Hot topics are muted
By Sharon Barton – Fan4Racing
INVESTIGATION, DRAMA AND filth. 🏁 NASCAR Weekend had it all. Got some burning thoughts about this race weekend? Sound off in the comments section.
Welcome to a special written edition of Hot Topics Sound Off. This week, we’re switching things up a bit and taking our conversation from the microphone to the page this NASCAR weekend.
If you like your NASCAR weekend with a little bit of everything, this one certainly delivered.
From the opening NASCAR O’Reilly Parts Series Chase race at Darlington Raceway to a thrilling photo finish at All American Speedway, a Cook Out Southern 500 win and a return to the DuQuoin dirt, there’s no shortage of stories to discuss.
This is the chase, the drama and the dirt. 🏁NASCAR Weekend had it all. Hot topics are muted.
So let’s turn the sound off.
🏁 NASCAR O’REILLY SERIES. Creed Starts the Chase with a Statement.
Sheldon Creed celebrates on the front stretch at Darlington Raceway after winning the Fleetio 200 and opening the O’Reilly Series Chase with a win. Photo credit: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
Sheldon Creed couldn’t have picked a better time to find victory lane.
For the second time this season, Creed took the checkered flag Saturday night in the Flatio 200 at Darlington Raceway, opening the nine-race O’Reilly Series Chase with his second career win. He scored his first win at EchoPark Speedway earlier this season.
With 49 laps to go, a strong pit stop brought out the No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet. Creed took control and never gave it back.
And that makes this victory more than just another trophy.
It’s a championship announcement
Creed has shown flashes of championship-caliber speed throughout the season. Darlington noted that he can be a serious contender when the pressure is on.
Corey Day Turned Up the Wick
While Creed gets the headline, Corey Day also deserves some attention. With a runner-up finish in his No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, the young rookie driver puts his name in the championship conversation.
Take hot topics
Before Darlington, no one was talking about Sheldon Creed or Corey Day as Chase title contenders. After Darlington, don’t overlook these drivers when talking about the O’Reilly Championship.
This could be the start of a very interesting Chase over the next eight races.
We want to hear from you.
🏁Is Sheldon Creed now a legitimate championship favorite after his Darlington win? If not, whose performance at Darlington makes them favourites?
🏁Will Corey Day win the O’Reilly Chase?
🏁 ARCA WEST SERIES. Nascimento gets his breakthrough win
After the sun went down in California on Saturday night, ARCA West provided the most exciting finish to the weekend.
Ethan Nascimento last raced in ARCA West in 2024.
Last week Wednesday, he had no idea he would be racing at All-American Speedway this weekend. Thursday changed everything, and on Saturday night he celebrated his first ARCA West win for his family-owned team, Nascimento Motorsports.
In the NAPA Auto Parts 150, lap points leader Trevor Huddleston by just 0.038 seconds, Nascimento took his unintended run to victory lane.
That’s about as close as it gets.
The final five laps at All American Speedway saw Trevor Huddleston (50) and Ethan Nascimento (4) paint multiple times, with Nascimento taking the win. (Photo by Scott Marshall/ARCA Racing)
Sometimes racing opportunities come out of the blue. The key is to take advantage when they do.
Nascimento certainly did.
Podium for Deegan – Almost for Huddleston
Haley Deegan is not to be overlooked. A third-place finish keeps his name in the conversation, while Trevor Huddleston’s runner-up finish showed just how close he was to another victory.
Take hot topics
A first career ARCA West win is always special, but winning by four-hundredths of a second makes this one even more memorable.
We want to hear from you.
🏁Ethan Nascimento’s win by 0.038 seconds was the most exciting finish of the weekend.
🏁How many wins will Trevor Huddleston get in the remaining four ARCA West races: Madera, Bullring Las Vegas, Phoenix and Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway?
🏁 NASCAR CUP SERIES
Then came Darlington under a gorgeous sunset.
The Cup Series Chase opened Sunday night with the Cook Out Southern 500. After coming “oh so close” in the regular season, Christopher Bell reminded everyone that he is a serious championship contender.
Bell also snapped a 33-race winless streak, beating Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs by 1.038 seconds. More importantly, the win moved Bell from sixth to second in the championship standings, just 12 points behind his fellow teammate Denny Hamlin, with nine races remaining in the Chase.
Talk about timing.
Bell has finished second seven times this season. He always had speed. He just couldn’t win the trophy.
Until Darlington.
Christopher Bell celebrates his first win of the 2026 season after winning the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images
Entering the Chase with something to prove, Bell suddenly looks like the championship favorite.
Joe Gibbs Racing continues its push in the chase
Perhaps just as important as Bell’s win is Ty Gibbs’ second-place finish, giving Joe Gibbs Racing tremendous momentum heading into the rest of the Chase.
