NASCAR will host its 125th race at Darlington Raceway — a place known to be called “Too Tough to Tame” because it’s tough, historic, and it’s about to host one of the most exciting weekends of the season.
This year, Darlington’s spring weekend has been moved up to April (first time since 2014), and the weather’s looking great for racing.
NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington Dates and Times
Saturday is packed for the Xfinity Series, with the young drivers practicing, qualifying, and racing all in one day. If the chaos at Martinsville was any sign, this one’s going to be wild as well. Darlington isn’t known for being gentle — it eats up tires and patience.
The Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET, but practice and qualifying start bright and early at 10:05 a.m. ET on FS1. The detailed start times are as follows.
Saturday, April 5 – Xfinity Series
- Practice: 10:05 a.m. ET (CW App)
- Qualifying: 11:10 a.m. ET (CW App)
- Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200: 3:30 p.m. ET (CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
- Weather: 85°F, sunny with just a 5% chance of rain
Qualifying Order
- Dawson Cram starts off the first qualifying group
- Garrett Smithley closes it out
- In Group 2, Ryan Ellis kicks things off, and Austin Hill wraps it up
NASCAR Cup Series Time
The Goodyear 400 is a 400-mile grind made up of 293 laps.
Practice for the Cup Series starts at 10:30 a.m. ET, with qualifying right after at 11 a.m. — all on FS1. The race itself will go green at 3 p.m. ET, and you can catch it live on FOX.
Saturday, April 5
- Practice: 12:35 p.m. ET (Prime, MRN)
- Qualifying: 1:40 p.m. ET (Prime, MRN)
Sunday, April 6
- Goodyear 400: 3 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
- Weather: 87°F, with a 15% chance of rain during the day, rising to 40% after 8 p.m.
As for qualifying, Hill leads the charge in Group 1, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ending it. Chris Buescher will be first out in Group 2, and Denny Hamlin will bring it home.
With Brad Keselowski defending his 2024 win and Justin Allgaier returning as the Xfinity champ, expect sparks to fly. Darlington never disappoints, and with perfect racing weather and some hungry drivers, this weekend might just be one for the highlight reels.
Whether you’re tuning in for the old-school paint schemes, the drama of Darlington, or the ever-tight Cup standings, this weekend’s one for the books. So grab your snacks, settle in, and enjoy some good old throwback racing.