Last weekend was a big one for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Cup Series teams. With the chase now looming, the 16 drivers who will make a run for the title are set.  That being said, there are still stories to be written and success to be had in the shadows of The Chase. While many of these drivers are out of contention for the title, they still have a season to have successes in, and could play a major factor with a dark horse win or good run.

While the lights shined at Darlington, the ARCA Menards Series West headed to All-American Speedway in Roseville. On this great short track, two drivers had huge impacts. One scored their first series win with a family-run team on a limited schedule, while the others homecoming and reunion with an old team this season has paid off in a big way yet again.

Next week, Cup and the NOAP Series tackle World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis as the chase continues on.

All-American Speedway

NAPA AUTO PARTS 150

Winner: Ethan Nascimento

Pole: Cole Denton

#4 ETHAN NASCIMENTO

One of the biggest surprises of the season showed up in the shadows of Darlington, coming at Roseville in California with Ethan Nascimento. A part-time competitor in the ARCA Menards Series West since 2023, Nascimento and his family-owned team have made a run at it, running wherever and whenever they can, on a very tight budget. In true “Best of the Rest” form, the #4 Nascimento team got a huge shot in the arm.

THE STORY

Ethan Nascimento has made only 12 career starts since joining ARCA West in 2023, and has not raced in the series since 2024. The twelfth start however, had a big pay off for the driver of the #4 Chevrolet. Qualifying 9th in his only start thus far of 2026, the Nascimento team put a strong car under their driver. As the race wore on, the #4 showed it had speed and could run with the leaders.

Nascimento (4) passes Trevor Huddleston (50) for the win. Photo Credit: ARCARacing.com

This was indeed the case, as Nascimento was able to hold off arguably the series’ top driver in Trevor Huddleston, and score his first career series win in a stout last lap pass. For a team and driver running with such limited resources, a win like this certainly deserves it’s flowers.

#16 HAILIE DEEGAN

When Hailie Deegan rejoined the stock car family this season, expectations were hard to nail down. While Deegan had moved on to the bigger stages of ARCA, Craftsman Truck, and O’Reilly competition…results left something to be desired. After switching focus to the Indy NXT Series in 2025 (a developmental series for IndyCar), Deegan faced a even steeper learning curve.

Enter 2026, when Deegan returned to the stock car world in the ARCA West Series. Reuniting with Bill McAnally Racing, a team she had much early career success with, results have begun to show as Deegan can now focus on developing in a series with far less pressure.

THE STORY

All-American Speedway is a homecoming of sorts for Deegan, as it could be considered her home track. While the season has been slow to start, the #16 Chevrolet has been on a roll as of late. Qualifying 3rd, Deegan ran with the leaders the entire night, kept the car clean, and brought the BMR entry home in 3rd.

The story comes more in the form of Deegan’s late season charge, as the 2026 season winds down for the ARCA West Series. This was Deegan’s second straight top five finish, and she now has a record of two top fives and six top tens in nine starts thus far. With both 3rd place finishes being within shooting distance of the winner, Deegan’s first ARCA West win since 2019 could be on the horizon.

Darlington

FLEETIO 200

Winner: Sheldon Creed

Pole: Carson Kvapil

#00 SHELDON CREED

He did it again…after spending season after season searching for that elusive first NOAP Series win, Sheldon Creed cast his lot with what is now known as Haas Factory Team in 2025, and their #00 Ford. While the first season in ’25 still remained winless, the team and Creed were knocking on the door with 8 top five finishes. Then, it was clear the team had begun to gel, and that first win was right around the next turn.

Now in 2026, the HFT team has aligned itself with Chevrolet, and the #00 has suddenly become a consistent presence…and that presence has now led to not one, but two wins this season

THE STORY

The late race run that the #00 Chevrolet had was nothing short of dominant. Initially, Creed placed the double zero on the starting grid 13th, but quickly made his way to the front. Historically, Darlington is one of Creed’s better tracks, and it showed. Running with the leaders by the end of Stage 2. This set the *cough* stage for the HFT driver to make a run at the lead in Stage 3. Lead he did, leading a convincing final 53 laps on the way to his second career NOAP win.

