The iconic Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend at Darlington has its sister race back once again. NASCAR and Darlington officials along with Governor Henry McMaster announced this morning at a press conference at the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia that Darlington will host two races in 2021 with a Mother’s Day race joining the 500 on the schedule.
Darlington last staged a regular spring race in 2004, a race won by Jimmy Johnson. But this year the track hosted three events, two in May as the first sporting events in America during the pandemic, and the Southern 500 over Labor Day weekend.
Today’s announcement came in conjunction with NASCAR’s release of the 2021 schedule that shows the Southern 500 as the initial race of the playoffs for the second straight season. The May race at Darlington will be run during the day though a start time has not been announced.
Here’s the official announcement:
Darlington Raceway president Kerry Tharp talks about landing a second date for 2021
