NASCAR race at Darlington: Relishing a throwback weekend, how to watch, starting lineup

The NASCAR Cup Series descends on Darlington Raceway for the 13th race of the 2023 season on Sunday.

The race’s green flag is scheduled for 3 p.m., and fans can catch the race on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Here are four things to know heading into one of NASCAR’s most vaunted venues.

1. It’s Throwback Weekend. Every NASCAR weekend in Darlington is a nod to the past. But that will be elevated this weekend. Paint schemes will pay homage to the past. A bunch of drivers named to NASCAR’s Greatest 75 Drivers list will be honored pre-race (including a bunch of current guys). The Goodyear tires will have throwback logos on them. And a bunch of old NASCAR fixtures — like Richard Petty and Carl Edwards and Bill Elliott — will be making appearances in the Fox broadcast booth.

2. Darlington is following up one of the most exciting NASCAR races of the season. Kansas Speedway featured three-wide turns, 11 cautions, a last-lap lead change and a fistfight between Chevrolet teammates Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson that went viral. (It also went unpunished, but that’s another story.) Denny Hamlin took home that win. Can the driver of the No. 11 car, who is particularly good at short track racing, make it two-in-a-row?

3. It’s not just Hamlin: A bunch of drivers are threats to win at Darlington. The 1.366-mile egg-shaped track dubbed “Too Tough To Tame” will have a lot of contenders. Hamlin and Kyle Larson opened as the odds-on favorites to win the race at 11-2. Martin Truex Jr. opened at 7-1, and Tyler Reddick was right behind him at 17-2. Erik Jones, who won the 2022 Southern 500 on this same hollowed ground, opened with 65-1 odds. It’s worth noting that there are seven Darlington winners active this weekend: Hamlin (four wins), Kevin Harvick (three), Erik Jones (two), Truex (two), Joey Logano (one), Brad Keselowski (one) and Kyle Busch (one).

4. What’s on the line? Nine drivers have wins through the first 12 races of the Cup season, which means they all have their playoff spots largely secure. But what about the rest of the field? Chastain leads the series in points and is due for a win soon. Harvick sits 11th in points, and if you ask him, he should’ve notched a win at Phoenix already. Ryan Blaney is as consistent as ever — even if his winless streak blossomed to 58 points races this past weekend — and sits in 12th. Playoff spots have been disappearing fast this season. Will it happen again this weekend?

How to watch NASCAR spring race at Darlington

• Race: Goodyear 400
• Place: Darlington Raceway
• Date: Sunday, May 14
• Time: 3 p.m. ET
• Purse: $7,722,261
• TV: FS1, 1:30 p.m. ET
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• Distance: 400.2 miles (293 laps)
• Stages: Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 90), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 185), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 293)

Darlington Cup race starting lineup

This story was originally published May 14, 2023 at 6:00 AM.

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription