The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for a full race weekend that includes all three national series. Action begins with the Craftsman Truck Series on Friday night, followed by the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on Saturday, and the Cup Series Goodyear 400 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
Entry lists show strong participation across all levels, with 37 Cup cars, 40 O’Reilly entries, and 36 trucks set for competition. The event marks the first of two race weekends at Darlington this season. Teams across all series now prepare for a demanding schedule at one of NASCAR’s most difficult tracks, where tire wear and track position will play a key role.
Timmy Hill Headlines Lone Open Entry
Timmy Hill will drive the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford in the Cup race. The 33-year-old has 144 career starts dating back to 2012. His entry is the only open car in the 37-car field. With the field below the maximum size, Hill will secure a starting spot without qualifying pressure tied to entry limits.
NASCAR Cup Series Field Features Full Entry List
The Cup Series entry list features a complete group of full-time drivers and teams. Ross Chastain represents Trackhouse Racing, while Austin Cindric drives for Team Penske. Hendrick Motorsports fields Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman.
Joe Gibbs Racing enters Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe. RFK Racing includes Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Preece. Other drivers in the field include Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Daniel Suárez. Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith, and Todd Gilliland are also listed among active drivers.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Entry Highlights
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will race on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET with 40 cars entered. Brandon Jones enters as the defending winner of the spring Darlington race. The event marks the first of two races at the track this season for the series.
Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell will compete in this race as Cup Series drivers running double duty. Chastain is set to drive JR Motorsports’ No. 9 car, while Bell will pilot the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. The field includes a mix of full-time series drivers and part-time entries across multiple teams.
Craftsman Truck Series Entry Highlights
The Craftsman Truck Series returns after a three-week break and will race Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Darlington event is the fourth race of the season. Three different drivers have won the first three races, including Chandler Smith, Kyle Busch, and Layne Riggs.
Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, and Carson Hocevar are among Cup drivers competing in the race. Corey LaJoie is also entered in a team driver program.
Schedule Notes and Race Outlook
Denny Hamlin enters the Cup race as the defending winner of the Darlington spring event. He also won recently at Las Vegas Motor Speedway ahead of this weekend. The Cup race will cover 293 laps for a total of 400.2 miles.
Across all three series, Darlington’s surface will place focus on tire wear and long-run speed. Teams must manage setups during extended green-flag runs while keeping track of their positions. The weekend brings full fields and multiple returning drivers across each series as NASCAR completes its first Darlington stop of the 2026 season.
NASCAR Cup Series 2026 Entry List for Darlington Raceway