The one word that comes to mind when someone mentions Darlington Raceway? History.
NASCAR’s first superspeedway has been around for 75 years. The 1.336-mile egg-shaped oval was intended to be the Indianapolis Motor Speedway of the South, a track meant to attract a major race that could be the South’s answer to the Indianapolis 500.
In contrast to the glitz and glamor of the Indy 500, the inaugural Southern 500 in 1950 was a convoluted mess. Of the 75 starters, race winner Johnny Mantz was the only driver to finish on the lead lap. The race took over six hours to complete. Darlington was clearly a long way from Indianapolis.
For those involved with Darlington’s early years, it likely would be hard to believe that Darlington has become one of the most storied tracks in NASCAR history. Today, the Southern 500 is one of the crown jewels on the schedule alongside the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Brickyard 400.
Darlington’s history runs incredibly deep. Of course, the Southern 500 bears the brunt of it. As NASCAR’s oldest crown-jewel event, its list of winners features legends from every generation.
The Southern 500, and Darlington in general, has been the site of some of NASCAR’s most historic moments. Perhaps the most famous moment came in the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, when Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven battled door-to-door to the line in one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history.
It was at Darlington where NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip won his final race at the 1992 Southern 500. It was also at Darlington where Richard Petty experienced one of the most harrowing crashes of his career in 1970 Rebel 400, which was so violent that it inspired NASCAR to mandate window nets on all cars later that year — impressive proactivity for a young sanctioning body in an era when safety was mostly an afterthought.
Terry Labonte earned the final win of his NASCAR career at Darlington in the 2003 Southern 500. In the 1965 Southern 500, Ned Jarrett won by 14 laps, which remains the largest margin of victory in NASCAR history.
Darlington’s incredible history almost seems to outshine and overshadow the great racing that takes place at the track twice a year, but every race weekend will usually add another memorable moment.
Just think of all the memorable Darlington moments of the past decade:
- 2015: Carl Edwards earns first Southern 500 win
- 2018: Brad Keselowski wins the Southern 500, earning his second consecutive crown jewel after winning the Brickyard 400 the week prior
- 2019: Erik Jones‘ second Cup victory comes in Southern 500
- 2020: After a prolonged postponement of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kevin Harvick wins in NASCAR’s return
- 2020: Harvick wins the Southern 500 after Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. tangle late
- 2021: Denny Hamlin holds off Kyle Larson to win Southern 500
- 2022: Joey Logano moves William Byron on the final lap to win
- 2022: Jones wins his second Southern 500 and snags his first win with Legacy Motor Club
- 2023: Ross Chastain and Larson tangle late, paving the way for Byron to avenge his 2022 defeat
- 2023: Larson finally gets his Southern 500 win
- 2024: Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher tangle, giving Keselowski the opportunity to earn his first Cup Series win since April of 2021
- 2024: Chase Briscoe earns Stewart-Haas Racing’s final Cup victory and a playoff berth by winning the Southern 500 in a wild finish
These moments would be enough to fill the history books at a number of tracks. At Darlington, it’s just another day at the office.
These moments may be too recent to be officially considered historic, but they prove that Darlington’s racing product is still great. Darlington isn’t a track that has to be held up by its history. It simply produces more historic moments every time it holds a race.
Take Martinsville Speedway, for example. While it is undoubtedly a historic track, the advent of the Next Gen car has seen less-than-thrilling races and relatively poor crowds. On the other hand, Darlington’s product has flourished despite the car change.
Martinsville and Darlington are timeless in different ways. Darlington’s racing looks the same as it did 25 years ago, while modern Martinsville is a noticeably different game.
Darlington is rightfully revered as a hotbed for history and a breeding ground for legendary moments, but it’s also a track that will assuredly put on a barnburner every time the Cup Series pays a visit.
A member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Samuel also covers NASCAR for Yardbarker, Field Level Media, and Heavy Sports. He will attend the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2025.