PREVIEW: Triple-duty drivers and throwback schemes among Darlington storylines
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
IMAGE: Team Reaume, @TeamReaume
Friday, March 20, 2026 (Green Flag 7:51 P.M. ET, FOX)
TRUCKS Race 4 of 25
Buckle Up South Carolina 200 at Darlington
2025 Last-Place Finisher (August): Clayton Green
ENTRY LIST
There are 36 drivers entered for as many spots at Darlington, so all will qualify. This is their first race back since the IndyCar double-header weekend in St. Petersburg three weeks ago.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
Following an eventful afternoon in St. Petersburg where Dario Franchitti battled in the Top 10 before a late-race unscheduled pit stop dropped him to 27th, the “all-star” entry at TRICON goes this week to William Sawalich, who pulls double-duty with his full-time O’Reilly effort at Joe Gibbs Racing. This marks Sawalich’s first Truck Series start since last fall at Watkins Glen, where he finished 11th with this same team.
DRIVER CHANGE: #2-Team Reaume
Running a still-to-be-revealed “throwback” scheme in tonight’s race, Clayton Green makes his second series start of the season, his first since a 23rd-place showing in Atlanta. He takes the place of road course specialist Carter Fartuch, who came home 21st in St. Petersburg.
MISSING: #4-Niece Motorsports
Al Niece’s team will not field its part-time #4 entry with which Ben Maier finished 11th after starting 35th in St. Petersburg.
DRIVER CHANGE: #5-TRICON Garage
Corey Heim makes his own first Truck Series start since Atlanta, where he finished 5th in the TRICON #1. With Sawalich in that ride, he this week takes the place of 23rd-place St. Petersburg finisher Adam Andretti in the #5, now sponsored by Frontline Enterprises.
DRIVER CHANGE: #10-Kaulig RAM Racing
Following controversial comments made on a livestream about IndyCar driver David Malukas and Roger Penske, driver Daniel Dye was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday, pending sensitivity training. Taking his place today is A.J. Allmendinger, who now runs double-duty with Sunday’s 400-miler. Allmendinger will pilot a “throwback” scheme honoring the #1 Mopar Dodge entry Ted Musgrave drove for the Keselowski family.
DRIVER CHANGE: #22-Team Reaume
Josh Reaume returns to the driver’s seat for the first time since he ran the opening two superspeedway rounds in Daytona and Atlanta, where he finished 20th and 24th. He takes the place of 29th-place St. Petersburg finisher Jackson Lee in the #22, which is this week honoring the late Michael Annett with a scheme based on his Daytona winner from February 2019.
DRIVER CHANGE: #25-Kaulig RAM Racing
Next up at Kaulig RAM’s “all-star” truck is Corey LaJoie, back in the Truck Series garage for the first time since engine trouble ended his run in this year’s Daytona opener after 92 laps. LaJoie takes the place of Colin Braun, whose return to the circuit for the first time since 2011 yielded a 9th-place finish.
WITHDREW: #35-Greg Van Alst Motorsports
Greg Van Alst withdrew his own entry by first publication of the list on Monday. He last appeared at the track in this season’s Daytona opener, where he failed to qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Niece Motorsports
Conner Jones returns to the Truck Series for the first time this season, his first race since a 22nd-place showing last fall in Martinsville. He takes the place of Tyler Reif, who took home 16th in St. Petersburg.
DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Niece Motorsports
Ross Chastain is the first of two drivers pulling triple-duty this weekend in Darlington as he takes the place of surprise 6th-place St. Petersburg finisher Landen Lewis, returning to the seat of Al Niece’s #45 team. Chastain makes his season debut in the Truck Series, his first race since he took 30th with Niece’s #44 entry last fall at The Glen,
DRIVER CHANGE: #62-Halmar Friesen Racing
The other triple-duty driver is Christopher Bell, whose most recent series start was also at Watkins Glen, taking 4th in the Halmar #52. This time around, he drives Halmar’s second entry, the #62, with Pristine Auction as sponsor. He takes the place of Wesley Slimp, whose early power steering issues left him in last place at St. Petersburg.
MISSING: #69-Motorsports Business Management
Carl Long has not fielded his Truck Series entry with which Derek White finished 35th due to a failing fuel pump, but will instead field his Cup Series entry for Sunday (see below).
DRIVER CHANGE: #77-Spire Motorsports
Turning double-duty for Spire’s #77 entry is Carson Hocevar, who takes the place of 10th-place St. Petersburg finisher James Hinchcliffe. This will be Hocevar’s third series start of the season, his first since his runner-up finish to teammate Kyle Busch in Atlanta.
RETURNING: #90-Terry Carroll Motorsports
Justin S. Carroll and his family’s team are also back for the first time since Atlanta, where rear gear trouble midway through the race left him 35th. This will be Carroll’s first series start at Darlington.
RETURNING: #93-Costner Motorsports
Tonight will also see the return of Caleb Costner’s Truck Series team, which finished 33rd in its debut in Atlanta.
