The 2025 NASCAR season kicks off on Feb. 16, 2025 with the 67th running of the Daytona 500.
NASCAR is turning back the clock.
The sport's annual throwback weekend will take place at Darlington Raceway, with drivers and teams bringing out their best old paint schemes and uniforms.
Darlington, which has hosted throwback weekend since 2014, is a fitting venue for the event. The South Carolina track has been on the NASCAR schedule for 75 years dating back to 1950.
So, what's in store for Darlington? What's the TV schedule for the weekend? And who could contend for the win on Sunday? Here’s everything you need to know for Goodyear 400:
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When is the NASCAR race at Darlington?
The Goodyear 400 is set for Sunday, April 6, at 3 p.m. ET.
Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying on Saturday. Thirty-eight drivers will be split into two groups, with each group getting 25 minutes of free practice. For qualifying, each driver will get one lap to set the starting order based on speed.
NASCAR TV schedule this weekend for Darlington
Mike Joy (play-by-play), Kevin Harvick (analyst) and Clint Bowyer (analyst) will be on the call for FOX and Amazon Prime Video this weekend.
Here’s the full TV and streaming schedule for Darlington:
Saturday, April 5 (Amazon Prime Video)
- Practice: 12:35 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video
- Qualifying: 1:40 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video
Sunday, April 6 (FOX Sports 1)
- NASCAR RaceDay: 2 p.m. ET, FS1, FOXSports.com
- Goodyear 400: 3 p.m. ET, FS1, FOXSports.com
Who is racing at Darlington? Here's the entry list
Thirty-eight drivers will race at Darlington — the 36 full-timers, plus two "open" entries.
Veteran driver J.J. Yeley, 49, will make his third start of the season for NY Racing Team. Austin Hill, an Xfinity Series regular, will jump up to the Cup Series for his 11th career start (first of 2025) in NASCAR's top division for Richard Childress Racing.
Here’s the full entry list for Darlington:
| Car number | Driver | Team | Sponsor |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Busch Light |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Freightliner |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Breztri |
| 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Beef-a-Roo |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | HendrickCars.com |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Castrol |
| 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports | Gainbridge |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | UniFirst |
| 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Beaver Street Fisheries |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Sport Clips |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Menards |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Action Industries |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Fifth Third Bank |
| 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | Bass Pro Shops |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | DeWalt |
| 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Motorcraft |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Shell/Pennzoil |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Columbia Sportswear |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Axalta |
| 33 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | United Rentals |
| 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ruedebusch |
| 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing | Monster Energy |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Long John Silver's |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | Haas Automation |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Dollar Tree |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Advent Health |
| 44 | J.J. Yeley | NY Racing Team | |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | McDonald's |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | SunnyD |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Ally |
| 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Jacob Construction |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Monster Energy |
| 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | Kroger |
| 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Delaware Life |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Zeigler Auto Group |
| 88 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | WeatherTech |
| 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | Quaker State |
NASCAR picks, predictions, favorites for Darlington
Darlington is unlike any track on the circuit -- it's shaped egg-shaped rather than a traditional oval, which makes for unique turns at the end of each straightaway. Drivers typically make the best speed by riding around the outside wall, often hitting the barrier in what's become known as the "Darlington Stripe." You never want to hit the wall, but a little tap won't hurt the car too bad -- and it makes for a good story.
So, who has mastered the appropriately nicknamed "Track Too Tough To Tame"? The best drivers lately have been Hamlin, Reddick, Logano, Larson and Byron.
The Toyota duo of Hamlin and Reddick are always contending, but Darlington stands out as a great track for both of them. Hamlin leads all drivers with four wins, 1,000 laps led and an 8.2 average finish in 25 starts. Reddick led 174 laps in this race last year before a late incident -- even though he has no wins at the track, he's been knocking on the door for years.
Logano, the lone Ford driver among these favorites, won here three years ago. The defending Cup champion has two top-fives and two poles in his last six Darlington starts with a 10.7 average finish.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Larson and Byron have carried the torch for their historic organization over the last few years, especially at Darlington. Larson has led more laps than any driver (1,048) and has seven top-fives in 14 starts. Byron won this race in 2023 and had four straight top-10s at Darlington before his streak was snapped last September.
Briscoe and Jones are worth monitoring as potential longshots.
Briscoe, now driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in the car that Martin Truex Jr. took to victory lane twice at Darlington, won there last September for Stewart-Haas Racing in an upset. Jones is a two-time Darlington winner, but Legacy Motor Club hasn't been a contender in recent years. If there's a track Jones can turn it around, it's Darlington.
NASCAR past winners, race history for Darlington
Eight of the 38 drivers in the field are past winners at Darlington.
Last week's winner Hamlin leads the field with four victories (2010, 2017, 2020, 2021), followed by Jones (2019, 2022) and Keselowski (2018, 2024) with two apiece. One-time winners include Busch (2008), Logano (2022), Byron (2023), Larson (2023) and Briscoe (2024).
NASCAR Darlington throwback paint schemes for 2025
A number of teams are participating in throwback weekend with special paint schemes.
Here's a look at the designs:
