NASCAR Darlington Race Penalties: Cindric and Hocevar Cleared, McDowell and Chastain Penalized

The NASCARCup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway came to a close this past Sunday, with a few housekeeping notes to be addressed. Following the race, all cars were inspected, and as Tyler Reddick was cleared as the victor, the cars of Austin Cindric (2) and Carson Hocevar (77) were sent to Research and Development.

Fans may usually have to hold their breath for a day or two to get results, but today they can exhale, as both Cindric and Hocevar had their vehicles cleared. There will be no penalties awarded to any teams post-Darlington. However, that does not mean that the race went scot-free.

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All Incidents at Darlington Raceway

Carson Hocevar Sent to the Rear

The No. 77, Dale Earnhardt throwback of Carson Hocevar, was sent to the rear of the field for the second time this season before the race. The penalty was handed out due to unapproved adjustments, regarding a replaced upper control arm. He finished in 4th place anyway.

Tyler Reddick Replaces Battery

Reddick came to the pit lane after stage one ended, thus replacing his battery with a much larger one. The adjustment caused a stir among fans about whether it was legal, but it was. Reddick went on to cruise to his 4th victory lane of 2026.

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Speeding on Pit Road

An endless number of drivers sped on pit road last Sunday at Las Vegas. At Darlington, the cars exercised great caution on pit road, where the only two cars penalized on the day were Michael McDowell and Ross Chastain.

Chris Buescher, Tyler Reddick Make Contact

As Reddick was coming to pit road on lap 241, Buescher went low, not realizing that Reddick was coming to the pit lane, and bumped Reddick in the back. Reddick would go back around the track to pit, and he found no key issues with his car. Buescher escaped relatively unscathed, despite the contact causing Buescher to spin lightly into the wall.

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Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin, and Bubba Wallace All Make Contact

The No. 43 car of Erik Jones was moving up the track in turns 3-4, only to be tapped by Denny Hamlin just enough to cause a spin. Jones went sideways as Hamlin slowed a bit to get tapped himself by Bubba Wallace. Out came the caution flag and an angry Jones on the radio, stating, “typical Denny.”

Tire Issues on Pit Road

Nothing happened to cause a penalty, but on lap 95, Wallace had to back up into his pit stall to re-tighten a wheel. On the same pit cycle, Ryan Blaney endured the same problem, causing him to stop in the pit stall of Austin Cindric. It was later confirmed that the wheel was already tight, thus making the stop pointless. Blaney was demanding on his radio that the team be better going forward.

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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.