This weekend marks the 129th running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway, and the 76th running of the Southern 500. This is the sixth time Darlington hosted a Playoff race, and the fifth-time it has hosted the opening race (2020-2023, 2025).
Darlington Raceway is one of five different tracks to open the postseason for the NASCAR Cup Series alongside New Hampshire (2004-2010), Chicagoland (2011-2017), Las Vegas (2018-2019) and Atlanta (2024). Five times the winner of the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has gone on to win the championship – 2004 (Kurt Busch), 2011 (Tony Stewart), 2012 (Brad Keselowski), 2017 (Martin Truex Jr.) and 2024 (Joey Logano).
The last seven Darlington Cup races were won by seven different drivers. Denny Hamlin, with three wins, is the only repeat winner in the last 11 Darlington races.
This weekend. eight of the 55 NASCAR Cup Series Darlington race winners are active this weekend. The final green flag stretch was less than 17 laps in only two of the last 10 Darlington races. The driver who led the most laps finished 22nd or worse in three of the last five Southern 500s.
Last year’s Southern 500 had 26 lead changes, the most for a race at Darlington since 2008. By contrast, last April’s race at Darlington featured only four lead changes, the fewest for a Cup race at Darlington since the inaugural Southern 500 in 1950. William Byron led the opening 243 laps at Darlington in April; the most laps led from the start in the track’s history. He won both stages but finished second in the race.
A driver swept the stages at Darlington seven times, but only once went on to win (Martin Truex Jr – 05/2021). Eight of the 14 stage winners at Darlington in the Next Gen car finished 25th or worse. 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. Nine drivers snapped 50+ race winless streaks at Darlington including both 2024 races; tied for the most among non-drafting tracks with Phoenix.
Denny Hamlin led in the last 11 Darlington races, the longest streak at the track since Darrell Waltrip’s 17 straight races from 1976-1984. Ross Chastain is set to make his 250th Cup start this weekend, six drivers won their 250th Cup start (most recently Chris Buescher at Bristol in September 2022) and two did so at Darlington.
Ryan Blaney finished in the top-10 in the last six races, his longest ever Cup top-10 streak. 2025 is the fifth straight season that a Hendrick Motorsports driver entered the Playoffs seeded #1. The average time for the Southern 500 is 4:15:50, the average time for the Coke 600 is 4:26:55.
The eventual winner of the Southern 500 didn’t lead for the first time until Lap 158 in eight of the last nine Darlington races, The Southern 500 hasn’t ended in overtime since 2014.
NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Cook Out Southern 500
The Place: Darlington Raceway
Track Length: 1.366 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Sunday, August 31
The Time: 6 p.m. ET
The Purse: $10,447,135
TV: USA, 5:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 501.32 miles (367 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 115),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 230), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 367)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Pacific Office Automation 147
The Place: Portland International Raceway
Track Length: 1.967 Mile Asphalt Road Course
The Date: Saturday, August 30
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,651,939
TV: CW, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 147.75 miles (75 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 25),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 50), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 75)
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Next Race: Sober or Slammer 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
Track Length: 1.366 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, August 30
The Time: 12 p.m. ET
The Purse: $782,900
TV: FS1, 12 p.m. ET
Radio: NRN, 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)
