This weekend marks the 128th running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. This season the track is celebrating its 75th Anniversary (1950-2025).
Toyota has won the pole for the last four Cup races at Darlington, tied for their longest streak at any one track. The Darlington record for the most consecutive poles is five straight by Mercury from 1975-1977, a feat Toyota can tie this weekend.
A total of 56 drivers have won the pole in thew NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway. Of the 56 pole winners all-time, seven are active this weekend. Eighteen different drivers finished in the top 10 at Darlington in 2024, only Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin finished top 10 in both.
Nine drivers finished in the top-five at Darlington in 2024, Chase Briscoe was the only driver to finish top-five in both (fifth and first). Denny Hamlin, last weekend’s winner at Martinsville, leads all active Cup drivers in wins (4), runner-up finishes (4), top fives (13), top 10s (18) and average finish (8.2) at Darlington Raceway.
The last nine Darlington Raceway NASCAR Cup Series races were won by nine different drivers, the record at the track is 11 between 2006 and 2016. Every winner since 2006 at Darlington had a minimum of 100 career Cup starts.
Six drivers earned their first Cup Series win at Darlington, four of them got their only Cup victory – Regan Smith (2011), Lake Speed (1988), Terry Labonte (1980), Larry Frank (1952), Nelson Stacy (1961) and Johnny Mantz (1950).
Nine drivers snapped 50+ race winless streaks at Darlington including both 2024 races; tied for the most among non-drafting tracks with Phoenix. Christopher Bell can become the first driver since Jeff Gordon in 1997 to win four of the first eight races in a season. Bell’s best finish at Darlington in the Cup Series is third on 9/1/24.
Of the 55 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington Raceway winners, eight will be active this weekend. The deepest in the field that a Cup Series race winner has started at Darlington Raceway is 43rd by Johnny Mantz in 1950 – the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event held at the historic raceway.
The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Darlington is 18th by Kyle Larson on Sept. 3, 2023. The final green flag stretch was less than 17 laps in only one of the last nine Darlington races.
The last three Spring Darlington races had a lead change in the final 10 laps. In the Modern Era (1972-Present) in the NASCAR Cup Series there has been three races at Darlington Raceway that were decided on the final lap: April 1979, March 1987 and March 2003.
Three Cup Series races have ended with a last lap pass in 2025, tied for the most ever through seven races with 2014.
The driver who led the most laps finished 25th or worse in four of the last five races at Darlington. Last fall’s Southern 500 had 26 lead changes, the most for a race at Darlington since 2008. A driver swept the stages at Darlington seven times, but only once went on to win (Martin Truex Jr – 05/2021).
Eight of the 12 stage winners at Darlington in the NextGen car finished 25th or worse. 2025 is the first year in the stage era where a driver hasn’t won more than 2 stages through the first seven races of the year, 28 drivers finished on the lead lap in last year’s spring Darlington race, tied for the most ever at Darlington (09/2015).
Joey Logano is one of only two defending champions without a top-five finish through the season’s first seven races (Bill Elliott – 1989). Last year’s Championship 4 drivers combined for only 10 top-10 finishes so far in 2025, the fewest through seven races in Elimination Era history (2014-2024).
Three full-time teams have not had a DNF yet in 2025: Hendrick Motorsports, HYAK Motorsports and Legacy Motor Club. The 210 lead changes in 2025 are the second most through the first seven Cup Series races (220 in 2011), 175 lead lap finishers in 2025 are the most ever through the first seven races of a season.
Josh Berry accounts for two of Ford’s five top-five finishes in 2025 including the only win. Ford’s five top-fives are their fewest since 1986 (5) and their 18 top-10s are their fewest since 2016 (12).
MORE NOTES
· 2024 NASCAR Cup Champion Joey Logano’s 260 laps led in 2025 are the most for a driver through the first seven races without a top-five finish since 2006 (Greg Biffle – 404).
· Ty Gibbs earned 33 fewer stage points in 2025 through seven races compared to seven races in 2024, the biggest decline among all drivers.
· Bubba Wallace’s 69 stage points through seven races in 2025 are his most ever at this point in a season by 40 points.
· Ryan Blaney will be making his 350th career start this weekend. Three drivers won in their 350th start: Lee Petty (Martinsville – 05/1959), Bill Elliott (Rockingham – 03/1992) and Tony Stewart (Talladega – 10/2008)
· Ryan Blaney ranks first in 2025 in stage points earned (74), 38% of his total points this season came from stages
· Four full-time drivers have yet to score stage points in 2025: Justin Haley, Riley Herbst, Zane Smith and Cody Ware.
· Tyler Reddick has three top-three finishes in the Next Gen car at Darlington Raceway, series-most.
· Kyle Busch has finished runner-up at Darlington three times since he last won there in 2008.
· Chevrolet won only three of the last 16 Darlington races, all three wins came in the Next Gen car.
· Denny Hamlin has led laps in 19 of his 25 Darlington starts, including the last 10 (fifth longest streak at Darlington all-time).
· Denny Hamlin leads all drivers with 298 laps led in 2025, the fewest by the driver leading the most laps after seven races in a season since Richard Petty’s 269 in 1964.
· Kyle Larson leads all drivers in laps led in the Next Gen car at Darlington Raceway with 392 laps out front.
· JGR led 37% of the laps raced at Darlington in the Next Gen car but have more DNFs than top fives.
· Bubba Wallace ranks second in laps run in the top-five and in the top-10 in 2025 in the Cup Series.
· Ryan Preece’s one top-five, three top-10s, 43 laps led and 23 stage points through seven races are all career bests.
· Defending 2024 Darlington race winner Brad Keselowski has yet to finish inside the top-10 this season; his best finish in 2025 is 11th at Las Vegas.
· Erik Jones (Toyota 2019, Chevrolet 2022) is the only active driver to win in more than one manufacturer at Darlington, but former active winners Chase Briscoe (Ford 2024) and Kyle Busch (Toyota 2008) currently drive different makes than what they have previously won in.
· Hendrick Motorsports (1995-1996 sweep and 2003-2004 sweep) and Richard Childress Racing (1989-1990 sweep) are tied for the most consecutive wins in the Cup Series at Darlington with three straight each.
· In the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway, the outside front row (second starting position) has produced the second-most wins all-time at 19 (a winning percentage of 15%); including this race last season.
· Five NASCAR Cup Series races have resulted in an overtime finish at Darlington Raceway: 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2023.
· Darlington Raceway has hosted races on Mother’s Day five times; including the last four spring races at the track (2007, 2021-2024). This season Kansas Speedway will host its first NASCAR Cup Series race on Mother’s Day – May 11, 2025.
NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Goodyear 400
The Place: Darlington Raceway
Track Length: 1.366 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Sunday, April 6
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Purse: $11,055,250
TV: FS1 & FOX Deportes, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 400.2 miles (293 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 90),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 185), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 293)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
Track Length: 1.366 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, April 5
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,651,939
TV: CW, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 200.8 miles (147 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 147)
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Next Race: Weather Guard Truck Race
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway
Track Length: 0.533 Mile Concrete Oval
The Date: Friday, April 11
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $782,900
TV: FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio: NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 133.25 miles (250 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 65),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 130), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250)
