DARLINGTON, S.C. – In year six of its award-winning throwback weekend, Darlington Raceway will celebrate NASCAR’s champions – past, present and future – during its throwback campaign.
The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR will be celebrated during the track’s 71st running of the Southern 500 for the NASCAR Cup Series, Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-6.
Darlington Raceway will honor all the past champions of the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series during the weekend, which will coincide with the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on Sept. 6 and herald the future crowning of another champion at ISM Raceway in November.
“Celebrating our NASCAR champions – past, present and future – during our 2020 throwback weekend is a great tie-in for Darlington hosting the opening round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs,” Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp said. “There is so much history and correlation between NASCAR champions and Darlington race winners that this throwback theme makes our 2020 event that much more special for our fans, teams, partners and stakeholders.”
There are 33 different NASCAR Cup Series champions that have combined to win 71 total championships since 1949.
Drivers with multiple championships include Richard Petty (7 ), Dale Earnhardt (7), Jimmie Johnson (7), Jeff Gordon (4), Lee Petty (3), David Pearson (3), Cale Yarborough (3), Darrell Waltrip (3), Tony Stewart (3), Herb Thomas (2), Tim Flock (2), Buck Baker (2), Joe Weatherly (2), Ned Jarrett (2), Terry Labonte (2) and Kyle Busch (2).
Seventeen drivers have one Cup Series championship each.
Additionally, there were 19 years in which the NASCAR Cup Series champion won one or more Darlington races in the same year.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, 29 different drivers have won the series’ championship since 1982.
Drivers with multiple championships include Jack Ingram (2), Sam Ard (2), Larry Pearson (2), Randy LaJoie (2), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2), Kevin Harvick (2), Martin Truex Jr. (2), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2) and Tyler Reddick (2).
Twenty drivers have one Xfinity Series championship each.