The 2026 Goodyear 400 has piqued the interest of the NASCAR community, not just because it promises to be an eventful race, but because of the new short-track package for the season that was already tested in Phoenix. Some feel it’ll improve racing in the short-tracks, while others, like Michael McDowell, are skeptical.
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The higher horsepower and simplified diffuser did wonders for the racing experience at Phoenix. But Darlington is a different beast and almost every driver on the track expects there to be utter chaos as the tire wears off quickly. McDowell, expects the same.
The Spire Motorsports driver, currently in his second season with the team, said, “Well, they are hard to drive by themselves. So, I expect a lot of mistakes and chaos just because they are pretty out of control by themselves.
“But, you know, it can go two ways, too. Everybody lowers the intensity level down because they’re holding on for dear life, and then you get single file and not a lot of racing. It will be interesting to see how the tires last.”
Michael McDowell first reactions to this package at Darlington pic.twitter.com/K0ea4E14rY
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) March 21, 2026
McDowell, who will start from 20th on the grid, admitted that his qualifying performance wasn’t all that good and that starting position does matter a lot on a track like Darlington. The further behind a driver starts, the more tire wear he might experience trying to race faster. This could end up adding pressure to an already uphill challenge.
McDowell’s disappointment with his qualifying lap
McDowell’s qualifying time was 29.731 seconds, as compared to pole-sitter Tyler Reddick‘s 29.072 seconds. The biggest takeaway for him was the lessons about the track condition as he believes that the heat represented what the atmosphere was going to be like on Sunday.
He further added, “It was fun. I wish I had done a better qualifying lap out there. But I kind of plugged the wall there a little bit. That kind of hurt us. But it’s hard going early out here, not knowing what you are going to need. Watching a few cars go by and having some time to see as a track, picking up time, and how hard you can push it helps.”
McDowell has two top-10 finishes in the first five races of the season. He sits 14th on the points table, meaning he would make it to the Chase if the regular season were to end right now. But there’s still some distance to go to actually reach that point, and the journey starts at Darlington.
