Darlington confirms that the Southern 500 will move back outside the Chase in 2027

Darlington Raceway has announced its race dates for the 2027 season. The historic track, which opened in 1950, will again hold a triple-header weekend from April 2-4 with all three national divisions.

However, there is a change for later in the season when NASCAR returns to Darlington for 78th running of the Southern 500. The race will be held on September 5, and preceded by the NASCAR O’Reilly Series on September 4 as part of Labor Day Weekend.

This is notable as Darlington will now sit as the regular season finale, instead of the first race of the Chase for the championship. The Southern 500 was last situated as the regular season finale in 2024, where Chase Briscoe dramatically won his way into the playoffs (under the old format) just months before Stewart-Haas Racing shut down.

This year, Daytona International Speedway is the site of the regular season finale.

“Darlington Raceway has a long-standing tradition of hosting some of NASCAR’s most memorable races, and our 2027 schedule delivers two outstanding weekends that showcase everything fans love about the Track Too Tough To Tame,” said Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris. “From our spring tripleheader featuring all three NASCAR national series to the historic Cook Out Southern 500 serving as the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale, we’re excited to welcome fans for another incredible year of racing at one of the sport’s most iconic venues.”

The 2027 schedule is quickly coming together with a flurry of announcements from various tracks, and the full schedule is expected to be officially announced very soon.