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 ... Keep…
NASCAR has announced that the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be the final race of the 2027 season, marking a shift from its previous position as the opening race of the Chase for the Championship. The historic track, which opened in 1950, will host a triple-header weekend from April 2-4, featuring all three national divisions.
However, the Southern 500 will now take place on September 5, following the NASCAR O Reilly Series on Labor Day Weekend. This change was made to ensure that Darlington remains the regular season finale, rather than the first race of the Chase. The Southern 500 last served as the regular season finale in 2024, where Chase Briscoe triumphed in his playoff run.
This year, the regular season finale will be held at Daytona International Speedway. Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris expressed excitement about the 2027 schedule, highlighting the track's tradition of hosting memorable races and welcoming fans to another incredible year of NASCAR. The full 2027 schedule is expected to be officially announced soon.
Written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
