This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Darlington Raceway for the first of two visits in 2021. Coverage of the Goodyear 400 will begin with NASCAR RaceDay at 2 p.m. on FOX Sports 1. Race coverage starts at 3:30 and the green flag is scheduled to drop around 3:40 p.m.
The race can also be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Records and facts
Last year, Darlington served as the first race back for the NASCAR Cup Series after a break of more than two months due to COVID-19. In The Real Heroes 400, Kevin Harvick was the man to beat and no one could take it away from
him.
Harvick led 159 of 293 laps and took the lead for good by winning the race off of pit road with 78 laps to go. From there, he held off the pack to take the victory. Alex Bowman was second, then Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott and Denny
Hamlin.
All-time, David Pearson has the most wins at the "Track Too Tough to Tame" with 10, the most recent of the wins coming in the CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 in 1980. Dale Earnhardt has nine wins, including season sweeps in 1987 and 1990. Jeff Gordon is third with seven career
wins.
Among active drivers, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick have three wins each at Darlington. Only four other active drivers have wins on the egg-shaped
oval.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, 367 laps (501.322 miles)
Banking: 25 degrees in Turns 1-2, 23 degrees in Turns 3-4
Frontstretch: 1,229 ft., banked 3 degrees
Backstretch: 1,229 ft., banked 3 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 58,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 50 mph
Opened: 1950
Website: http://www.darlingtonraceway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TooToughToTame
Say
What?!
"Darlington is a track that is known for its old, worn-out surface and how hard it is on tires. You’re always elbows up at that
place, but you also have to know when to press forward and when to manage your equipment so you’re not over taxing your tires. I’ve tried to manage that as best as I can, but that’s what makes Darlington such a tough track. It’s not an easy task while, at the same time, it’s easy to lose focus for a moment and that’s all it takes to end your day. Hopefully, this weekend we’ll have the setup we need, and then it’s up to me to get the most I can out of the Valvoline Chevy while making sure we’re
around in the end of it." - William Byron
"Darlington is tough. And the Cup Series is the toughest of all racing series that could ever
go to Darlington. The Xfinity cars, we’ve had a few good runs there. I know the driving style for the Xfinity cars and the Cup cars is different. That’s something I’m working through right now, just trying to adapt and be able to hustle these Cup cars in a way that’s efficient. I think I found a pretty good balance of that last year with the Xfinity cars. I thought we had a good shot at running a top 10 at Kansas if I get a good restart there towards the end. Same with Darlington. We’ll just go
do our job." - Ross Chastain
"I think long races in the past have fit my racing style. There is plenty of time to make the car better during a long race, and
all of our wins have come in races 500 miles or more. So, I think that bodes well for Darlington. We like the long-distance races and it’s a place that falls off. RCR has always been known for a long run speed. Short run speed is something that we’ve struggled with, but we’re trying to change. It’s nice that we’re going to place that long run speed matters a bit." - Austin
Dillon
