THIS WEEK: iRacing Southern 500 Special Event
August 31st, 2026 by Justin Melillo
iRacing’s Special Event calendar features a selection of the world’s most compelling races across numerous disciplines. Whether you’re interested in stock cars or sports cars, open-wheel formula cars or sprint cars, sticking to pavement or playing in the dirt, running solo or racing with a team of your closest friends, our Special Events have something for everyone!
This week, the iRacing Southern 500 is the latest full-length special event on the NASCAR iRacing Series calendar, taking on the historic Darlington Raceway for 500 miles, or 367 laps of competition. Here’s everything you need to know about participating in this iRacing Special Event.
TRACK: DARLINGTON RACEWAY
CARS COMPETING: NASCAR Cup Series Gen 7 “Next Gen”
- Next Gen NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Next Gen NASCAR Cup Series Ford Mustang
- Next Gen NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Camry
TIMES TO RACE | SEPTEMBER 2nd TO SEPTEMBER 7TH:
FIXED SETUP RACES:
- Wednesday 21:00 GMT (Wednesday 5 PM ET)
- Friday 1:00 GMT (Thursday 9 PM ET)
- Saturday 10:00 GMT (Saturday 6 AM ET)
- Saturday 16:00 GMT (Saturday 12 PM ET)
- Monday 1:00 GMT (Sunday 9 PM ET)
OPEN SETUP RACES
- Thursday 1:00 GMT (Wednesday 9 PM ET)
- Thursday 19:00 GMT (Thursday 3 PM ET)
- Saturday 1:00 GMT (Friday 9 PM ET)
- Sunday 14:00 GMT (Sunday 10 AM ET)
BROADCAST DETAILS
There will be a broadcast of the Top Split broadcast for the third Open Setup time slot, the Saturday 01:00 GMT, or Friday 9 PM ET event. RACESPOT will be handling the call of the action. The show will be available at iRacing.com/live.
ABOUT THE iRACING SOUTHERN 500
The iRacing Southern 500 is the fourth of five full-length races placed on the NASCAR iRacing Series calendar. The NASCAR iRacing Series runs from February through November. This race is run not in its own official series, but in the NASCAR iRacing Series, during those normal NiS times.
With its roots buried deep in NASCAR’s past, Darlington Raceway has long been the host of a Labor Day tradition, with one of the longest, most grueling races at their place that’s often called “Too Tough To Tame”. Running the current NASCAR Cup Series cars at the current day edition of the Lady in Black, available in both fixed setup and open setup variety. The race will be scheduled in the sim for September 6th at 5:00 pm with dynamic weather enabled.
This event is open to iRacing members that have an Oval license at Class C or higher, or at Class D with a 4.0 Safety Rating. Splits will be determined by iRating. Splits can have up to 37 drivers, and a disqualification limit has been set at 25 incident points, or 25X, with a penalty to be served at 17X as per normal.
ABOUT DARLINGTON RACEWAY
“The Lady in Black,” “The Track That’s Too Tough To Tame;” those are two of the names, the polite ones anyway, that drivers and fans have given Darlington Raceway over the years. The oldest speedway on the NASCAR circuit, Darlington Raceway’s egg-shaped configuration – one end is big and wide-open while the other is pinched tight – has been perplexing racing drivers and mechanics since it opened in 1950 with the inaugural running of NASCAR’s Southern 500. The track was built on an old farm in the middle of rural South Carolina, and its unique shape is the legacy of a minnow pond that the farmer who owned the land wasn’t willing to give up. Minnows still swim in that pond more than half a century later, and while lap speeds have risen to nearly 180 mph, a car set up just right for one end of the 1.366-mile oval still won’t handle on the other one. The fastest lap times are achieved with a compromise – the car isn’t perfect at either end of the track, but a really talented driver can coax the car quickly enough through both sets of corners.
A look at the list of race winners over the years confirms that talents tells at Darlington. Few journeymen drivers have won at Darlington – through the years the winner’s circle has mostly welcomed the sport’s enduring stars. Those legendary drivers have dominated the competition, and at a track where it is so difficult to win even once, those who have unlocked Darlington’s mysteries have been able to win again and again.
When it comes to the true Darlington legends two drivers stand apart from the rest. Dale Earnhardt, Sr. won nine times. “You never forget your first love,” Earnhardt was quoted as saying. “Whether it’s a high school sweetheart, a faithful old hunting dog, or a fickle race track in South Carolina with a contrary disposition. And, if you happen to be a race car driver there’s no victory so sweet, so memorable, as whipping Darlington Raceway.”
But the most successful driver of all time at what is perhaps the most difficult track on the NASCAR circuit is David Pearson, the ’60s and ’70s ace known as the Silver Fox for his smooth style behind the wheel. Ten times at Darlington Pearson outfoxed the other drivers and the track itself. If he’d won any more, they’d have had to turn over the deed to the track to him.
To learn more about the event and join in on the discussion, visit our Special Events page and head over to the iRacing Forums.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit iRacing.com.
You may also like...
OFFICIAL PARTNERS:
