Darlington Raceway to Align 2021 NASCAR Throwback Weekend with Mother’s Day Race and Not During Playoffs

Published 12/12/2020, 7:00 AM EST

Earlier, the Darlington Raceway announced that they plan to reschedule the NASCAR Throwback Weekend. So, the race will be held in spring 2021 around the first week of May. It is also worth noting that it will be a special weekend, as the race would coincide with Mother’s Day. Additionally, the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series will compete together on that weekend.

Normally, the NASCAR Throwback Weekend and the Southern 500 go hand-in-hand. The 500 is also a marquee event, which only serves to highlight its importance even further. Additionally, this event traditionally kicks off the Labor Day weekend, which it has been doing since 2015.

Last year, the Southern 500 marked the start of the Cup Series playoffs. However, with the Throwback Weekend rescheduled, it shifts the focus on the playoff on September 5, 2021.

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What is the NASCAR Throwback Weekend?

The NASCAR Throwback Weekend is highly important for the series, as it serves as a tribute to its roots. This includes the cars sporting vintage paint schemes on the race cars. By shifting it away from the Southern 500, it will also please the sponsors. This is because the sponsors will want to get their logos on the playoff cars, and a vintage livery will be an obstacle.

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“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 president Kerry Tharp.

“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.”

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With the two events separate, it will definitely please everyone involved. In a way, the throwback weekend detracts from the playoffs and they have to compete to demand attention.

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.