Credit: The CW / my own edited live video capture

With a very convincing second win this season, Creed and the #00 Chevy team sit second in points with only a 7-point gap on the leader, everyone’s favorite driver (Justin Allgaier). There is a very real chance right now, that Creed could sneak away with the 2026 title, considering the momentum the team currently has.

 

#96 ANTHONY ALFREDO

Another team that has seemingly gained some late season momentum is Alfredo and his #96 Viking Motorsports Chevrolet team. A brand new second car to a revamped Viking Motorsports in 2026, Alfredo and the team certainly had some early season growing pains, including a DNQ at Daytona. However….the late season run Alfredo is now on has catapulted him up the point standings, really beginning at race seventeen in Pocono.

A sixth at Pocono quickly changed the teams luck, and despite a few bumps here and there (35th in San Diego due to an accident), the #96 team suddenly looks like a dark horse contender for a late season win.

THE STORY

Alfredo’s #96 had a brand new scheme at Darlington, and it spent considerable time at the front of the field. Rolling off 12th on the grid, Alfredo showed some muscle early. Making his presence know immediately through Stage 1, Alfredo would eventually inherit the lead late in Stage 2, and lead the final 9 laps to win the stage. Following pit stops to begin Stage 3, the #96 would slide back a bit in the field…but still finish a very strong 6th.

Darlington was a significant performance for Alfredo and his Viking #96 team. Not only did the team collect a lucrative Stage 2 win, but from a DNQ at Daytona, Alfredo now has seven top ten finishes this season, and sits 16th in the standings heading into World Wide Technology Raceway. An impressive accomplishment considering they now sit well ahead of some more well established teams and drivers.

 

Darlington

COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500

Winner: Christopher Bell

Pole: Tyler Reddick

#20 CHRISTOPHER BELL

Typically, a driver driving for such a powerhouse organization as Joe Gibbs Racing would be out of contention for this series, however Christopher Bell and his #20 Toyota checked off a huge box on the 2026 bucket list in Darlington. While Bell’s season has already solidified itself as a championship-contending season, the most impressive part has been how many times Bell’s #20 Joe Gibbs Racing team has knocked on the door of victory lane…seven times. Darlington finally broke that curse.

THE STORY

As mentioned above, the #20 team has been on a tear this season, with Bell finishing 2nd seven times already heading into Darlington. Bad luck and last lap passes became the hallmark of 2026, that all changed last Sunday. Starting 11th, the JGR driver (who has been suffering from a wrist injury for several weeks now), quickly made his presence felt at the front of the field. In a Toyota-heavy list of lap leaders, Bell himself led four times for 46 laps total.However, it was the final 12 laps that counted the most, as Bell held off teammate Ty Gibbs to win by a little over a second.

 

The victory was monumental for Bell as well, as Darlington started The Chase for the Cup. Now suddenly an easy championship contender with the win monkey off his back, Bell sits second in the standings. Not a bad way to start off the returning Chase format at all.

#48 ALEX BOWMAN

Since Alex Bowman’s return from having to sit out a portion of the season briefly due to vertigo, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has struggled to regain footing somewhat. Results have slowly started to come around in recent weeks, but the decision has unfortunately been made that 2027 will be Bowman’s last in the 48 before he sets off for retirement from full-time driving. This all makes Bowman’s Darlington run a worthwhile consideration this week, especially looking at how Hendrick has performed as a whole this season.

THE STORY

With Bowman surely now looking to close off 2026 in style, Darlington may have been a swing upwards in that direction. Bowman started his #48 Chevrolet in the 12th spot, marking the fourth straight week he has qualified in the top 15. Never a driver to be flashy, the #48 team and Bowman worked strategy well through the cautions and a brief rain delay, kept towards the front, and collected a 12th place finish for their efforts.

Photo Credit: Jayski and Hendrick Motorsports

With the performance of his teammates down slightly this season, Bowman’s #48 crew has been quietly getting a grip on the new Chevrolet’s performance. A pair of 10th place finishes, and an 8th at Indy in the last month may just be enough to get the 48 back to victory lane by season’s end.