Southern 500 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cook Out Southern 500

NASCAR Cup Series
Venue	Darlington Raceway
Location	Darlington, South Carolina, United States
Corporate sponsor	Cook Out
First race	1950 (1950)
Distance	501.322 miles (806.800 km)
Laps	367 Stages 1/2: 115 each Final stage: 137
Previous names	Southern 500 (1950–1988) Heinz Southern 500 (1989–1991) Mountain Dew Southern 500 (1992–1997, 2001–2004) Pepsi Southern 500 (1998–2000) Dodge Charger 500 (2005–2006) Dodge Avenger 500 (2007) Dodge Challenger 500 (2008) Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com (2009) Showtime Southern 500 (2010–2011) Bojangles' Southern 500 (2012–2019)
Most wins (driver)	Jeff Gordon (6)
Most wins (team)	Hendrick Motorsports (12)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Chevrolet (29)
Circuit information
Surface	Asphalt
Length	1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Turns	4

The Southern 500, also known as the Cook Out Southern 500, is a famous NASCAR Cup Series stock car race. It takes place at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, United States. Drivers race for 367 laps, covering about 501 miles (806 km).

This race is considered one of the "Crown Jewels" of NASCAR. It's also called NASCAR's "oldest superspeedway race." Many drivers and experts say it's one of the toughest races on the NASCAR schedule. This is because the track has a unique egg shape, rough surface, and is very challenging. Darlington Raceway is even nicknamed the "Track Too Tough to Tame."

The Southern 500 has a rich history. Famous moments include Bill Elliott winning the "Winston Million" in 1985. Jeff Gordon also won the "Winston Million" in 1997 at this race. It was also the place where Darrell Waltrip won his last career race in 1992.

For many years, Darlington Raceway hosted two Cup Series races each year. The Southern 500 was held in the fall, and a 400-mile race in the spring. In 2004, the Southern 500 moved to November. The next year, due to a legal agreement, Darlington lost one of its race dates. The 500-mile race then moved to May and became a night race.

In 2009, the event got its "Southern 500" name back. In 2015, it returned to its traditional Labor Day weekend date. From 2015 to 2020, the race weekend had a "NASCAR Throwback" theme. Many cars used old-style "throwback" paint schemes. Since 2020, the Southern 500 has been the first race of the NASCAR playoffs. However, for 2024, it will be the final race of the regular season.

The trophy for the Southern 500 features pictures of all the past winners.

Race History

Early Days: Labor Day Weekend (1950–2003)

The Southern 500 started in 1950. It was NASCAR's first 500-mile race. For many years, it was one of NASCAR's most important events. It was seen as one of the "four majors" in NASCAR.

From 1985 to 1997, it was the fourth race in the "Winston Million" challenge. Two drivers, Bill Elliott (1985) and Jeff Gordon (1997), won the Winston Million by winning the Southern 500.

The race kept its original name for a long time before adding sponsors. In 1989, Heinz became a sponsor, but the name "Southern 500" stayed. From 1992 to 2004, PepsiCo products like Pepsi or Mountain Dew sponsored the race.

This race was traditionally held on Labor Day weekend. This is usually the first weekend of September. Before 1984, the race was even held on Labor Day Monday itself.

A Change to November (2004)

In 2004, NASCAR changed its schedule. The Southern 500 moved to November. Track managers thought cooler weather in November would be better for fans. The race also became part of the new "Chase for the Championship" (now called the NASCAR playoffs).

Around this time, a court decision meant Darlington had to give up one of its two yearly race dates. This allowed another track to have a second race.

Mother's Day Weekend (2005–2013)

Starting in 2005, Darlington only had one race per year. The traditional "Southern 500" name was dropped for a while. The race moved to the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend in mid-May.

Dodge became the sponsor of the 500-mile race in May. The race name changed based on Dodge car models, like the Charger or Challenger. These races were held at night under the lights and were very popular.

After 2008, the race brought back the "Southern 500" name. GoDaddy became a sponsor, and it was called the Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com. Later, Showtime Networks (2010–2011) and Bojangles' (2012–2019) sponsored the race.

Even though the May race was popular, many fans wanted the race to return to its traditional Labor Day date.

A Brief Stop in April (2014)

In 2014, the race briefly moved to the second weekend in April. This change only lasted one year. The 2014 race was still held at night.

Back to Labor Day Weekend (2015–Present)

In August 2014, it was announced that the Southern 500 would return to Labor Day weekend in 2015. This was its first time back on that weekend since 2003. To help with the hot weather, the race is now run on Sunday night.

To celebrate its return, the weekend became a "NASCAR Throwback" event. Many cars used old-style paint schemes from the past. Famous broadcasters like Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett even called part of the race. This "Throwback" theme was very popular and continued until 2020.

In 2021, the "Throwback" theme moved to Darlington's spring race. This allowed teams in the playoffs to focus on their current cars for the Southern 500. The Southern 500 races from 1950 to today are all part of one continuous history.

Bojangles' stopped sponsoring the race after 2019.

New Format and Playoffs (2020)

For the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Southern 500 was scheduled as the only race at Darlington. It became the first race of the NASCAR playoffs' Round of 16.

Because of the global pandemic in 2020, Darlington Raceway ended up having two race weekends again. Cook Out became the new sponsor for the Southern 500. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series also moved a race to Darlington, making the Cook Out Southern 500 weekend a doubleheader.

Starting in 2021, the spring race at Darlington became the "throwback" event. The Southern 500 continued as a doubleheader with the Truck Series.

Past winners

• 1969 and 1993: Race was shorter because of rain or darkness.
• 1987, 1992, 1999, and 2000: Race was shorter because of rain.
• 2005, 2011–2012, and 2014: Race went longer due to NASCAR overtime.
• 2007: Race was moved from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon because of rain.
• 2019: Race started on Sunday but finished Monday morning because of rain.

Drivers with Multiple Wins

Teams with Multiple Wins

Car Brands with Wins

See also

In Spanish: 500 Millas Sureñas para niños

• Darlington Record Club