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BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – AUGUST 05: Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, (R) and Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Jockey Chevrolet, share a laugh on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 05, 2023 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain<\/a> will take on one of the most demanding weekends on the NASCAR schedule when they compete in all three national series at Darlington Raceway<\/a> from March 20 to 22.<\/p>\n The plan came into focus on March 16, 2026, when motorsports writer Austin Konenski<\/a> reported Bell\u2019s schedule<\/a>. Chastain was later confirmed<\/a> to match the effort. The added workload brings more attention to Darlington\u2019s Throwback Weekend.<\/p>\n Both drivers will race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and Cup Series across three days. The move puts focus on their ability to handle different cars, teams, and race conditions at one of NASCAR\u2019s most difficult tracks.<\/p>\n Christopher Bell Returns to Darlington with Momentum<\/p>\n Christopher Bell enters the weekend in strong form in the Cup Series. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver will begin on Friday night in the Truck Series, driving the No. 62 Toyota for Halmar Friesen Racing in the Buckle Up South Carolina 200. Pristine Auction will sponsor the entry. This will mark his first Truck start of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n He will then compete in Saturday\u2019s Xfinity Series race in the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Bell will close his weekend in Sunday\u2019s Goodyear 400, driving his usual No. 20 Toyota in the Cup Series.<\/p>\n Bell has a strong record at Darlington. He has multiple top-five finishes in Cup races at the track. He also has a pole and a win in the Xfinity competition at the venue. His fall 2025 race ended with a 29th-place finish due to a pit-road issue. That result leaves him with unfinished business heading into this weekend.<\/p>\n He sits sixth in the current Cup standings after earning a recent pole at Las Vegas<\/a>. The 750-horsepower package<\/a> in use this weekend is expected to change how the cars handle and race.<\/p>\n Ross Chastain Takes on a Full Triple-Duty Challenge<\/p>\n Ross Chastain will also compete in all three series, but with different teams in each race. For the Truck Series race, he is set to pilot the No. 45 Chevrolet with Niece Motorsports. He will then switch to JR Motorsports\u2019 No. 9 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series. He will then return to Trackhouse Racing for Sunday\u2019s Cup race in the No. 1 Chevrolet.<\/p>\n Chastain has experience at Darlington across all levels. He won a Truck Series race at the track in 2024 with Niece Motorsports. His 2026 Truck schedule is limited, making this one of his key appearances of the season.<\/p>\n Darlington remains one of the toughest tracks on the calendar. Its egg-shaped layout and worn surface demand strong tire management and precise driving.<\/p>\n Darlington Weekend Highlights NASCAR\u2019s Versatility Test<\/p>\n Running three races in three days places physical and mental demands on drivers. Bell and Chastain must adjust quickly between three different types of cars. Each series requires a different driving style and setup approach.<\/p>\n The schedule also requires coordination with different teams and crews. Track conditions will change throughout the weekend, adding another layer of difficulty.<\/p>\n Their participation brings added attention to the Truck and Xfinity races. It also highlights the level of versatility required to compete across all three NASCAR national series in a single weekend.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – AUGUST 05: Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, (R) and Ross Chastain,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":542640,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-542639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=542639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/542640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=542639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=542639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=542639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}