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The Tradition Continues as the Southern 500® Will Start the NASCAR Playoffs on Labor Day Weekend

DARLINGTON, S.C. (Dec. 11, 2020) – As Darlington Raceway will host two scheduled NASCAR Cup Series race weekends for the first time since 2004, the award-winning Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR will move to the new spring race weekend, May 7-9, 2021, and the famed Southern 500® will continue to launch the NASCAR Playoffs over Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 4-5, 2021.

“Darlington Raceway is grateful to our loyal race fans and the entire industry for their unwavering support for the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR since its inception in 2015,” said Darlington President Kerry Tharp. “It is this support that allows us to now prepare for two scheduled NASCAR Cup Series race weekends next year. As we rally around the return of our new spring race weekend, we will continue to share the history and tradition of our great sport with the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR.”

With the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR moving to its new dedicated weekend, The Lady in Black will unite generations of race fans to celebrate on Mother’s Day as part of a memorable weekend of action-packed racing featuring all three premier series.

Darlington first hosted Cup races in May in 1952, 1960-1965, 1967-1971 and 2005-2013. This year the track hosted three Cup Series races, including two in May, as part of NASCAR’s revised schedule on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tradition Continues as the famed Southern 500® will launch the NASCAR Playoffs for the second consecutive year. The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race will run once again on Sunday night of Labor Day weekend. The heated competition to start the NASCAR Playoffs has never been more dramatic than under the lights in one of the sport’s marquee events, the Southern 500®. 

Darlington first hosted the Southern 500® Cup race on Labor Day weekend on Sept. 4, 1950. The track added the NASCAR Convertible Series to its spring schedule in 1957-59; the series eventually became a part of the Cup Series. From 1960 to 2004, Darlington annually hosted two Cup Series race weekends – one in the spring and one on Labor Day weekend. In 2015, the Southern 500® returned to its traditional date on Labor Day weekend.

To learn more about the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR, visit darlingtonraceway.com/throwback.

2021 NASCAR Season

Darlington will host the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday night, May 7, 2021, the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday, May 8, 2021 and the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, May 9, 2021.

The Tradition Continues in the fall as the Xfinity Series will compete on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021 and the Southern 500® NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race will compete at night on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021.

2021 NASCAR tickets are available for purchase via phone at 866-459-7223 or online at darlingtonraceway.com. Fans can view the full 2021 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedules and purchase tickets at nascar.com/tickets.

Stay connected to Darlington Raceway on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.

About Darlington Raceway

Darlington Raceway, nicknamed The Lady in Black and the track Too Tough To Tame, is home to the award-winning Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR and annually hosts two NASCAR Cup Series races, along with NASCAR Xfinity Series and/or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Opening in 1950, Darlington Raceway is “A NASCAR Tradition” and NASCAR’s original superspeedway with its famed 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, challenging the sports best in one of the most iconic NASCAR races, the Southern 500®. For more information about Darlington Raceway, visit darlingtonraceway.com.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).