NASCAR Youth Series will compete at Darlington Raceway, Aug. 31 – Sept. 3
Race fans can watch NASCAR’s future stars hone their skills before the NASCAR Cup Series
and NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers tackle the Track Too Tough to Tame
DARLINGTON, S.C. (Aug. 24, 2023) – As if the professionals of today weren’t exciting enough to watch, the NASCAR Youth Series presented by Cook Out will showcase the sport’s stars of tomorrow August 31 st through September 3 rd at Darlington Raceway. Drivers ages 5-16 will race in the Manheim parking lot outside of Turns 1 & 2 providing fans with even more action leading up to the 74 th running of the Cook Out Southern 500.
“We’re honored to welcome the NASCAR Youth Series to be a part of this historic weekend,” said
Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp. “At such an early age, with that amount of talent, these young racers are on their way to showing what it takes to compete at the Track Too Tough to Tame.” The NASCAR Youth Series presented by Cook Out is the sanctioning body for the quarter-midget racing division of the United States Auto Club (USAC). It is a family-oriented motorsport that involves children ages 5-16 racing in specially prepared cars. The cars, rules and safety procedures are designed specifically for kids. Quarter-midget racing is divided into 15 classes/divisions. Kids typically race on oval dirt, concrete or asphalt tracks approximately 1/20th of a mile long.
A quarter-midget car is a scaled down version of an actual midget racer. The cars are built around a tubular frame and are fully suspended with springs or torsion bars and shocks. The bodies are fiberglass. The engines are single cylinder and are manufactured by Honda and Briggs & Stratton. With almost 60 NASCAR Youth Series-sanctioned clubs located all across the country, thousands of kids ages five and up, along with their families, participate in quarter-midget racing. Some notable NASCAR graduates of quarter midget racing include Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Justin Allgaier, Harrison Burton, Justin Haley, Daniel Dye and Todd Gilliland. For more information, visit www.nascaryouth.com.
Racing on Darlington Raceway’s historic oval begins at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, with the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200. Then at 6 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 3, the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin in style with the Cook Out Southern 500, one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events. NASCAR fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets via phone at 866-459-7223 or online at darlingtonraceway.com.
About Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway nicknamed The Lady in Black and the track Too Tough To Tame, is home to the award-winning Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR and annually hosts two NASCAR Cup Series race weekends, along with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and/or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Opening in 1950, Darlington Raceway is “A NASCAR Tradition” and NASCAR’s original superspeedway with its famed 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, challenging the sports best in one of the most iconic NASCAR races, the Southern 500®. For more information about Darlington Raceway, visit darlingtonraceway.com. Stay connected to Darlington Raceway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the NASCAR Tracks App.
About NASCAR
Celebrating its 75 th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Pinty’s Series (Canada), NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 12 countries and more than 30 U.S. states. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
Contact:
Matt Humphrey
NASCAR Communications
386-453-8693
mhumphrey@nascar.com