CUP INVADERS: #45-Ross Chastain, #62-Christopher Bell, #77-Carson Hocevar
Saturday, March 21, 2026 (Green Flag 5:42 P.M. ET, CW)
O’REILLY Race 6 of 33
Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Kris Wright
ENTRY LIST
There are 40 drivers entered for 38 spots at Darlington, so two will be sent home.
DRIVER CHANGE: #0-SS-Green Light Racing
Garrett Smithley returns to his “Number Nuthin’” and runs a “throwback” scheme to the now-shuttered JD Motorsports in 2016. Smithley will run his familiar bright red Chevrolet with yellow door numbers, this time carrying sponsorship from Knight Fire Protection. He takes the place of Cole Custer, who took 18th in Las Vegas.
DRIVER SWAP: #1-JR Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE: #9-JR Motorsports
The second leg of Ross Chastain’s triple-header will come in JRM’s #9 entry with Jarrett Logistics as sponsor. Chastain takes the place of Carson Kvapil, 11th last time out in Las Vegas, who this week returns to the #1 in place of 7th-place finisher Connor Zilisch.
DRIVER CHANGE: #5-Hettinger Racing
The preliminary entry list had no driver listed for Hettinger Racing’s #5 Ford, which finished 36th in Vegas after ignition issues with Chandler Smith driving. That changed by midweek with news that J.J. Yeley, whose most recent O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start came in COTA. That day, Yeley called on relief from Brad Perez, who piloted Randy Young’s #42 to a 28th-place finish. This is Yeley’s 14th series start at Darlington, his first since 2022, when he drove for Carl Long.
DRIVER CHANGE: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing
Christopher Bell’s second of three races this weekend will take place in JGR’s #19, where he takes the place of one of his Cup teammates in 2nd-place finisher Chase Briscoe. It marks Bell’s first O’Reilly start of the season, his first since a 39th-place showing following engine trouble last summer in Mexico City.
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
At the start of the week, Joey Gase was looking for sponsorship to back his #35, which remained a flat white in the shop. It was then revealed that Matt DiBenedetto would drive the car, taking the place of Chad Finchum, who failed to qualify in Las Vegas. DiBenedetto makes his first series start since October 11, 2025, his last race for Viking Motorsports. He will drive the second of the weekend’s tributes to the late Michael Annett, his a throwback to Annett’s #7 Pilot / Flying J Chevrolet from 2014. Ace Hardware of Rock Hill is the sponsor.
TEAM UPDATE: #48-Big Machine Racing
After driver Patrick Staropoli’s car dropped a piece of ballast on the track late in last week’s Las Vegas race, NASCAR announced Wednesday afternoon that four-race suspensions have been handed to Big Machine’s crew chief Patrick Donahue, car chief Dillon Basett, and engineer Morgan Olsen. Team mechanic Darrell Phillips will step in as crew chief.
MISSING: #52-AM Racing
Following a 15th-place finish last Saturday, Daniel Dye’s O’Reilly entry was already not entered this week, and his status with the team after Tuesday’s suspension has not yet been confirmed.
TEAM UPDATE: #88-JR Motorsports
Tomorrow was to be Alex Bowman’s first O’Reilly start of the year, but with his ongoing treatment for vertigo, Kyle Larson will once again pilot the #88, seeking a second series win in a row.
DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
Alex Labbe will make his 165th career series start tomorrow, his first since a 13th-place showing in COTA this spring driving SS-Green Light Racing’s #0. Labbe takes the place of Mason Maggio, who finished 28th in Las Vegas. This would be Labbe’s eighth series start at Darlington, his first since 2022.
CUP INVADERS: #9-Ross Chastain, #19-Christopher Bell, #88-Kyle Larson
Sunday, March 22, 2026 (Green Flag 3:12 P.M. ET, FS1)
CUP Race 6 of 36
Goodyear 400 at Darlington
2025 Last-Place Finisher: J.J. Yeley
ENTRY LIST
There are 37 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the sixth straight short field in seven races.
TEAM UPDATE: #48-Hendrick Motorsports
Justin Allgaier will remain as Alex Bowman’s relief driver through both this Sunday and the following two rounds on the short tracks at Martinsville and Bristol. As of this writing, there is no set timetable for Bowman’s return as he continues treatment. This marks Allgaier’s third Cup start at Darlington, his first since a 33rd-place showing in the 2015 Southern 500.
RETURNING: #66-Garage 66
Timmy Hill, who competes in tonight’s Truck Series race, will also run on Sunday in the lone “open” entry, the AutoDirect USA Network sponsored Ford. It’s his 145th career series start. Hill’s most recent Cup start was the most recent race at Darlington last fall, where he ran 35th for this same team in his only start of the year.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (March 20, 1977): Jim Hurtubise picked up the first last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the Atlanta 500 at Atlanta when his #35 Avanti CB Ford had ignition issues and failed to complete a lap of the race. Hurtubise was to start 38th on the grid of 42 starters.
