Nascar Cup - Darlington 2
Darlington 2
Display & Timezone
Display & Timezone
Showing times for Asia/Seoul
Timezone
Asia - Seoul
30 Aug - 1 Sep
Completed
Darlington Raceway
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Track Info
Darlington Raceway - Darlington, South Carolina, USA
The Lady in Black - The Track Too Tough to Tame - egg-shaped oval born of a minnow pond compromise - 1.366 mi / 2.198 km - 4 turns - asphalt, famously abrasive
When was the track built?
Darlington was carved out of a peach farm by Harold Brasington in 1949–1950, inspired by the Indianapolis 500. The landowner insisted his on-site minnow pond remain, so Brasington narrowed and tightened the west end of the oval, creating the unique egg shape that still defines the setup challenge today. The track debuted in 1950, received steeper banking in the early 1950s, and was fully repaved in 2007 with periodic patch work since.
When was its first race?
The venue’s first race was the Southern 500 on September 4, 1950. Johnny Mantz won by nursing hard-compound truck tires while rivals shredded softer rubber on the fresh, abrasive asphalt. The Southern 500 became a Labor Day classic and remains one of NASCAR’s Crown Jewel events.
What's the circuit like?
- Egg-shaped enigma: Teams must compromise handling between the fast, sweeping Turns 1-2 and the tighter, narrower Turns 3-4. What’s perfect at one end is rarely perfect at the other.
- Abrasion and the Darlington Stripe: The surface chews tires and the preferred groove runs inches from the wall, so drivers often leave with a trademark scuff along the right side.
- Long-run racetrack: Tire falloff can approach multiple seconds over a green-flag run. Saving the right-rear and managing traffic are everything.
- Benchmark pace: Cup poles typically land around 170–172 mph in modern trim, with race laps in the high 28s to low 29s as tires age.
Lap records and benchmarks (oval 1.366 mi)
- NASCAR Cup - qualifying: 26.705 s - Aric Almirola, 184.145 mph, 2014.
- NASCAR Cup - race lap: 28.332 s - Denny Hamlin, 2018 Southern 500.
- NASCAR Xfinity - race lap: 29.196 s - Ryan Blaney, 2019.
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck - race lap: 29.392 s - John Hunter Nemechek, 2021.
Records are session and era specific. Modern packages plus surface patches mean year-to-year variation, but tire falloff remains the constant.
Why go?
Darlington turns race craft into a chess match. You’ll see veterans work the wall for momentum, undercuts and overcuts play out with massive tire falloff, and late cautions that flip strategies. The Southern 500’s night atmosphere and the spring Throwback Weekend’s liveries make it a bucket-list trip for NASCAR fans.
Where's the best place to watch?
- Frontstretch grandstands: Starts, restarts, pit road and the full blast into the wide-open Turns 1-2.
- Turn 2 exit: See who dares to brush the wall for the run down the backstretch and who pays the price with a stripe.
- Turn 3 entry: The tight end of the egg where passes are set up on entry and decided off Turn 4 to the line.
Not just one series - headline events at Darlington
NASCAR Cup: Goodyear 400 in May - Cook Out Southern 500 in September.
NASCAR Xfinity & Trucks: Support shows with classic long-run tire strategy and green-white-checker fireworks.
Throwback Weekend: Teams bring retro paint schemes and uniforms - a living museum on track.
Hotels & Accommodation
Darlington 2
30 Aug - 1 Sep
Completed
Darlington Raceway
Track Info
Darlington Raceway - Darlington, South Carolina, USA
The Lady in Black - The Track Too Tough to Tame - egg-shaped oval born of a minnow pond compromise - 1.366 mi / 2.198 km - 4 turns - asphalt, famously abrasive
When was the track built?
Darlington was carved out of a peach farm by Harold Brasington in 1949–1950, inspired by the Indianapolis 500. The landowner insisted his on-site minnow pond remain, so Brasington narrowed and tightened the west end of the oval, creating the unique egg shape that still defines the setup challenge today. The track debuted in 1950, received steeper banking in the early 1950s, and was fully repaved in 2007 with periodic patch work since.
When was its first race?
The venue’s first race was the Southern 500 on September 4, 1950. Johnny Mantz won by nursing hard-compound truck tires while rivals shredded softer rubber on the fresh, abrasive asphalt. The Southern 500 became a Labor Day classic and remains one of NASCAR’s Crown Jewel events.
What's the circuit like?
- Egg-shaped enigma: Teams must compromise handling between the fast, sweeping Turns 1-2 and the tighter, narrower Turns 3-4. What’s perfect at one end is rarely perfect at the other.
- Abrasion and the Darlington Stripe: The surface chews tires and the preferred groove runs inches from the wall, so drivers often leave with a trademark scuff along the right side.
- Long-run racetrack: Tire falloff can approach multiple seconds over a green-flag run. Saving the right-rear and managing traffic are everything.
- Benchmark pace: Cup poles typically land around 170–172 mph in modern trim, with race laps in the high 28s to low 29s as tires age.
Lap records and benchmarks (oval 1.366 mi)
- NASCAR Cup - qualifying: 26.705 s - Aric Almirola, 184.145 mph, 2014.
- NASCAR Cup - race lap: 28.332 s - Denny Hamlin, 2018 Southern 500.
- NASCAR Xfinity - race lap: 29.196 s - Ryan Blaney, 2019.
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck - race lap: 29.392 s - John Hunter Nemechek, 2021.
Records are session and era specific. Modern packages plus surface patches mean year-to-year variation, but tire falloff remains the constant.
Why go?
Darlington turns race craft into a chess match. You’ll see veterans work the wall for momentum, undercuts and overcuts play out with massive tire falloff, and late cautions that flip strategies. The Southern 500’s night atmosphere and the spring Throwback Weekend’s liveries make it a bucket-list trip for NASCAR fans.
Where's the best place to watch?
- Frontstretch grandstands: Starts, restarts, pit road and the full blast into the wide-open Turns 1-2.
- Turn 2 exit: See who dares to brush the wall for the run down the backstretch and who pays the price with a stripe.
- Turn 3 entry: The tight end of the egg where passes are set up on entry and decided off Turn 4 to the line.
Not just one series - headline events at Darlington
NASCAR Cup: Goodyear 400 in May - Cook Out Southern 500 in September.
NASCAR Xfinity & Trucks: Support shows with classic long-run tire strategy and green-white-checker fireworks.
Throwback Weekend: Teams bring retro paint schemes and uniforms - a living museum on track.
