Allgaier Steals Another Win at Darlington

Justin Allgaier talks to the media after his Sport Clips 200 win at Darlington (2026).

DARLINGTON, S.C, – The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series continued its early season campaign Saturday, March 21, as drivers took on the track "Too Tough to Tam", rather known as Darlington Raceway for the Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200. This race served as the first of two trips the O'Reilly Series will have at Darlington in the 2026 campaign. After 147 laps, JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier secured the win. For Allgaier this win was his second win of the early season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Hendrick Motorsports Driver Kyle Larson started on the pole in the JR Motorsports #88 for the race as it became evidently clear off the green throughout the race. Larson was not initially slated to make the start Saturday afternoon for JR Motorsports as it was initially supposed to be driven by Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman. Unfortunately for Bowman, it was announced earlier in the week that he would miss at least three more races while recovering from his battle with Vertigo, placing Larson in the seat.

Larson's run was a statement run, as not only did he sweep the first two stages, he led every lap to that point during the process. Early on it seemed the only way Larson would lose the race was if he had a mechanical or tire failure. Instead it was a different factor that cost Larson a dominant day as it was his pit crew.

After winning the second stage Larson's pit crew last the battle out of pit road, causing him to lose the lead for the first time in the race to Joe Gibbs Racing's Brandon Jones. Larson opted to start second on the inside line behind Jones, but on the restart neither would lead exiting turn two, as to many peoples surprise, Allgaier made the outside lane work on the restart to capture the lead.

That lead did not last long though, as eventually Allgaier got ran down by Larson and the #88 would recapture the lead. But a pesky caution with 25 laps to go sealed the fate for Larson.

Under the caution, everyone would come down for tires, but Larsons pit crew fumbled the stop again, this time sending him out of pit road in 5th.

Ironically despite Brandon Jones entering pit road 4th, he yet again made gains on pit road as he beat out Justin Allgaier for the lead.

On the final restart, both Jones and Allgaier found themselves in the same exact scenario with Jones on the bottom and Allgaier on the outside. And as fate had it out, the 2024 O'Reilly Series champion prevailed again. This time Allgaier did not look back, leading the final 15 laps to victory.

As for Larson, he simply was unable to rebound as he crossed the line for the checkered in 4th. A frustrating end for what was a dominant day.

OTHER NOTABLES:

Viking Motorsports showed strong speed at Darlington straight off of the hauler this weekend. Despite tough circumstances in qualifying Anthony Alfredo showed top 10 speed throughout the day after starting 21st. Alfredo earned 7th in stage two before having to recover after an incident with JR Motorsports driver Ross Chastain on pit road. Alfredo ultimately finished 12th.

As for his teammate Parker Retzlaff it was a showcase evening. Retzlaff dazzled in qualifying starting 5th. After a slow start in stage one, he rebounded to finish 6th and then improved to a 5th in the second stage. In stage three Retzlaff found himself in the top 5, but the late race caution shuffled him back slightly. Retzlaff crossed the checkered in 8th, earning his second top ten in his 2026 campaign. Retzlaff leaves Darlington 9th in points 50 points above The Chase cutline.

Haas Factory team had a struggle in the first two stages, as neither of its drivers earned stage points during the race. That did not deter a rebound however both cars finished in the top 10 with Sheldon Creed scoring 7th and Mayer 10th. While the day may not be beautiful, it shows the teams fighting spirit. This comeback was huge mostly for Mayer as he exits Darlington 11th in points 30 points above the cutline.

Lastly for Hendrick Motorsports, it was another positive afternoon for driver Corey Day, as he earned his fifth top ten finish of 2026. Day did not earn stage points in the first stage, but scored 8th in stage two. On the final restart he found himself 4th before losing two spots in the closing laps resulting him in a 6th place finish. While it could have ended better, it was a gutsy performance for the rookie, who was making his second ever start at the Lady in Black, and his first start at Darlington in the O'Reilly Series.

UP NEXT:

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series heads to Martinsville, VA as teams face the difficult challenge of the track known as the "Paperclip". Last season Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill won the race as he seeks revenge after a tough result at Darlington where he finished 35th. The 250 lap race can be found on the CW starting at 3:30 PM ET and also listened to on MRN.

Stick with us here at Motorsports Today as we will have live coverage for all events next weekend, as well as tomorrow for the NASCAR CUP Series as they take on the Goodyear 400! You can watch tomorrows race on FS1 starting at 3:00 PM ET as well as listen to it on MRN.