COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be run in April next year after nearly a decade of racing on Mother’s Day weekend.
Track President Chip Wile said Friday the Sprint Cup event would be held Saturday, April 12. The Nationwide race will be run Friday, April 11. Both those races are run under Darlington’s lights.
It’s the second time Darlington has shifted from a holiday weekend. The track “Too Tough To Tame” ran the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend for over half a century until shifting to larger California Speedway. Atlanta Motor Speedway currently holds a Labor Day weekend race.
Wile says Kansas Speedway would move to Mother’s Day weekend in 2014.
Wile says April’s temperatures aren’t as hot as May, making it better for fans and competitors.
