Darlington Raceway’s inaugural NASCAR weekend is set for an earlier spring date this year, following the mid-May schedule of the past four years. This will mark the first April weekend at the 1.366-mile track since 2014, after NASCAR moved the Southern 500 to Labor Day weekend in 2015 at “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”
The Sunday Cup race will be 400 miles, with Brad Keselowski returning as the defending champion. Justin Allgaier is the reigning winner of Saturday’s 200-mile Xfinity race.
Darlington Raceway Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Friday, April 4
Garage open
Noon – 5 p.m. — Xfinity Series Track Activity
Noon – 5 p.m. — Xfinity Tech Inspection
3 – 5 p.m. — Cup Series Haulers Enter
Saturday, April 5
Garage open
7 a.m. – 3 p.m. — Cup Series
8:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. — Xfinity Series Track Activity
10:05 a.m. – 11 a.m. — Xfinity Practice (CW App)
11:10 a.m. – Noon — Xfinity Qualifying (CW App)
12:35 – 1:30 p.m. — Cup Practice (Prime, MRN)
1:40 – 2:30 p.m. — Cup Qualifying (Prime, MRN)
3:30 p.m. — Xfinity Race (147 laps, 200.8 miles, Stage 1 at Lap 45, Stage 2 at Lap 90; CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday, April 6
12 – 8:45 p.m. — Cup Series Track Activity
3 p.m. — Cup Race (293 laps, 400.2 miles, Stage 1 at Lap 90, Stage 2 at Lap 185; FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Weekend Weather:
Saturday: Mostly to partly cloudy, with a near-record high of 87°F and winds from the south-southwest at 10 to 15 mph. It’s expected to be 85°F with no rain at the start of the Xfinity race.
