Race Information:
The Place: World Wide Technology Raceway
Track Length: 1.25 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Sunday, September 13
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Purse: $11,233,037
TV: USA, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
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Distance: 300 miles (240 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 140), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 240)
World Wide Technology Raceway Storylines:
12 of the 16 positions changed in the Chase standings, with Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace gaining the most (+4) and William Byron losing the most (-3)
The top 4 in the Chase standings are separated by 24 points , less than the top 2 were separated after the reset
11 Chase drivers scored stage points, with seven scoring stage points in both stages
Nine Chase drivers finished in the top-10, including a sweep of the top-six
15 of the 16 Chase drivers finished on the lead lap, with William Byron’s DNF the lone exception
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10 Chase drivers were involved in a total of 12 incidents at Darlington
Josh Berry (seventh) was the best finishing non-Chase driver at Darlington
Five of the top six in the Chase standings are Toyota drivers, including all four Joe Gibbs Racing entries, with Ryan Blaney in third breaking them up
Recent St. Louis Favorites:
Joey Logano finished top-five in all four races at St Louis including his win there in 2022, he is the only driver with top-10 finishes in all four races
Joey Logano’s average finish of 3.5 at St Louis is his best of all tracks
All three St Louis races were won by different drivers: Joey Logano (2022), Kyle Busch (2023), Austin Cindric (2024), and Denny Hamlin (2025)
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Three of the four races at St Louis were won from the front-row including two from pole, all four were won from a top-10 starting position
Denny Hamlin finished top-2 in each of the last three races at St Louis, including a win last year
St. Louis is one of two active tracks where Hendrick Motorsports is winless (San Diego)
Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Recent Surge:
15 wins in 2026, their most through 27 races in brand history
At least one Toyota finished in the Top-2 in 24 of the 27 races this season, and in the Top-3 in 26 of the 27 races
A Toyota driver led the most laps in 13 of the 27 races this season
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Toyota swept the top-3 spots at Darlington for the 4th time this season, tied for their most in a single year (2019)
Toyota drivers occupy five of the top-six spots in the Chase standings
All four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers won in 2026, the fifth time overall and their first time since 2021
Hendrick Motorsports and Chevy’s Historic Lows:
Hendrick Motorsports has only three top-5 finishes in the last eight races, their fewest over a eight-race period since 2020
Hendrick Motorsports has two wins this season, their fewest through 27 races since 2018 (one)
Shane van Gisbergen , at Sonoma, is the only Chevrolet driver with a win in the last 14 races
Kyle Larson was the only top-10 finisher for Chevrolet at Darlington, the fewest for the brand in the Southern 500 since 1982
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