NASCAR Cup Series
Darlington Raceway
Goodyear 400
Team Chevy Post-Race Report
March 22, 2026
Carson Hocevar Makes Late-Race Charge to Earn Career-Best Finish at Darlington Raceway
Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar made an impressive late-race charge to take home his career-best NASCAR Cup Series finish at Darlington Raceway – driving his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to a fourth-place finish in the Goodyear 400. The Portage, Michigan, native led the Bowtie brigade to three top-10 results at the ‘Track Too Tough To Tame’. Spire Motorsports’ Daniel Suarez and Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron each drove their Chevrolet’s to points in each stage en route to a seventh- and eighth-place finish, respectively.
Race Recap:
Stage One:
A pair of Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, led the Bowtie brigade in Saturday’s qualifying session – sweeping the second row of the starting lineup for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. With the opening stage turning into a long green flag run, the field quickly approached its first trip to pit road as the stage closed in on the halfway mark. Larson, who maintained a top-four running position throughout the run, was called to pit road on Lap 39 for a fresh set of four tires and fuel. The green flag pit sequence expanded over the next 10 laps, with the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team making their way back up into the fourth position. Among those who made a gain in position during the green flag pit cycle included Team Chevy’s William Byron, who jumped five spots to make his first appearance in the top-10 of the race. Despite struggling with the handling of his No. 5 Chevrolet, Larson held onto a strong points run in the opening stage – taking the first green-white checkered flag in the fifth position.
Stage Two:
With track position at a premium, the No. 5 pit crew delivered – earning the reigning champion three positions to win the race off pit road and a position on the front row to start Stage Two. Electing the outside lane, a masterful restart and clean air was enough for Larson to take over the top position and lead his first laps of the race. Settled into the lead, the first natural caution of the day flew. With the lead pack hitting pit road, the No. 5 pit crew led the way once again. Losing the battle on the restart, Larson overcame similar handling issues to maintain a top-three running position en route to the second green-white checkered flag – leading fellow Team Chevy drivers, Byron and Daniel Suarez, with back-to-back top-10 stage points.
Final Stage:
Under the stage break, the Cliff Daniels-led team continued to go to work on their Chevrolet-powered machine with the pit crew continuing to give Larson valuable track position during their visit to pit road. But a caution near the 200-lap marker saw a shakeup in pit strategy. With the leaders opting to make another stop, a handful of cars chose track position, including Suarez – a decision that ultimately led the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team to their highest running position of the race. Holding strong among those with fresher tires, Suarez settled into the sixth position as the field approached what ended up being the final green flag pit cycle of the race. As the lap countdown hit 54 to go, the field began to hit pit road, with Byron and Larson among the first group of cars to make their stop. With the cycle deemed complete just after 10 laps around the ‘Lady in Black’, the Hendrick Motorsports duo re-entered the top-10. But it was Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar that was making a monstrous charge in the closing laps. With seven-lap fresher tires, the Portage, Michigan, native was clicking off the fastest laps among the leaders – climbing up to the fourth position to earn his career-best Darlington finish.
Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Results
Pos. Driver
4th – Carson Hocevar
7th – Daniel Suarez
8th – William Byron
Chevrolet’s season statistics with six NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Wins: 0
Poles: 1
Top-Fives: 11
Top 10s: 20
Stage Wins: 2
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Martinsville Speedway with the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, March 29, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 16th
“An up and down day for our No. 1 Moose Chevrolet team. We had a loose handling car, but were pretty good on the long runs. The guys had a few good pit stops and gained some track position to race around the top-10. We had a couple mishaps that set us back with an issue on the right side during a stop, and around halfway through race, I got a speeding penalty on pit road. The guys worked hard to give us a lead lap finish, but we just didn’t have enough in the end to contend for more. I felt that we had a top-10 car today, just not the result to show.”
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 25th
“Our No. 3 team had another solid start to the weekend with qualifying inside the top-10, which puts us in a better spot to start the race and have a better pit stall selection. Once the race started, we just went to battle with our Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR Chevrolet. Tires are key at this place with the fall off and we tried to play strategy in Stage 3, hoping for a quick caution. Unfortunately that didn’t fall our way but we netted out where we were before, maybe a few positions lower. The balance was extremely tight at the end so we powered through to the checkered.”
Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 7th
This was your career-best Cup Series finish here at Darlington Raceway. How important are these strong runs early in your tenure with Spire Motorsports?
“Listen, from the outside, I was looking at Spire Motorsports, and in my mind, they were the fastest-growing team. I was always curious — what are they doing to grow that quick? But as the year went along and we put a deal together, I started to understand more and more. The culture of the team is pretty incredible. There are great people here; the structure’s solid, and I’m just really happy and proud to be a part of this organization. And the best part is that they just continue to grow. We’re not even close to our full potential, so we just have to keep doing our thing; keep building, and get better and better.”
That last run, you were in the top-10, then dropped back a little, but climbed up to seventh. What was that final run like?
“Really, that was about all that we had. Maybe we could have found it a little sooner, but we got a bit too tight at the end. Just so proud of this No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet team. They did an incredible job all day long. I feel like every single week, if we look at our numbers and we can get a little bit better, that’s all I can ask for. We’re not trying to hit home runs right now, we’re just putting one step in front of the other, and that’s how progress happens.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 21st
“Today wasn’t our day. We had a good practice and qualifying session with the No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet, but that didn’t convert once we got out on Darlington Raceway this afternoon. With that said, the team never quit and we made some adjustments that at times let us race inside the top-15. It’s time now to focus on Martinsville and continuing to make strides with the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.”
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 8th
“Man, I was working hard in there. That was tough. We’re still trying to figure things out with this body, but we definitely are making baby steps. This is just a tough race in general, though, but this No. 24 Raptor Chevy team fought hard.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 4th
You captured your career-best Darlington result with a fourth-place finish. Do you walk away today satisfied with what you and your team did?
“Super proud of this No. 77 Chili’s Marg Machine Chevrolet team. It hasn’t been a lack of effort, but just a lack of luck that takes us out of finishes, so it’s nice to take one today. Chili’s put a lot of effort into this throwback scheme, so it’s great to give it a good run.”
There were a lot of unknowns about the package and the tire going into this race. What do you make of it?
“I had fun. Our Chevy was good. It didn’t feel crazy different, but it seemed like it was way different for everyone else and we were able to pass a lot of cars. That was beneficial for us, for sure.”
Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 18th
“It was a solid day in Darlington for this No. 88 Red Bull Chevrolet team. We got a lap down early, but we were able to get the wave around and get our lap back. We stayed on the lead lap for the rest of the day, so that was a positive way to end the day. It’s definitely a little unfortunate that we weren’t able to make up as much ground as we would have liked there at the end, but a top-20 is a solid day. It’s good to at least get the ball rolling in the right direction after a few bad weekends.”
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 14th
“Decent result! We didn’t qualify very well but the guys did an awesome job tuning up my WeatherTech Chevrolet and as the race went on, it got better and better. Good day, onto Martinsville next weekend.”
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