Following Denny Hamlin's dominant display at Martinsville to pick up his first win of the season, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the running of the Goodyear 400. While the series will open the playoffs at the 1.366-mile track on Aug. 31, this weekend holds some significance as part of NASCAR Throwback Weekend. Some cars will look the same as they do most weeks, but the majority of the schemes will pay homage to some of the sport's greats as NASCAR turns back the clock.
With his Martinsville win, Hamlin became the fifth different driver to win a race this season through seven races. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell is the only driver to win multiple races so far with three victories. Despite an uncharacteristic day at Martinsville in 22nd, William Byron holds a 16-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson.
The first of two stops at the Lady in Black on Sunday will be 293 laps (400 miles) compared to the grueling Southern 500 that kicks off the playoffs. As the series prepares for its first stop of the season at The Track Too Tough to Tame, these three drivers are in search of a rebound performance following Martinsville.
3 drivers who need to rebound in Goodyear 400 at Darlington
3. Josh Berry, No. 21 (Wood Brothers Racing Ford)
After staying out following an early caution for debris in Sunday's race at Martinsville, Berry took advantage and led the most laps (40) in a Wood Brothers car at Martinsville since Hall of Famer David Pearson in 1973. His No. 21 Ford stalled on track during the second caution of the race with battery issues and he eventually finished 32nd.
Berry has only made three Cup Series starts at Darlington and two with Stewart Haas Racing before it closed its doors following the 2024 season. He finished third in last year's spring race and placed top 10 in both stages of the Southern 500 before a crash dropped him to 31st in the running order. Berry has seemed to take well to the challenging race track, which could pay off on Sunday as he looks to overcome a disappointing finish at Martinsville.
2. Chris Buescher, No. 17 (Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford)
Buescher was glad to be out of Martinsville after a frustrating day. The RFK driver brought out the race's second caution on Lap 71 after getting spun by Carson Hocevar. Later in the race, Buescher got together with Noah Gragson with 92 laps to go, ultimately finishing 24th.
Heading into Darlington, running toward the front more often should be the focus for Buescher and the No. 17 team. While he has four top 10s in seven races this season, he has failed to lead any laps in a points-paying race. Although Buescher has only led 22 laps in his career at Darlington, 21 of those came in last year's spring race before bouncing off the SAFER barrier and finishing 30th after contact from Tyler Reddick while the two were battling for the lead. If he can run a smooth race and position himself toward the front, this could be a good opportunity for the 32-year-old from Prosper, Texas.
1. William Byron, No. 24 (Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
Byron may still hold the points lead, but Sunday's race at Martinsville was uncharacteristic to say the least. Since his Daytona 500 win to open the season, Byron has added three top 10s. As a two-time Martinsville winner, a 22nd-place finish and zero stage points was not how the HMS driver envisioned the weekend going.
Don't expect Byron to have that kind of performance at Darlington. Of his six top 10s at the historic track, four of them are top fives, including his lone win in 2023. In the last six races there, Byron has scored stage points in all but one of the 12 stages. His throwback paint schemes to Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon are always on point, and the consistency he has showed at Darlington should point to him being one of the drivers to beat on Sunday.