DARLINGTON, South Carolina (February 7, 2023) – NASCAR marks its 75th Anniversary in 2023 and Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) is helping one of the sport’s most legendary tracks join the celebration this May with the HSR Historic Stock Car Invitational that will be part of the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR at Darlington Raceway, May 12 – 14.
Opening in 1950 just two years after NASCAR was founded, Darlington Raceway is “A NASCAR Tradition” and its original superspeedway with a uniquely tricky 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval that challenges the sports best on two NASCAR race weekends each season. Equally revered and respected, Darlington is one of the few sporting venues in the world to have earned more than one well-known nickname as the “Track too Tough to Tame” and “The Lady in Black.”
Appropriately hosting one of NASCAR’s most famous races, the Southern 500 at Darlington each fall now serves as the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The HSR Historic Stock Car Invitational, however, appropriately takes its place this May on the award-winning Throwback Weekend that hosts all three of NASCAR’s top-tier national series.
“Darlington Raceway is thrilled to be partnering with HSR for our upcoming Throwback Weekend in May,” said Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp. “This weekend will be one of the pillar events for NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary Celebration and being able to showcase a number of these historic stock cars will be enthusiastically well-received by our fans and race teams.”
The HSR Stock Car Invitational will showcase a select group of historic and vintage stock cars that will be on display at the Darlington midway throughout the weekend and driven on track in a pair of speed-controlled exhibition runs on Saturday before the NASCAR Xfinity Series race and Sunday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400.
“Doors to incredible opportunities have been opened for HSR ever since we were acquired by IMSA a year ago, and being asked by Kerry and his team to organize the HSR Stock Car Invitational at the legendary Darlington Raceway ranks right up there with the best of them,” said HSR President David Hinton. “While vintage and historic sports car competition is at our foundation and in our name, in recent years we have seen some of our strongest growth in our long-established Group 8 historic stock car divisions. The Darlington Historic Stock Car Invitational is one of several NASCAR 75 and Historic Stock Car events and races we will be involved with this year and we are honored to have the opportunity.”
Limited to a select 20 entries, all interested participants are encouraged to immediately send their car details to Hinton at [email protected] as soon as possible.
A month prior to the Historic Stock Car Invitational, the 45th HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will celebrate NASCAR 75 with Historic Stock Cars as the Featured Marque of HSR’s oldest race. This year’s August NASCAR weekend at Watkins Glen also features HSR Historic Stock Cars in competition that weekend, the first time HSR has served as a support race series on a NASCAR weekend.
The 2023 HSR racing season begins at Sebring International Raceway, March 24 – 26, with the annual season-opening HSR Spring Fling. Please visit www.HSRRace.com for more information on HSR and the 2023 schedule.
