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 super exciting NASCAR Cup Series stock car race. It takes place at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, United States. The race is about 501 miles (806 km) long and drivers complete 367 laps.

For many years, from 1950 to 2003, and then again since 2015, this race has been held on Labor Day weekend. The Southern 500 is considered one of NASCAR's "Crown Jewels." This means it's one of the most important and famous races on the NASCAR calendar. It's even called NASCAR's "oldest superspeedway race."

Drivers and fans think this race is one of the toughest challenges in NASCAR. This is because the track, Darlington Raceway, has a unique, uneven egg shape. It also has rough pavement, making it very hard to drive on. That's why Darlington Raceway is nicknamed the "Track Too Tough to Tame."

The Southern 500 has a rich history. Famous drivers like Bill Elliott in 1985 and Jeff Gordon in 1997 won the special "Winston Million" bonus here. It was also the place where Darrell Waltrip got his very last career win in 1992.

Race History: A Look Back

For a long time, until 2004, Darlington Raceway hosted two big NASCAR Cup Series races each year. The Southern 500 was held in the fall, and a 400-mile race took place in the spring.

In 2004, the Southern 500 moved to November. It became one of the last races in the first-ever Chase for the Championship. But the next year, because of a legal case, Darlington lost one of its race dates. The 500-mile race then moved to May, on Mother's Day weekend. It was also renamed after its sponsor, Dodge. During this time, the race was held at night under bright lights.

The race got its original "Southern 500" name back in 2009. Then, in 2015, it returned to its traditional Labor Day weekend spot. From 2015 to 2020, the race weekend had a cool "NASCAR Throwback" theme. Many cars had special old-school paint designs, like those from the past. Since 2020, the Southern 500 has usually been the first race of the NASCAR playoffs. However, in 2024, it was the final race of the regular season before the playoffs began.

The trophy for the Southern 500 has pictures of all the past winners at Darlington.

Early Years: Labor Day Tradition (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 even considered one of the "four majors" in NASCAR.

From 1985 to 1997, the Southern 500 was the final race in the "Winston Million" challenge. If a driver won three of NASCAR's four biggest races, they would win a million dollars! Bill Elliott in 1985 and Jeff Gordon in 1997 both won the Winston Million by winning the Southern 500.

The Southern 500 was one of the last races to add a sponsor's name to its title. In 1989, Heinz became a sponsor, but the race kept "Southern" in its name. From 1992 to 2004, PepsiCo products like Pepsi or Mountain Dew sponsored the race.

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

A Change of Date: November (2004)

In 2004, NASCAR changed its schedule. The Southern 500 moved to November. Race organizers thought November would be cooler and more comfortable for fans. It also meant the race would be part of the new Chase for the Championship.

However, a legal case meant that Darlington had to give up one of its two race dates. This allowed another track, Texas Motor Speedway, to have a second race.

Mother's Day Weekend (2005–2013)

Starting in 2005, Darlington only had one race per year. The famous "Southern 500" name was temporarily removed. The race moved to Mother's Day weekend in May.

Dodge sponsored the race during this time. The race names changed based on Dodge car models, like the Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Avenger. These races were held at night and were very popular.

After 2008, the race got its "Southern 500" name back. GoDaddy became a sponsor, and then Showtime Networks and Bojangles' sponsored it. Even though the May race was popular, many fans wanted it to return to Labor Day weekend.

Brief Stop in April (2014)

In 2014, the race briefly moved to April. It was still a night race. But this change only lasted for one year.

Back Home: Labor Day Weekend (2015–Present)

In August 2014, it was announced that the Southern 500 would return to its traditional Labor Day weekend spot in 2015. To help with the hot weather, the race is now held on Sunday night of Labor Day weekend.

To celebrate its return, the weekend became a "NASCAR Throwback" event. Many cars had cool old-school paint designs. Famous broadcasters like Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, and Dale Jarrett even called part of the race. Fans loved this "Throwback" theme so much that it continued until 2020.

In 2021, the "Throwback" theme moved to the spring race at Darlington. This allowed playoff teams to focus on the playoffs during the Southern 500. The Southern 500 has been the first race of the NASCAR playoffs since 2020, except in 2024 when it was the last regular season race.

In 2020, Cook Out became the main sponsor of the Southern 500. Also, because of the global pandemic, Darlington Raceway temporarily hosted two race weekends again in 2020.

Exciting Race Moments

• 1950: The very first Southern 500 lasted over six hours! Johnny Mantz won by driving carefully.
• 1960: This race had many crashes. Rex White was first thought to be the winner, but a check of the scoring showed Buck Baker actually won.
• 1965: Ned Jarrett won easily after Darel Dieringer had problems. A scary crash happened when Cale Yarborough's car flew over the guardrail! Luckily, he was okay.
• 1966: Darel Dieringer passed Richard Petty with only seven laps left to win.
• 1967: Richard Petty won his only Southern 500.
• 1970: Buddy Baker followed his father, Buck Baker, by winning the Southern 500.
• 1974: Cale Yarborough won his third Southern 500. Many top drivers crashed out of the race.
• 1976: David Pearson won his first Southern 500. Both Jimmy Carter and Bob Dole visited the race while campaigning for president.
• 1977: A big fight between Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip ended in a crash. Pearson won his second straight Southern 500.
• 1979: Pearson won again, driving for Rod Osterlund. He passed Bill Elliott for his 104th career win.
• 1980: This race had a wild finish! Darrell Waltrip had problems late in the race. Then, the top three cars crashed with two laps to go. Terry Labonte snuck past them to win his first career race.
• 1982: This was one of the most competitive Southern 500s ever, with 41 lead changes! Cale Yarborough won his record fifth Southern 500.
• 1985: Bill Elliott won the Southern 500, which meant he won the "Winston Million" bonus! He had already won the Daytona 500 and Winston 500 earlier that year.
• 1986: Tim Richmond won a rain-delayed race. Bill Elliott ran out of fuel near the end.
• 1987: Rain shortened this race. Dale Earnhardt won after a battle with Richard Petty.
• 1988: Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace, and Dale Earnhardt had a great three-way battle. Elliott won his second Southern 500.
• 1989: Darrell Waltrip had a chance to win the Winston Million but crashed. Dale Earnhardt won his second Southern 500.
• 1990: Dale Earnhardt won his third Southern 500 in four years. There was also a big fight between Ken Schrader and Morgan Shepherd on the track.
• 1991: Harry Gant won his second Southern 500. This win started a streak of four straight wins for Gant!
• 1992: Rain shortened the race. Davey Allison had a chance at the Winston Million, but a pit stop mistake cost him. Darrell Waltrip won his 84th and final career race.
• 1993: Mark Martin won his fourth straight Winston Cup race, pulling away from Dale Earnhardt.
• 1994: Bill Elliott won his third Southern 500, even with car problems. This was his 40th NASCAR win.
• 1997: Jeff Gordon won his third Southern 500 in a row. With this win, he also clinched the Winston Million bonus in its final year!
• 2003: Terry Labonte won his last Cup Series race, holding off Kevin Harvick. Many fans were very happy to see Labonte win.
• 2011: Regan Smith won his first NASCAR race after staying out on a late caution. The win was overshadowed by a pit road incident between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.
• 2012: Jimmie Johnson won his second Southern 500, giving team owner Rick Hendrick his 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory.
• 2015: The race returned to Labor Day weekend and became the "Throwback" event. Many cars had retro paint schemes. The race was very exciting with 18 caution flags. Carl Edwards came from two laps down to win.

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

Winning Car Brands

More About Darlington

• Darlington Record Club

See also

In Spanish: 500 Millas Sureñas para niños