Darlington Raceway measures 1.366 mi (2.198 km) with 25° of banking in the first two turns, 23° in the last two turns, and 6° on the straights. Its asymmetrical layout, with wider first two turns than the last two, combined with a highly abrasive track surface and a preferred racing line near the wall, makes it one of the toughest circuits on the NASCAR schedule. Teams often sacrifice performance in one set of turns to run better in the other.
Darlington Raceway opened in 1950 under Darlington native Harold Brasington, who aimed to replicate the success of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. Brasington quickly cut ties with the facility, and Bob Colvin took over as president, expanding and improving the speedway until his death in 1967. The International Speedway Corporation (ISC) purchased the facility in 1982 and undertook expansions in the 1990s. The track has remained a staple of the NASCAR Cup Series, with the Southern 500 considered one of the schedule's most prestigious races.
Darlington International Raceway officially opened on August 19, 1950, for qualifying races for the 1950 Southern 500, which was won by Johnny Mantz. Bob Colvin replaced Brasington as president in 1951 and oversaw significant expansions, including increased grandstand seating and repaving in 1965. The early years also saw numerous driver fatalities. Colvin implemented racially segregated policies, barring black spectators from grandstands and black drivers from racing for much of his tenure. Major events were promoted as celebrations of the Confederacy.
Following Colvin's death in 1967, Barney Wallace became general manager and then president. His tenure was characterized by a slow approach to facility upgrades. In 1969, turns three and four were reconfigured and widened. The track was fully enclosed with a concrete wall in 1975 and repaved again in 1978. In March 1982, the track was reported to be suffering significant revenue losses, leading to its sale to the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) in June 1982. Wallace died in 1983, and Walter "Red" Tyler succeeded him as president. A major multi-year renovation project began in 1990, involving new garage construction and the demolition of old seating areas. The project faced delays due to economic issues. In 1997, the start-finish line was moved, and turns were renumbered. The frontstretch pit road was extended in 1999.
In March 2001, Andrew Gurtis replaced Jim Hunter as president. Permanent lighting was added in 2003 for night racing, along with SAFER barriers in 2004. In May 2004, Darlington Raceway lost its fall Southern 500 date to California Speedway due to the Ferko lawsuit. The spring race was then extended to 500 miles and rescheduled for Mother's Day weekend. In 2006, the old Brasington Grandstand was replaced with a new 6,300-seat grandstand. A $10 million renovation project in 2007 included repaving and an infield tunnel. By 2018, the track's capacity was 58,000, later reduced to 47,000 after a $7 million renovation project completed in August 2018. In 2019, NASCAR bought out ISC, becoming the track's owner. Josh Harris succeeded Kerry Tharp as track president in June 2023.
Darlington Raceway hosts two annual NASCAR Cup Series weekends: the Southern 500 weekend and the Goodyear 400 weekend. The Southern 500, introduced in 1950, is a "Crown Jewel" race. A second Cup Series race, the Goodyear 400, was added in 1957 but was replaced by the Southern 500 in 2005 due to the Ferko lawsuit, before being reinstated in 2021. The track also hosts NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races. In the past, Darlington Raceway held races for the AAA Championship Car Series, USAC, and the International Race of Champions (IROC).
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