But the big story wasn’t just who won.
It was also about who lost positions.
A rough night for William Byron
Entering the opening Chase, William Byron came to Darlington with championship aspirations, but his night went sideways – literally.
Spinning from ninth on lap 316, Byron later suffered mechanical failure that sent his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into the garage.
Brutal way to start a championship run.
Running in the top ten for most of the second half of the race made the late collapse all the more painful for Byron.
Denny Hamlin Relives The Drama… Again!
Top seed Denny Hamlin also had trouble after contact with Michael McDowell damaged his No. 11 Toyota. Hamlin’s points lead was cut to 13 points, but he still leaves Darlington for the championship lead.
And that’s important.
You don’t have to win every Chase race.
Sometimes surviving a bad night is just as valuable.
Take hot topics
Christopher Bell’s win changes the conversation. He went from a driver trying to find victory lane to a driver who must now keep a close eye on the championship fight.
The last NASCAR Cup Series championship for Joe Gibbs Racing was in 2019, when Kyle Busch won the title. Joe Gibbs Racing has been pretty good all season and is still bringing power in the Chase.
We want to hear from you.
🏁 Does Christopher Bell’s Darlington win make him your new championship favourite? If not, whose performance at Darlington makes them your championship favourites?
🏁Joe Gibbs Racing will win the championship this year. If so, which driver brings home the trophy?
🏁 Which driver do you think is under the most pressure after the opening Chase at Darlington?
🏁 ARCA MENARDS SERIES. Brown owns the dirt
And just when you thought the weekend was over, ARCA took us back to the dirt in Illinois at DuQuoin.
The Audubon Park 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds is owned by Carson Brown.
Earning his second ARCA Menards Series win of 2026, Brown dominated the race, adding another impressive chapter to a season that already included his breakout win at Phoenix.
Starting from the pole position, Brown eventually crossed the finish line 4.137 seconds ahead of series points leader Jake Bollman, with Kelly Kovski, Gavan Boschele and Thomas Annunziata rounding out the top five.
There’s something special about DuQuoin.
Carson Brown’s No. 28 tears up the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds dirt during the Audubon Park 100. Brown earned his second win of the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season. Photo: Carson Brown Motorsports.
Dirt changes everything. Drivers must manage the surface, the vehicle and the changing conditions while keeping the tires under them.
Brown managed it all.
Take hot topics
Carson Brown’s ARCA season may be limited to just ten starts, but he’s making those starts count. With two wins already in 2026 and a full-time move to the NASCAR O’Reilly Series with Richard Childress Racing awaiting him in 2027, Duquesne could be another important development step for a young driver with great potential.
We want to hear from you.
🏁 With his second win of the season coming in just his tenth ARCA start, and a full-time move to Richard Childress Racing come 2027, Is DuQuoin a sign of bigger things for this young driver?
🏁Jake Bollman added to his points lead with a second place finish at DuQuoin. Who will challenge him for the championship in the next three races at Salem, Bristol and the season finale at Kansas?
🔥 HOT TOPICS. What did we learn?
So what are the leads from this weekend?
1. Christopher Bell is officially a championship threat.
He didn’t just win. He won when the pressure was on and jumped all the way to second place.
2. Sheldon Creed is gaining momentum at the right time.
Winning the opening O’Reilly Chase puts him in a great position heading into the rest of the championship race.
3. Ethan Nascimento just announced himself.
The first win in the West Series is impressive. Winning it by 0.038 seconds makes it unforgettable.
4. Carson Brown continues to build his resume.
Two ARCA wins this season, including a dominant performance at one of the series’ most unique venues.
5. The Chase can change quickly.
Just ask William Byron.
One moment you’re running in the top ten. Next, you watch the rest of the field drop away while your championship hopes take a serious hit.
That’s the nature of Chase racing.
🏁 FINAL THOUGHTS
Four races.
Four very different stories.
Darlington gave us Chase pressure and a long overdue breakthrough. All American gave us a photo finish and a first time winner. DuQuoin gave us a dirty ride and another win for Carson Brown.
That’s what makes a weekend like NASCAR so much fun.
We want to hear from you.
And now the big question becomes.
Was this weekend the start of something special, or just the first chapter in a greater Chase Championship story?
👀 Big picture. Which race and story was your favorite of the weekend?
Write your thoughts in the comments and come to the Sound Off. 🗣️🏁
The CHASE, DRAMA and DIRT delivered everything we could have asked for.
And that’s why we’re already looking forward to the next race weekend.
Until then, keep it rolling and keep commenting on hot NASCAR topics. 🏁