NASCAR: Darlington Results| Southern 500| Darlington 2021…

The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division.

NASCAR: Darlington Results| Southern 500| Darlington 2021

Darlington Results:

The winner of Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway ended a season-long drought and put himself into the second round of the playoffs.

Denny Hamlin claimed the checkered flag for the first time in 2021, winning the Cook Out Southern 500. He had to fight off regular-season champion Kyle Larson after Larson made a desperation move on the final turn.

Hamlin led the points standings for most of the regular season despite not winning a race. Larson, who has five wins this year, eventually passed him for the title. Hamlin still made the playoffs comfortably, and now he is assured of being in the Round of 12 with his win in the playoff opener.

Denny Hamlin earned his first win of the 2021 Cup Series season by holding off Kyle Larson in the Cook Out Southern 500. Hamlin was leading by about half a second until Turn 4 of the white-flag lap when Larson drove his car way too hard into the corner and right up to Hamlin’s rear bumper. Larson said he tried to “video game it” in desperation.

Southern 500:

The Southern 500, officially known as the Cook Out Southern 500

for sponsorship reasons, is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, United States. The race distance is 501 miles (806 km) and consists of 367 laps. From 1950 to 2003, and again since 2015, the race has been held on Labor Day weekend. The Southern 500 is largely considered one of the Crown Jewels of the NASCAR calendar, and has been nicknamed NASCAR’s “oldest superspeedway race.” For decades, the race has been considered by competitors and media as one of the more difficult and challenging races on the NASCAR schedule, owing much to the track’s unusual, asymmetrical egg-shape, rough pavement, and overall unforgiving nature.

Darlington 2021:

NASCAR fans usually have to wait until the back half of the 36-race schedule to enjoy all the throwback paint schemes that hit the track at Darlington Raceway. But this year, the annual throwback weekend is early for the first of two Darlington races this season — rather than for the “crown jewel” Southern 500 fall event.

The Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 9 is the Cup Series’ throwback race at the South Carolina track.

And even though it’s still more than a week away, drivers and their teams are beginning to unveil their old-school paint schemes honoring iconic, famous or personally special looks from racing’s history.