Tyler Reddick Says Strategy, Not Practice, Will Decide the NASCAR Darlington Cup Race

Following a successful outing at the Phoenix Raceway, the new short-track package with more horsepower and a simplified diffuser will be in play once again at the Darlington Raceway on Sunday, making it a Cup Series race worth looking out for. There’s a lot of chatter, on top of that, regarding what exactly would play the biggest role in determining the winner and Tyler Reddick, who qualified No. 1, has a theory.

Reddick, after qualifying, spoke to the press and explained how the increased tire fall-off—a result of the package—would affect track positions.

First off, the 23XI Racing driver made it clear that not much could be said about the tire fall-off from the practice session alone, since there is more clean air during practice than during the actual race. Reddick said, “I think once you get more cars out there, there is less good air out there. And at some point, everyone is going to experience it. On the restarts, having spread out. After the restarts.”

“I do think the strategy piece is going to be really important,” he continued. “In some ways, based on practice, in moments throughout the race, you could spread out a little bit more. But then, when guys hit that light switch and go really tight, that’s when you’ll see guys really start to charge through the field or fall through the field.”

At the end of the day, the practice or qualifying sessions haven’t lent a hand in properly diagnosing what the tire fall-off is going to be like in the actual race. Reddick believes that whichever team is able to guess that right will be the one that outperforms the competition. This involves multiple strategic decisions, like when to pit and when to stay out.

After winning the first three races of 2026 and solidifying his position as leader in the points table, Reddick will start Sunday’s race looking to build on his early season advantage.

Denny Hamlin’s warning ahead of Darlington

Speaking on Actions Detrimental , his podcast, earlier this week, 23XI co-owner Hamlin stated that the race at Darlington would be completely out of control. He reasoned, “These cars with essentially little to no underbody. Because we’re now going to the short track aerodynamic package for Darlington.

“These cars are out of control. And so we are going to be…I’m predicting four seconds of fall off. It might be more.”

Praising the new short-track package, Hamlin also noted that it had made short-track racing better by 10-15%. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe, expressed thoughts on a similar line. He, too, believes that the added horsepower and the simplified diffuser will add to the already tough challenges on the track and make the event a must-see.

The race will begin at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 22.