A win at Darlington counts the same in the standings as any other NASCAR Cup Series victory. But the Southern 500 has never been just another race.
First run in 1950, the Southern 500 has grown into one of NASCAR’s crown-jewel races, combining more than 75 years of history with a Labor Day tradition and a winner’s list filled with some of the sport’s biggest names.
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Why the Southern 500 Is One of NASCAR’s Crown-Jewel Races
Darlington Raceway opened in 1950 as NASCAR’s first paved superspeedway and hosted the inaugural Southern 500. Seventy-five cars entered and roughly 25,000 fans showed up to watch, but it was Johnny Mantz, the slowest qualifier in the entire field, who ultimately won. While other drivers spent the race battling tire failures, Mantz used hard-compound truck tires to outlast the field and drive his way into NASCAR history. Darlington Raceway
Over the decades, the Southern 500 became closely tied to Labor Day weekend and established itself among NASCAR’s biggest events. Its status was reinforced in 1985 when the race became one of four included in the Winston Million, a $1 million bonus available to a driver who could win three of NASCAR’s major races. Bill Elliott secured the bonus by winning the Southern 500 that year, and Jeff Gordon repeated the accomplishment in 1997. NASCAR
Even when the Southern 500 moved away from its traditional Labor Day weekend, the connection remained. NASCAR returned the race to Labor Day weekend in 2015, pairing its return with the throwback tradition that continues to celebrate the sport’s history.
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But perhaps the best measure of the Southern 500’s importance is how drivers still talk about winning it.
After years of coming close at Darlington, Kyle Larson finally won the Southern 500 in 2023 and acknowledged that the crown-jewel victory had previously “eluded” him. A year later, Joey Logano described the Southern 500 simply as “the one you want to win.” NASCAR
Winning the Southern 500 adds another victory to the record book. But it also adds a driver’s name to a tradition that stretches back almost as far as NASCAR itself.
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