Darlington Raceway
Racing Circuit · Darlington, South Carolina
An egg-shaped mile-and-a-third oval opened in 1950, the first paved superspeedway built for stock cars, and still the most awkward track on the NASCAR calendar to drive. The two ends have different radii because the original owner would not move a neighbour’s minnow pond, so drivers set the car up for one corner and survive the other. Cars finish races with the right side scraped along the outer wall, a mark the sport calls the Darlington Stripe and wears as a badge.
Tunnel Road, Darlington, South Carolina, 29532, United States
RACE DAYS ONLY for the grandstands. The NASCAR Cup Series runs two weekends here, the Goodyear 400 in spring and the Cook Out Southern 500 over Labor Day weekend, with support races across each weekend. THE 2026 SOUTHERN 500 IS SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER, the 77th running, and it opens the Cup Series playoffs. Outside race weekends the site is not a general visitor attraction, so check the event calendar before travelling.
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