Denny Hamlin drove away on the NASCAR Overtime restart to win Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. For the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran, it was his 56th Cup Series win, surpassing Rusty Wallace for 11th place on the all-time list.
Digging deeper than Victory Lane, however, we find drivers who are on the upswing coming out of Darlington as well as a few who didn’t enjoy Throwback Weekend as much and might want to travel back in time for a do-over. Here are our picks for three drivers up and three drivers down after Race 8 of the 2025 season:
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos
THREE UP ⬆️
1. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Started: 25th
Finished: 7th
What happened: Chastain credited crew chief Phil Surgen with making adjustments that helped the No. 1 car move forward through the field, but Chastain was also good on restarts Sunday, ranking fifth, according to NASCAR Insights. The top-10 finish was Chastain’s fourth this season and his third in the last four races at Darlington.
What’s next: It’s Bristol, baby, where Chastain has just two top-10 finishes in nine career starts. However, he’s coming off a 10th-place finish there last fall in the Bristol Night Race.
2. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Started: 15th
Finished: 8th
What happened: Elliott produced another solid effort to earn his fifth top-10 finish of the season. After failing to finish in the top 10 in both Darlington races last season, Sunday’s performance could be a sign that he’ll be competitive here for the playoff-opening Southern 500.
What’s next: Elliott has never won at Bristol but has nine top-10 finishes in 15 starts there, including four top 10s in a row in the Next Gen car.
3. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Started: 11th
Finished: 9th
What happened: Gibbs grabbed his first top-10 finish of the season, coming on the heels of a 13th-place result at Martinsville. He moved up five spots in the standings to 26th place as he tries to get back into the playoff picture.
What’s next: Gibbs has two top-10 finishes in four starts at Bristol, where he was ninth last spring when tire falloff was the story of the day.
THREE DOWN ⬇️
1. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Started: 24th
Finished: 36th
What happened:Berry spun off Turn 2 after contact with Tyler Reddick on Lap 195, mashed the inside wall and exited the race. He was running fifth at the time of the wreck but had to settle for 36th place. He dropped a spot in the standings to 20th.
What’s next: Berry doesn’t have much Cup experience at Bristol, with just two starts and no top 10s there. He finished 12th last spring after starting second.
2. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Started: 13th
Finished: 32nd
What happened: Hocevar’s day got off to a rough start when he spun from 35th place on Lap 24 with a tire going down. Then, Riley Herbst collided with Hocevar after the No. 77’s half-spin on Lap 82. Sunday’s performance marked Hocevar’s fourth finish of 30th or worse in the last five races.
What’s next: Hocevar has three starts at Bristol with a best finish of 11th in fall 2023 for Legacy Motor Club. He’ll need to buck his current trends as well as his career trends at Bristol to rebound from Sunday’s outing.
3. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
Started: 20th
Finished: 33rd
What happened: What appeared to be Keselowski’s best chance to get back on track this season ended with another subpar performance. On Lap 135, Keselowski spun off Turn 4 after a right-rear lug nut came loose. He made it to pit road, but the caution came out three laps later for debris. Keselowski fell out of contention after that and is now 31st in the standings.
What’s next: Keselowski has three wins in 27 starts at Bristol, with his most recent trip to Victory Lane coming in 2020. He finished third in the spring race last year when tire management became a priority.
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