By David Morgan, Associate Editor
After a wild weekend in Daytona to wrap up the regular season and set the 16-driver field for the Playoffs, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to one of the crown jewels on the circuit, Darlington Raceway, for Sunday’s running of the Cook Out Southern 500.
A staple of the Cup Series since 1950, there are many elements to Darlington that make it a special track.
From the egg-shape of the track that features one end narrower than the other as a result of building the track around the old minnow pond located next to the facility. As well as the preferred line around the track being next to the wall, resulting in the infamous “Darlington Stripe” being plastered along nearly every car in the field by the time the race is complete.
Since the track “Too Tough to Tame” regained its Labor Day Weekend slot for the Southern 500 in 2015, the Cup Series has paid tribute to years gone by during that race, but with Darlington earning two race dates starting last season, the Throwback Weekend moved to the track’s spring race, with the Fall dedicated to the Playoffs.
That continues this season with Sunday being all about kicking off the 10-race run to the championship in a Sunday night showdown on the treacherous 1.366-mile track.
By the Numbers
What: Cook Out Southern 500, NASCAR Cup Series race No. 27 of 36
Where: Darlington Raceway – Darlington, South Carolina (Opened: 1950)
When: Sunday, September 4
TV/Radio: USA Network, 6:00 pm ET/MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90
Track Size: 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval
Banking: Turns 1-2: 25 degrees; Turns 3-4: 23 degrees; Straights: 6 degrees
Race Length: 367 laps, 501.3 miles
Stage Lengths: First two stages – 115 laps each, Final stage – 137 laps
May 2022 Race Winner: Joey Logano – No. 22 Ford (Started on pole, 107 laps led)
September 2021 Race Winner: Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Toyota (Started second, 146 laps led)
Track Qualifying Record: Aric Almirola – No. 43 Ford (184.145 mph, 26.705 secs – 4/11/2014)
Top-10 Highest Driver Ratings at Darlington Raceway:
- Kyle Larson – No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 109.0
- Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 107.6
- Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Stewart Haas Racing Ford – 103.7
- Martin Truex, Jr. – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 103.6
- Kyle Busch – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 100.3
- Joey Logano – No. 22 Team Penske Ford – 94.6
- Erik Jones…
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