NASCAR set for rare feat at Darlington Raceway

Tonight’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway is scheduled to be the first on a Wednesday since 1984 and the first on a Wednesday outside of Daytona International Speedway in nearly a half-century.

What would have been the first NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 73 days, the Toyota 200, was rained out at Darlington Raceway yesterday and postponed until tomorrow afternoon.

But as long as tonight’s Cup Series race, the Toyota 500, at the same venue does not get rained out, it would be the first race to be contested on a Wednesday in nearly 36 years. The forecast, however, does not look promising.

The four-turn, 1.366-mile (2.198-kilometer) egg-shaped oval in Darlington, South Carolina has never hosted a race on a Wednesday since it began hosting Cup Series races back in 1950, seven decades ago.

More from NASCAR Cup Series

• NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
• NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
• NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
• NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
• NASCAR team adds third car, names driver for 2024 Daytona 500

Tonight’s race is not the only race scheduled to take place on a Wednesday this season, as NASCAR added and moved multiple races to the middle of the week amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled to host a previously non-scheduled race this coming Wednesday, May 27, and two weeks later, Martinsville Speedway is scheduled to host a postponed race on Wednesday, June 10. This race had been scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 9.

These dates are all subject to change given the pandemic situation and, of course, the possibility of bad weather. None of the races will be contested with fans in attendance due to ongoing precautions against the threat of COVID-19.

The last time a race was held on a Wednesday was on July 4, 1984. That race was the 33rd to be contested on a Wednesday, and it was won by Richard Petty at Daytona International Speedway. This victory ended up being the 200th and final victory of Petty’s Cup Series career.

Aside of Daytona International Speedway, the track which most recently held a Wednesday race was Albany-Saratoga Speedway, although that is set to change three times over the next few weeks.

That race took place back on July 14, 1971 as the first of four races in an 11-day span, the most recent 11-day span to feature four races, and was also won by Petty.

NASCAR is currently in the midst of an 11-day span with four Cup Series races on the schedule. The first was held this past Sunday, May 17 at Darlington Raceway. Aside of tonight’s race and next Wednesday’s race, there is also scheduled to be a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, one that was actually originally on the schedule before the pandemic struck.

Tune in to Fox Sports 1 tonight at 6:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Toyota 500 from Darlington Raceway.