“It’s just a tough, tough track.” If Brad Keselowski gets jitters from racing at Darlington Raceway, you’d know it is a force to reckon with. The RFK Racing owner/driver won last year’s spring race. With a worn-down pavement that loves eating through tires and wall-scraping turns, the 1.366-mile oval produces a lot of excitement. However, before fans can enjoy drivers losing their wits at the ‘Lady in Black’, they need to note down essential rules.

Darlington Raceway is the second-oldest track on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, immediately after Martinsville. So, the Goodyear 400 is a magnet for the diehard fans who live off of nostalgia. That is all the more reason for the higher-ups to lay down a comprehensive set of regulations – read further to know more.

Dos and don’ts for Darlington Raceway

Nine different drivers have won in the last nine races, proving how it is truly a track ‘Too Tough To Tame.’ Similarly, as Darlington Raceway produces a harsh challenge for drivers, it also produces strict guidelines for its fans. The festivities at the South Carolina track have already kicked off from Wednesday, with the museum, Track Laps for Charity, and other events underway. Camping grounds are also officially open from Tuesday onwards as fans are heading to Darlington for a jam-packed weekend of racing. Some of the locations open for setting up camp are Pearson Boulevard RV, Tent Camping, East End RV, Infield Camping, and Grounds Green, Yellow, and Red. But, what about parking?

Darlington Raceway also offers a comprehensive parking policy. To enjoy tailgating, fans can avail of a 20’x20′ spot on Sunday, perfect for tailgating, for $50. The location is outside Turn 2, along Hwy 151, and entering at Gate 1. Pole Position parking is located beside our Fan Zone, behind Tyler Tower (enter through Gate 32). Fans can buy this for $135. Then, Brasington Parking is located just outside the gates off Race Track Rd., allowing fans to park as close as possible to all the racing action on Sunday. Each space is $50. The cooler policy for campers and tailgaters is also well catered to by United Site Services. Fans can avail of Private Port-a-John for $95 and the Pump Out Service for $55. Additionally, water and pump trucks will be roaming the campgrounds, and people can just wave them down for service.

While the facilities provided are big, the prohibitory policy is also strict. For instance, Darlington Raceway prohibits unlicensed vehicles like golf carts, scooters, riding coolers, ATVs, UTVs, and hoverboards. According to the racetrack’s official website, “Speedway will review vehicles on a case-by-case basis and reserves the right to deem them unauthorized.” Other prohibited items include the usual: firearms, foam, fireworks, glass or ceramic containers, unmanned aerial vehicles, and so forth. Notably, Darlington also has a strictly no-burning policy in place with regard to the recent wildfires in California and Homestead-Miami.

These comprehensive rules perfectly set the mood for fans to have maximum fun at the Goodyear 400. And the NASCAR Cup Series’s ‘throwback weekend’ intends to do just that.

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Paying tribute to earlier legends

Well, Darlington Raceway has a sacred place in the pages of NASCAR’s history. Decades of racing at the oval track produced several memorable moments. Hendrick Motorsports (1995-1996 sweep and 2003-2004 sweep) and Richard Childress Racing (1989-1990) sweep are tied for the most consecutive wins. This year, the track is celebrating its 75th anniversary – a tribute to Harold Basington, who opened it in 1950. “He wanted to build a racetrack to host stock car racing in South Carolina, in his hometown of Darlington,” Raceway President Josh Harris said. “It took a lot of creativity to get the land and the funds to build the racetrack.”

Teams are also espousing this historical mood, as every Cup Series driver will pay tribute to a specific legend in the past. Kyle Larson‘s No. 5 HMS Chevrolet is modeling the 2003 Kellogg’s cereal car that Terry Labonte drove to victory. Larson appreciated this practice of throwback schemes: “For the teams that buy into it, it touches on the past, and some of the paint schemes that have helped build the foundation of our sport. Thankfully, with us and Hendrick Motorsports, there is a lot of iconic schemes and moments throughout our history that we can go back on.” Then, Ryan Blaney is running a NASCAR Xfinity Series scheme of 2006 in which his father, Dave Blaney, secured a series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Evidently, the excitement is building for the 2025 spring race at Darlington Raceway. So let us adhere to the guidelines and grab our popcorn to cheer for our favorite drivers!