What’s Happening?

NASCAR heads to its original superspeedway this weekend, Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. It’s Throwback weekend, but could bad weather put a damper on the weekend’s festivities? Here is the weather forecast for Darlington Throwback weekend.

• Darlington Raceway opened in 1950, and it was the first “Superspeedway” (Track >1.0 miles in length) on the NASCAR calendar. Darlington has hosted at least one race every year since, and the Labor Day classic, the Southern 500, is one of NASCAR’s Crown Jewels.
• Darlington has generally been lucky with the weather in recent years. The last race to be impacted by weather was pandemic scheduled race in May of 2020, which was rain-shortened.
• Fans are excited for Throwback Weekend. Rain is rarely an issue at Darlington, but, will that trend continue?

Watch Also:

Which Races Have Been the Most Impacted By Weather in Recent Years?

Weekend Weather Forecast via National Weather Service

Friday, May 10th: Craftsman Truck Series Buckle Up South Carolina 200 (7:30 PM ET)

• Forecast: Chance of Showers and Thunderstorms, Mainly Between 4-8 PM
• Temperature: High 72°F, Dropping into Mid-Upper 60s°F by Race End
• Rain: 52-70% Before 8 PM; 9-23% After 8 PM
• Wind: NW 9 MPH; Gusting to 15-16 MPH

Saturday, May 11th: Xfinity Series Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 (1:30 PM ET)

• Forecast: Sunny
• Temperature: High 76°F
• Rain: 0%
• Wind: NW to W 7-8 MPH

Sunday, May 12th: Cup Series Goodyear 400 (3:00 PM ET)

• Forecast: Sunny
• Temperature: High 81°F
• Rain: 1%
• Wind: NW 3-9 MPH

Darlington Weather History

The last Darlington race to be delayed before the start came in 2019. The Southern 500 was delayed due to rain, but it eventually ran later that night. Erik Jones took home his second career win and his first of two Southern 500 victories.

In 2020, NASCAR held a 500-kilometer midweek race in the spring at Darlington due to the global pandemic. The race came down to the wire, and a heavy downpour ended the race 20 laps early, with Denny Hamlin winning.

Darlington Raceway is one of the most popular tracks on the schedule. Will Mother Nature deal a kind hand to the track this weekend?