 | |
 | |
| NASCAR Cup Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Darlington Raceway |
| Location | Darlington, South Carolina, United States |
| Corporate sponsor | Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company |
| First race | 1952 1957 (NASCAR Convertible) |
| Distance | 400.238 miles (644.121 km) |
| Laps | 293[1] Stage 1: 90 Stage 2: 95 Final stage: 108 |
| Previous names | Unknown (1952) Rebel 300 (1957–1965) Rebel 400 (1966–1972) Rebel 500 (1973, 1975–1978) Rebel 450 (1974) CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 (1979–1982) TranSouth 500 (1983–1993) TranSouth Financial 400 (1994–1999) Mall.com 400 (2000) Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 (2001−2004) The Real Heroes 400 (2020 I) Toyota 500 (2020 II) |
| Most wins (driver) | David Pearson (7) |
| Most wins (team) | Holman-Moody (7) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Ford (20) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.366 mi (2.198 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
The Goodyear 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. A 100-mile (160 km) race was held in May at the track in 1952, however the event did not become a regular one on the NASCAR schedule until 1957, as a 300 miles (480 km) race in the Convertible Division, then known as the Rebel 300. In 1966, the race was expanded to 400 miles (640 km), and in 1973 to 500 miles (800 km). In 1994, the race was relegated again to 400 miles. For a time, the race was held on or around Confederate Memorial Day, which is observed on May 10 in the state of South Carolina.
In 2005, as part of the settlement of the Ferko lawsuit and as part of a schedule realignment, Darlington was forced to give up one of its two races; the 400-mile race was dropped, with the fall Southern 500 taking its date before eventually moving back to its traditional Labor Day date in 2015.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR announced it would be running two Darlington races in May (the fall Southern 500 date still stood), replacing the Chicagoland Speedway event and the Richmond Raceway spring race[2] and also marking the return of spring Darlington racing. The track hosted a 400-mile race called The Real Heroes 400 on Sunday, May 17 (which was also the track's first scheduled day race since 2004) followed by a 500-kilometer race called the Toyota 500 on Wednesday, May 20.[3]
On September 30, 2020, it was announced in a press conference at the South Carolina Governor's Mansion with Henry McMaster, Lesa Kennedy, and Darlington Raceway officials that after the success of the spring races in 2020, Darlington would receive a permanent second Cup date on the 2021 schedule and that it would be held on Mother's Day (May 9) in 2021 as part of a massive schedule realignment.[4] The event would be a 400-miler just like The Real Heroes 400 in May 2020, and it would also become the throwback weekend for all three national series instead of the track's Labor Day weekend races. Goodyear, the official tire of NASCAR, would be the title sponsor for the spring Darlington race.[5]
- ^ "Stage lengths for 2021 NASCAR season". NASCAR. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Norris, Brad. "NASCAR realigns 2020 schedule, shifts events from Chicagoland, Richmond, Sonoma". NASCAR.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Norris, Brad. "NASCAR announces revised May schedule as racing returns beginning at Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ "Gov. McMaster, representatives from NASCAR and Darlington Raceway hold press conference regarding SC's economy".
- ^ "Darlington Raceway Rolls with Goodyear for the Goodyear 400 on May 9". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. April 14, 2021.