Darlington drama & winners
Justin Allgaier won the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Darlington on March 21, taking the checkered flag in a competitive field. Cup qualifying saw Tyler Reddick grab the Busch Light Pole for the Goodyear 400 as 23XI Racing swept the front row — and teams No. 9, 17 and 66 failed pre‑race inspection twice, leading to car chief ejections before Sunday’s main event. (tennessean.com) (nascar.com)
Justin Allgaier overtook Brandon Jones on the final restart with 15 laps to go and beat him by 0.578 seconds to win the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway on March 21, 2026. (nascar.com) The victory was Allgaier’s fourth at Darlington, his second win of the 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season and the 30th of his Xfinity-era career, tying him with Joey Logano for seventh on the series’ all-time win list. (nascar.com) Kyle Larson dominated the day early — winning the first two stages and leading the race’s opening segment — but a slow pit stop under the final caution dropped him from the lead and he finished fourth. (nascar.com) Allgaier led 31 laps during the 200-lap race and credited timely pit stops and his pit crew’s execution for the late-race charge that turned Larson’s dominance into a teammate victory; JR Motorsports recorded its fourth straight O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win. (msn.com) Tyler Reddick captured the Busch Light Pole for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 with a lap of 29.072 seconds at 169.152 mph, edging 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace by 0.124 seconds to give 23XI Racing a 1-2 front row sweep. (jayski.com) Three Cup teams — the No. 9 of Chase Elliott, the No. 17 of Chris Buescher and the No. 66 of Timmy Hill — failed pre-race inspection twice, resulting in the ejection of car chiefs Matt Barndt, Joshua Sisco and Dylan Roberts and the loss of each team’s pit-stall selection while their starting positions remained unchanged. (nascar.com)
