The NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway held on Labor Day weekend is the Southern 500. It is one of NASCAR’s historic “Crown Jewel” events and is closely associated with Darlington’s long-standing place on the holiday-weekend schedule.
The Southern 500 began in 1950 as NASCAR’s first 500-mile race. For most of its early history, it was held on Labor Day weekend, traditionally near the beginning of September. The event was the only race of its distance on the NASCAR schedule until the Daytona 500 debuted in 1959, giving it an especially important place in the sport’s history.
The race temporarily lost its traditional date and name during schedule changes in the 2000s. It returned to the Southern 500 name in 2009 and moved back to Labor Day weekend in 2015. The modern race is typically run Sunday night under the lights. Coca-Cola 600 is a separate NASCAR event held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, while the other listed names are not the official race title.