Darlington Raceway announced Friday that their NASCAR Throwback Weekend festivities will move to its new spring 2021 race weekend.
The spring weekend, scheduled for Mother’s Day weekend on May 7-9, features the NASCAR Camping World Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series.
NASCAR Throwback Weekend had been celebrated alongside the track’s crown jewel event, the Southern 500, since it returned to the traditional Labor Day weekend date in 2015.
This past season, the Southern 500 became the opener for the Cup Series playoffs. With Friday’s announcement, the playoffs will become the main focus for that event, which is scheduled to run next season on Sept. 5.
The 2021 season marks the first time that Darlington will host two Cup Series weekends since 2004.
NASCAR Throwback Weekend has become an opportunity for the sport to pay tribute to its roots in numerous ways, including the use of vintage paint schemes on the race cars.
The initial success of the event earned Darlington the 2015 NMPA Myers Brothers Award, which recognizes individuals and/or groups for outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing.
“Darlington Raceway is grateful to our loyal race fans and the entire industry for their unwavering support for the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR since its inception in 2015,” said track president Kerry Tharp in a statement.
“It is this support that allows us to now prepare for two scheduled NASCAR Cup Series race weekends next year. As we rally around the return of our new spring race weekend, we will continue to share the history and tradition of our great sport with the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR.”