Darlington Raceway is one of the oldest tracks on the NASCAR circuit,
having opened in 1950. The track hosts two Nextel Cup races a
year, including the Southern 500. Darlington also hosts two Busch
races, held the same weekend as the Nextel Cup races, as well as a Craftsman
Truck race during the spring race weekend.
The track is located in northeastern South Carolina, 76 miles
northeast of Columbia and 93 miles southeast of
Charlotte. The nearest
airport is in Florence, 11 miles southeast.
Darlington's biggest race is the Southern 500, NASCAR's oldest race.
The inaugural event was run in 1950 to open the raceway, was run every
Labor Day through 2003. Beginning in 2004, the race moved to
November. Jeff Gordon has won the race five
times, including four straight from 1995-98.
Darlington's track is a unique egg-shaped oval 1.366 miles in length.
The design came about as a result of a pond outside turn four, forcing
that end of the track to be narrowed. The narrow end is
high-banked at 23 degrees, but not quite as high as the wide end, which is
banked at 25 degrees. The result is a fast track that produces
exciting racing. Darlington has two pit roads, one on each
straightaway, but since 2000 all cars have been able to pit on the same
side. The track seats 65,000 and also has infield parking.
The Joe Weatherly Museum and NMPA Stock Car Hall of Fame building is
located behind the backstretch grandstand at Darlington. The
museum houses artifacts and memorabilia from over fifty years of racing.
Neither Nextel Cup race at Darlington sells out. Fairly good
seats are available very close to race day, especially for the spring
race. For ticket information, call 843-395-8499.
Parking areas surround the raceway. The track does not hold too
many fans, but its remote location guarantees a lot of traffic getting
in and out of the area. If you arrive early you can beat the
traffic and get a very good parking spot, but plan to sit in traffic on
your way out until you reach I-95.
You are advised to book your hotel as early as possible; hotels are
scarce in Darlington. The closest town with any significant number
of hotels is
Florence, about 11 miles southeast.
Other nearby cities are
Dillon 36 miles northeast and
Sumter 39 miles southeast.
Columbia and
Charlotte are also reachable in a reasonable drive and have plenty
of hotels and nightlife. Click
here for Charlotte
information.
