A look at the NASCAR qualifying results from the 2026 Goodyear 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway this weekend for its annual throwback event at the historic “Track Too Tough to Tame.” With its abrasive surface and unique layout, Darlington places a premium on tire management and track position, making qualifying especially important for Sunday’s Goodyear 400.
The following shares the official starting grid for Sunday’s race, along with Darlington Raceway track details and key observations from NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying.
NASCAR Qualifying Results at Darlington Raceway
2026 Goodyear 400 Race Info
Date: Sunday, March 22, 2026
Start Time: 3 p.m. EST
Track: Darlington Raceway — Darlington, SC
Coverage: FS1
Pole Sitter: Tyler Reddick
Defending Champion: Denny Hamlin
Goodyear 400 Race Breakdown
Distance: 400.24 miles
Laps: 293
Lap Length: 1.366 miles
Stages: Three (90 laps, 95 laps, 108 laps)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4
Banking: Turns 1 and 2 — 25°; Turns 3 and 4 — 23°; Frontstretch and Backstretch — 6°
Official Goodyear 400 Starting Lineup
23XI Racing has been on an absolute tear to begin the 2026 season, and it continued at Darlington as far as the NASCAR qualifying results are concerned. Tyler Reddick captured the pole position and teammate Bubba Wallace will start second in the Goodyear 400.
As the only driver to turn his qualifying lap in more than 169 mph, Reddick’s lap at 169.152 mph beat his teammate by 0.124 seconds for the Pole Award. Wallace checked in with a qualifying speed of 168.434.
Making Reddick’s pole all the more remarkable is that he actually scraped the wall in Turn 4 on his qualifying lap. But hey, it is Darlington we’re talking about!
The table below shares the complete Goodyear 400 starting lineup and NASCAR qualifying results for Sunday afternoon’s race.
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| Starting Position | Driver | Car Number | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 10 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Daniel Suarez | 7 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Riley Herbst | 35 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 15 | Justin Allgaier | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 16 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Ryan Preece | 60 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | HYAK Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Zane Smith | 38 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 20 | Michael McDowell | 71 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 21 | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 22 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 23 | Chase Briscoe | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 25 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Josh Berry | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 27 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 28 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 29 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 30 | Noah Gragson | 4 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 31 | Todd Gilliland | 34 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 32 | Connor Zilish | 88 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Shane van Gisbergen | 97 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | Cole Custer | 41 | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet |
| 36 | Ty Dillon | 10 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 37 | Timmy Hill | 66 | Garage 66 | Ford |
NASCAR Goodyear 400 Practice and Qualifying Notes
- The first three rows in the NASCAR qualifying results all featured a pair of teammates. Behind the 23XI Racing front row were Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson for Hendrick Motorsports. They were followed on Row 3 by RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher.
- This marks the 13th Pole Award in the Cup Series for Tyler Reddick and his second of the 2026 season.
- While Chase Elliott qualified third, he will be without his car chief and a less than ideal pit stall for Sunday’s race due to his car failing pre-qualifying inspection twice.
- Chris Buescher and Timmy Hill also had their cars fail pre-qualifying inspection twice and will endure the same sanctions.
- Erik Jones and Riley Herbst tied for the fastest laps in practice at 164.33 mph.
- Of the 26 drivers who posted 20-lap averages in practice, the four slowest were interestingly Kyle Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.
- This marks the first race at Darlington with NASCAR’s 750-horsepower short track package. A chaotic race could be in store as a result.
