NASCAR Goodyear 400 preview: Favorite, underdog, top storylines

On Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will tangle with Darlington Raceway — also known as the "Lady in Black" — in the eighth race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Here's what you need to know ahead of Sunday's race. 

Favorite: Kyle Larson (+400, per DraftKings)

Larson only has one win — the 2023 Southern 500 — on his Darlington resume, but he's been one of the best overall drivers at Darlington over the past decade. In 14 Darlington starts, Larson has nine top-10 finishes, seven top-five finishes and has led a total of 1,048 laps. He'll be in contention on Sunday afternoon, but keeping himself out of trouble will be the key to victory. 

Underdog: Ross Chastain (+2000, per DraftKings)

Like 2024, Chastain hasn't had much race-winning speed to speak of through the early portion of 2025. However, Darlington could be a great opportunity for the Alva, Florida, native to break through with a big performance. In the eight Darlington starts in which Chastain has had a competitive car underneath him, he has three top-five finishes and has led 134 laps, including 93 in the 2023 Goodyear 400. Like Larson, his biggest obstacle will be keeping his car in one piece, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the No. 1 Chevrolet running inside the top five late in the race. 

Denny Hamlin looking to return to victory lane at Darlington 

Coming off of a dominant performance at Martinsville on Mar. 30, Denny Hamlin is looking to return to victory lane at another track where the Next-Gen car has denied him a win. Darlington has been an excellent track for Hamlin, who has 13 top-five finishes and 18 top-10 finishes in 25 Darlington starts. He's led 256 laps at Martinsville in the Next-Gen era and 1,000 overall, and should he win on Sunday, it could be another sign that Hamlin is still at the top of his game. 

Brad Keselowski in need of a repeat 

Brad Keselowski broke a 110-race winless streak at Darlington in May of 2024, and another Darlington victory on Sunday would be one of the biggest of his career. Seven races into the season, Keselowski sits 30th in points with zero top-10 finishes in what has arguably been the worst start to a season in his Cup Series career. The good news? He hasn't finished worse than 14th at Darlington since the spring of 2022, and he could certainly use a good run — or even better, another win — on Sunday. 

Can Bubba Wallace continue hot start to 2025?

Following a crew chief swap, Bubba Wallace has been one of the best drivers in the Cup Series so far in 2025. Seven races in, Wallace sits eighth in points with three top-10 finishes and consecutive third-place finishes at Homestead and Martinsville. Darlington has been kind to Wallace in the Next-Gen era, as aside from a crash and subsequent 27th-place finish in the spring of 2022, Wallace hasn't finished worse than 16th in a stretch that has entailed four top-10 finishes and 50 laps led. Wallace is primed for another strong effort on Sunday as he attempts to keep his red-hot start going.