NASCAR rolls into one of its’ most iconic venues this weekend. Darlington Raceway hosts all three National Touring Series for the series Throwback Weekend. Here is everything you need to know about the weekend.
The NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series are at Darlington for the first of two weekends this season. The Cup Series returns to the track this Labor Day weekend for the Southern 500, the final race of the 2024 regular season. The Xfinity Series returns on the same weekend, but, it will be the 4th to last race before the Playoffs.
The Craftsman Truck Series will not come back to Darlington later this year. This is week 2 of a stretch of 5 consecutive race weeks for the series, and the regular season is now officially halfway over.
Fans are excited for this weekend’s race at Darlington. It is one of the most popular tracks on the schedule, and Throwback Weekend makes it that much more exciting.
3:00-4:30 PM – Craftsman Truck Series Practice/Qualifying on FS1
~4:30-5:00 PM – NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition on FS1
5:00-6:30 PM – Xfinity Series Practice/Qualifying on FS1
~6:30-7:30 – NASCAR RaceDay on FS1
7:30 PM – Craftsman Truck Series Buckle Up South Carolina 200on FS1
Saturday, May 11th: Xfinity Series RACE
10:30-12:30 PM – Cup Series Practice/Qualifying on FS1
~12:30-1:30 PM – NASCAR RaceDay on FS1
1:30 PM – Xfinity Series Crown Royal Purple Bag 200 on FS1
Sunday, May 12th: Cup Series RACE
1:30-3:00 PM – NASCAR RaceDay on FS1
3:00 PM – Cup Series Goodyear 400 on FS1
Race Facts
Darlington Raceway
Year Built: 1950 (The Fronstretch and Backstretch were flip-flopped in 1997 to accommodate expansion, but the track shape remained the same)
Length: 1.366 Miles
Banking: 25 Degrees in Turns 1-2, 23 Degrees in Turns 3-4, 3 Degrees on Frontstretch, 2 Degrees on Backstretch
Track Type: Intermediate
Surface: Asphalt
Lights?: Yes
Rain Tires?: No
Truck Series
Race Length: 147 Laps (200.802 Miles)
Stages: 45 Laps (Stage 1 and 2), 57 Laps (Stage 3)
2023 Winner: Christian Eckes
Purse: $770,233
Former Darlington Winners in the Field: Christian Eckes and Ben Rhodes
Xfinity Series
Race Length: 147 Laps (200.802 Miles)
Stages: 45 Laps (Stage 1 and 2), 57 Laps (Stage 3)
2023 Winners: Kyle Larson (Spring) and Denny Hamlin (Fall)
Purse: $1,371,756
Former Darlington Winners in the Field: Justin Allgaier (2) and Brandon Jones
Cup Series
Race Length: 293 Laps (400.238 MIles)
Stages: 90 Laps (Stage 1), 95 Laps (Stage 2), 108 Laps (Stage 3)
2023 Winners: William Byron (Spring) and Kyle Larson (Fall)
Purse: $8,090,969
Former Darlington Winners in the Field: Denny Hamlin (4), Martin Truex Jr. (2), Erik Jones (2), Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Kyle Larson
Entry Lists
Truck Series
32 Trucks are on the entry list, meaning no drivers will go home. Notable entries include Kyle Busch (No. 7), Mason Maggio (No. 22), Ross Chastain (No. 45), and Conner Jones (No. 66).
Xfinity Series
38 cars are entered for 38 spots in the Xfinity Series, meaning no drivers will go home. Notable entrants include William Byron (No. 17), Taylor Gray (No. 19), John Hunter Nemechek (No. 26), Carson Kvapil (No. 88), and Josh Bilicki (No. 92). The No. 35 Joey Gase Racing car currently has no driver listed on the entry list, but, the Qualifying Order says Chad Finchum will race for Joey Gase Motorsports this weekend.
Cup Series
Only the 36 chartered teams are entered into this weekend’s race at Darlington. Erik Jones returns in the No. 43 car with Kaz Grala (No. 15) and Derek Kraus (No. 16) both returning to the Cup Series this weekend as well.
What to Watch For This Weekend
Truck Series
Corey Heim and Christian Eckes dominated the 2023 race at Darlington, leading a combined 148 of 158 laps. The two will be factors once again this weekend. It could be a battle between Heim and Eckes for the win.
Xfinity Series
Cup Series drivers Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin each won the Xfinity Darlington races in 2023, while John Hunter Nemechek led teh most laps in both races. This means the field is wide open for 2024, and former Darlington winners are the ones to watch for. Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones could be interesting dark horse picks, but, Chandler Smith might be the favorite.
Cup Series
While Hendrick Motorsports swept the race wins at Darlington in 2023, the Toyotas were the dominant cars of the weekend. Martin Truex Jr. (145) and Denny Hamlin (155) led the most laps in the spring and fall races respectively. Tyler Reddick also narrowly missed out on a win in the Southern 500. Watch out for Toyota this weekend.
This article will be updated as more news comes out about the weekend.
