NASCAR at Darlington schedule: How to watch, race history, odds originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
There are a few dates on the calendar that every NASCAR fan circles prior to the season. This Sunday, one of those circled dates is coming up as the series visits Darlington Raceway.
One of the sport’s most historic venues, Darlington is set to host the annual Throwback Weekend, where teams bring their best old school paint schemes to honor the track that has hosted NASCAR races since 1950.
Darlington, a 1.366-mile oval, traditionally suits the best drivers. Twenty-two drivers in the NASCAR Hall of Fame have won at the South Carolina track, including Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 Goodyear 400 at Darlington:
NASCAR Darlington entry list
Thirty-six drivers are on the Darlington entry list. Up to 40 cars can qualify for a race, so all 36 entrants will race on Sunday. Here's the full list:
What is the NASCAR Darlington schedule?
This race weekend features a practice and qualifying session before the big show on Sunday. The 36-car field will be split into two groups, and each group will get a 15-minute practice session on Saturday, May 7 beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET.
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Qualifying begins immediately after practice, around 11:05 a.m. ET. Each car will make a single lap, with the five fastest times in each group advancing to the final round. In the final round, the 10 drivers make a single lap and the pole is awarded to the fastest time.
The Goodyear 400 at Darlington begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 8.
What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?
All NASCAR coverage is on FOX Sports 1 this weekend, including practice, qualifying, pre-race and the race. Pre-race coverage starts with NASCAR RaceDay at 2 p.m. ET Sunday on FS1, followed by the race on FS1, Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
All coverage before, during and after the race can be streamed online here and in the FOX Sports app.
NASCAR standings entering Darlington
Now 11 races into the 26-race regular season, time is running out for drivers to lock up playoff spots. Only 16 drivers make the playoffs, and drivers secure a berth by winning a race or scoring the most points among non-winners. Here’s a look at the current playoff standings, where winners are locked in and non-winners are fighting for every point:
- William Byron, 353 points, 2 wins
- Ross Chastain, 338 points, 2 wins
- Chase Elliott, 418 points, 1 win
- Kyle Busch, 353 points, 1 win
- Alex Bowman, 349 points, 1 win
- Kyle Larson, 335 points, 1 win
- Chase Briscoe, 270 points, 1 win
- Austin Cindric, 239 points, 1 win
- Denny Hamlin, 204 points, 1 win
- Ryan Blaney, 368 points
- Martin Truex Jr., 336 points
- Joey Logano, 316 points
- Christopher Bell, 284 points
- Aric Almirola, 283 points
- Kevin Harvick, 280 points
- Erik Jones, 262 points
Which active drivers have won at Darlington?
Just six of the 36 drivers racing Sunday have won at Darlington: Hamlin, Harvick, Truex, Keselowski, Jones and Kyle Busch.
Hamlin leads active drivers in Darlington wins (4), including the most recent race there last September. Harvick has three Darlington wins, while Truex has two (including this race last May). Jones and Busch each have one victory at the track.
Who is favored to win NASCAR this weekend?
Some drivers know how to get around Darlington, and some drivers have spent years trying to figure it out. It’s pretty easy to draw the line between contender and pretender at this circuit.
Larson has the best average finish at Darlington (5.5 in eight starts), including finishing second in both starts last year. Hamlin (7.1 in 19 starts), Jones (10.1 in eight starts), Truex (10.8 in 19 starts) and Keselowski (11.1 in 126 starts) are the other active finish leaders at Darlington.
Last year, Truex won the Mother’s Day Darlington race and Hamlin won the Labor Day Darlington race.
Here are some of the favorites to win at Darlington, courtesy of our partner, PointsBet:
- Kyle Larson, +525
- Martin Truex Jr., +700
- Denny Hamlin, +850
- Chase Elliott, +850
- Kyle Busch, +1000
- William Byron, +1200
- Ryan Blaney, +1300
- Ross Chastain, +1300
- Alex Bowman, +1500
- Joey Logano, +1600
- Kevin Harvick, +1600
- Tyler Reddick, +2200
- Chase Briscoe, +3000
- Christopher Bell, +3300
- Erik Jones, +4000
- Brad Keselowski, +6000
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
Darlington throwback 2022 paint schemes
Here’s a look at the throwback designs set to hit the track during the Goodyear 400:
