71-DGM Racing x JIM
Not among this week’s entrants is Leland Honeyman, Jr. and the Mario Gosselin team’s part-time #71 entry. Last week, in the team’s second start of the season, Honeyman again found himself in contention for the win, taking the final restart alongside eventual winner Ryan Sieg. He slipped to 13th by the checkered flag.
TEAM UPDATE: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
Speaking of the Gosselin effort, Mason Maggio remains in the #91 following his 19th-place run in Daytona. This news comes after his team also had TBA in the driver’s column at first publication.
DRIVER CHAGE: #92-DGM Racing x JIM
Completing the Gosselin group for Saturday is a returning Preston Pardus, who brings his Chinchor Electric sponsorship to the #92 team. Another late entry, Pardus takes the place of Josh Williams, whose first start since Sears Point saw him recover from a spin to finish in the 11th position. Pardus will make his fifth start of the season and first since Indianapolis, where he ran 30th with this same team.
CUP INVADERS: None
Sunday, September 6, 2026 (Green Flag 5:10 P.M. ET, USA)
CUP Race 27 of 36
Chase Race 1 of 10
Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Josh Berry
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for 40 starting spots in the Southern 500, marking the 24th short field in 27 races this season.
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-23XI Racing
On Thursday came news that Riley Herbst will drive for Legacy Motor Club in 2027, piloting the #84 Toyota. This update occurred both after word of John Hunter Nemechek’s release from LMC at the end of this season, plus Herbst’s own absence from Daytona due to complications from his brutal crash at Loudon. As of this writing, Herbst is slated to run on Sunday, where Gogo Squeez is his listed sponsor.
MISSING: #44-NY Racing Team
MISSING: #62-Beard Motorsports
MISSING: #78-Live Fast Motorsports
Three “open” teams from Daytona re not among this week’s entrants, including 29th-place finisher Daniel Dye for the Live Fast effort, 36th-place Joey Gase in John Cohen’s #44 NY Racing Team entry, and 37th-place Casey Mears in the Beard team’s #62 The Gracie Foundation Chevrolet. Of the three, only Mears isn’t entered in Saturday’s O’Reilly race at the same Darlington track: Dye will again drive for Jordan Anderson Racing in the #32 while Gase drives his own #55.
DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Garage 66
Last week was brutal for team owner Carl Long, whose #66 Ford was the lone DNQ from the Coke Zero Sugar 400 field by a fraction of the second. This week, in place of Gray Gaulding, the team brings back driver Chad Finchum with sponsorship from AutoParts.com. This would be Finchum’s seventh Cup start of the season, his first since a 35th-place showing in North Wilkesboro. This will be Finchum’s first Cup start at Darlington
Thursday, September 17, 2026
TRUCKS Race 19 of 25
Chase Race 1 of 7
UNOH 200 at Bristol
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Clayton Green
The Truck Series returns in two weeks to begin their “Chase” in Bristol.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 4, 1983): Bobby Allison picked up the first last-place finish of his NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series career in the Darlington 250 at Darlington, where his #22 Miller High Life Pontiac lost the engine after only 6 laps. Allison had qualified 5th on the grid of 37 starters.
