This weekend, Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing continued their dominant start to the season at one of NASCAR’s most unique venues. But, if you missed all that action, here’s a look at what the NASCAR community took away from NASCAR’s first Darlington trip of the new year.
This weekend, Ryan Blaney’s pit crew gained the attention of the NASCAR community for all the wrong reasons. During pit stops at the conclusion of Stage One, Blaney seemingly had made a solid stop; however, he had to pit in teammate Austin Cindric’s pit stop to have a tire re-tightened on his car.
Though this saved the team a much more significant penalty, the No. 12 team was penalized for pitting outside their box. While Blaney was able to rebound from this, a note from FOX’s Mike Joy informed fans that the No. 12 pit crew ranks 36th amongst full-time pit crews, something that will likely stick with the fan base as the season goes on.
Since the checkered flag fell at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend, NASCAR fans sat and watched Daniel Suarez and his former teammate Ross Chastain blow off a fight that never came to be in Sin City. After late contact, the two traded an on-track blow during the cool-down lap, followed by a shoving match on pit road that never developed into any real fight.
Throughout the week, the two gave their take on the matter, with Suarez saying he would not fight Chastain for a handful of reasons, and his former teammate downplaying their relationship. Of course, most fans figured that, at least on track, the two would come to blows at some point.
But this never came to pass, suggesting this potential rivalry was just a flash in the pan.
Of course, as many fans online are quick to point out, Suárez has been better off without Trackhouse Racing so far, as the Mexican native is off to a career-best start with his new team. In fact, Spire as a whole is off to a great start after a stellar run from both Suárez and his teammate, Carson Hocevar, yesterday at Darlington.
Pulling out of South Carolina, the two drivers sit well within the Chase bubble, perhaps suggesting that Spire is headed for its first-ever postseason appearance. Furthermore, while many suspected the major question entering the off-season would be Suárez’s future with the team, some are wondering if Michael McDowell could be the week link at Spire Motorsports.
Another team likely leaving Darlington with a smile on their face is RFK Racing, as their team brought home two top 10 finishes with all three cars in the top 15. Most fans knew that explaining to three cars would be a challenge for RFK; however, most did not expect it to take this long to show signs of true competitiveness from all three cars.
Despite this monumental weekend for the three-car team, this show of strength from the RFK Fords will likely go forgotten as they just missed out on Victory Lane. Of course, that’s not their fault, though, as 23XI Racing seems to be the most well-prepared team for the 2026 season.
One of the wildest conversations in all of NASCAR right now is the handful of fans theorizing that, in some way, NASCAR has stacked the deck to help 23XI Racing fine Victory Lane again and again after their lawsuit settlement in December.
As crazy as this theory sounds, this weekend definitely didn’t help any speculation regarding this idea, as Tyler Reddick has now accumulated an untouchable points total early on in the season.
Often overlooked in this entire conversation is the fact that Toyota has a hole in its off to a hot start in 2026, as had things shaken out a little differently at Phoenix raceway. They would’ve won the first six races of the season.
Nonetheless, no matter how much effort in time Toyota has put into growing its brand in NASCAR, it seems some fans will always take issue with Toyota’s success on track.
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
