episode 2630-2026 Chase Begins At Darlington  

From a NASCAR Fan’s View

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The biggest question on everyone’s mind, at least from this fan’s view, is which of the drivers will be at the biggest disadvantage as the 2026 NASCAR Cup Chase kicks off at Darlington Raceway. Weather has set the field up in a peculiar way, and the Chase drivers are spread throughout the complete field. There was no practice and no qualifying, and that means the field is set by NASCAR’s matrix. It also means that the entire field will start the race with their notes from the spring race and the best guess the engineers could come up with as they unloaded off the trucks for this one. That’s a heck of a way to start the first race of the Chase.

Looking at the situation from a very negative perspective, I would say that gives some an advantage and puts others at a very distinct disadvantage. The first real advantage goes to Tyler Reddick since he will be starting on the pole, more because of the weather rather than actual qualifying speed.

Now, listen. I’m not saying he may not have taken the pole anyway. I’m just saying he got the first positive break to start this 2026 Chase. Judging from the way they ran in the spring race and the overall performance of Toyotas in general this season, this could mean Tyler Reddick could come away with a win and points advantage after this one is over. I know he has also struggled during the summer months, but he seems to have turned things around a bit. Will this give him the boost he needs to start strong as the Chase begins, much like his start to this year, or will it be a day of disappointment? Honestly, from this fan’s view, I think it could go either way.

As I mentioned earlier, the sixteen Chase drivers are scattered throughout the entire field, and some are starting as far back as thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth. That would be Carson Hocevar and Chris Beuscher. It may not mean anything at all, and the Southern 500 is a long race, but that is a tough place to start from with so many of them starting in the top twenty or so. Say what you will, but they have a lot of ground to make up.

The JGR Toyotas do seem to be well placed in the field, and that could bode well for them over some of the other teams. The way the JGR and 23XI teams have been running and are starting today could mean trouble for the rest of the Chasers as they start mostly in the top twenty.

The best of the Hendrick teams isn’t even in the Chase, and that is Alex Bowman, starting tenth. Of the other three, Chase Elliott has the best starting spot, but that is eighteenth. William Byron starts twentieth, and Kyle Larson starts twenty-fifth. When I consider their season, I have to say they are definitely at a disadvantage as they start this season’s Chase.

When I look at Byron and Larson individually, I see a couple of teams that seem to be struggling. That doesn’t mean they haven’t had moments of running well, but the story of their season, at least from this fan’s view, has been different than their usual performance. I’m not saying they haven’t had their moments of running well. What I am saying is that they just haven’t always finished well in the closing laps of races where it looked like they were going to finish well. It makes me wonder if their fortunes might change as they enter into the Chase. If the past races of this season show mediocre performance, could it be that they suddenly begin to win races and become honest-to-goodness contenders for the championship?

That may be a pipe dream for the Hendrick Chevys, and I include Chase Elliott in this discussion. The Hendrick teams have definitely struggled during this 2026 season, but they are the Hendrick teams, and things could change as quickly as today’s race.

There are a lot of unknowns as the 16 Chasers take to the track at Darlington today. No doubt Darlington is a challenge for all. A lot of unexpected things can happen today and very well could make a difference in the way the next races in the Chase end up.

So, what do you think? Is it going to be business as usual with the Toyotas kind of leading the way while the Chevys and Fords continue to struggle? Well, many of the Fords, except for Ryan Blaney’s Penske Ford. He has been running well almost every week, even if he hasn’t always finished well.

I don’t know about you, but I think this could be one of the most interesting races we’ve seen, especially after the weather canceled the qualifying and spread the Chasers everywhere throughout the starting field. Could it be that someone other than a Chaser wins today? Yeah, that’s a possibility, and wouldn’t that make things even more interesting…?

Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…