The “Lady in Black” had her time to shine last weekend, as the trucks, O’Reilly, and Cup teams arrived at Darlington Raceway. While NASCAR decided to do away with the traditional throwback weekend, a weekend focused on honoring the past, this of course meant the throwback paint schemes were in full force.
While the race winners were the traditional cast of stars, many unsung heroes had weekends to walk away proud of…this who stood out at one of NASCAR’s original tracks.
BUCKLE UP SOUTH CAROLINA 200
Race Winner: Corey Heim
#10 A.J. Allmendinger
Kaulig Racing’s mainstay Cup driver took the wheel of the new #10 RAM in Darlington, albeit for unexpected reasons. Allmendinger was named as a substitute driver of the #10, replacing Daniel Dye for….reasons. What ensued for the longtime Cup driver Allmendinger was a race that goes beyond the result. Sporting a retro Mopar paint scheme, Allmendinger qualified 22nd and finished 11th in his truck return.
What goes beyond the result is Allmendinger ran with the leaders throughout the night, and made up spots lost on pit road multiple times to earn a solid 11th. Allmendinger only has 15 career starts in the Craftsman Truck Series, with the last coming with GMS Racing in 2021, when he finished 27th at Watkins Glen.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Kaulig Racing
#56 Timmy Hill
Hill and his Hill Motorsports team had another strong showing in Darlington. Hill, a longtime racer in all three of NASCAR’s major series, had spent the last few truck seasons fielding his own Toyotas. The UNITS-backed #56 had an impressive run, with Hill rolling home 14th after leading three laps, following a 26th place qualifying effort.
Hill has 121 truck starts alone, dating back to 2013. The Hill Motorsports #56 entry has been a presence in the series since 2019, but has gained some momentum the last two years, including an 8th-place finish in Darlington in 2025.
SPORTCLIPS HAIRCUTS VFW HELP A HERO 200
Race Winner: Justin Allgaier
#99 Parker Retzlaff
Retzlaff’s off-season move to the Viking Motorsports #99 Chevrolet has already paid serious dividends. While some questioned the reason behind Retzlaff’s move, the results early this season have shown why. Darlington continued the #99 team’s momentum, with Retzlaff qualifying 5th and finishing 8th.
Credit is also due to the #99 crew chief, Danny Efland. A former racer himself, Efland moved from AM Racing to Viking during the off-season as well, and has increased the teams performance ten fold. Retzlaff also has a 2nd place finish in Atlanta earlier this season.
Photo Credit: Jayski and David Jensen/Getty Images
#96 Anthony Alfredo
Following his teammate Retzlaff relatively close behind was Viking Motorsports’ Alfredo. Alfredo faces an even steeper hill to climb this season, as Viking Motorsports’ #96 Chevrolet is a new second team for the sophomore organization. While the season started with the 96 going home in Daytona, Alfredo scored his second top 15 finish of the season in Darlington, finishing 12th.
Alfredo scored his first top ten of the season two races ago in Phoenix with the new team…the Viking team is quietly becoming a consistent top fifteen or ten team.
GOODYEAR 400
Race Winner: Tyler Reddick
#77 Carson Hocevar
Credit given when credit is due. Carson Hocevar’s personality and aggressive driving has been well documented this season, but Hocevar and his Spire Motorsports #77 team nearly tamed the track “Too Tough to Tame” in Darlington. Sporting a blue and yellow, Dale Earnhardt-inspired retro scheme, Hocevar drove his Chevy to a 4th-place effort after leading two laps and starting 16th.
While Hocevar’s bad guy driving style has ruffled many a feather this season already, the Spire driver’s results speak for themselves, including a pair of 4th-place finishes in Darlington and Atlanta.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Spire Motorsports
#43 Erik Jones
For Jones and his #43 Legacy Motor Club team, Darlington must have been circled on the calendar. Jones, a veteran Cup driver, has had some of his biggest success with dancing with the “The Lady in Black”. While 2026 did not offer the same winning results of seasons past, Jones’ performance was still impressive. Sporting a special 1994 Petty Enterprises-inspired scheme, Jones solidly recovered from a spin on lap 112 to finish 10th (after starting 24th).
While the end result was surely not what Jones was hoping for, recovering from a mid-race spin due to an accident to finish 10th is on par with Jones’ results in Darlington. Jones is one of few current drivers to own multiple wins at the tough track, coming in 2019 and 2022.