Why is Darlington Raceway nicknamed the Lady in Black? All you need to know
Darlington Raceway, the egg-shaped oval track in Darlington, South Carolina, becomes a place of immense racing interest when NASCAR visits once a year. However, it is the track's name that excites the fans more. Interestingly, the track has not one but two nicknames—the Lady in Black and The Track Too Tough to Tame. But why is the track named the Lady in Black?
It all started with Benny Philips, otherwise known as the founding father of the track. Back in 1965, he wrote a column on the week of the Southern 500, which helped create the identity of the Darlington track, and it has been the same ever since.
Philips wrote that the nature of the Darlington Raceway was pretty unpredictable, or 'as unpredictable as a woman.' He stated this by citing the infamous German spy Mata Hari.
Hari was an exotic dancer, as desirable as Hollywood's most desirable actress but was unpredictable and treacherous. Thus, the name, The Lady in Black, came to be.
From then on, the name remained the same, and in 1974, when Benny Philips wrote it himself, it became even more recognizable. Currently, the track is owned by NASCAR and run by track president Josh Harris.
How did the 2025 Darlington Raceway race turn out?
The 2025 Goodyear 400 at the Darlington Raceway was the eighth Cup Series race of the season, and was won by Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing. A special weekend for NASCAR throwback, the 1.366-mile track hosted the 297-lap race on April 6, 2025.
Hamlin, who started the race from third place, won, ahead of Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell. 38 drivers competed in that particular race, and Byron of HMS claimed the pole ahead of Ryan Preece of RFK Racing.
In Stage 1, Byron kept his pole advantage and finished on top, ahead of Bubba Wallace and Ryan Preece. In Stage 2, Byron kept his lead and went on to win the stage, ahead of Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin.
However, in the final stage, Hamlin overtook Byron at the pit road, as well as snatched the race lead, and went on to win the race. The #11 driver claimed his second back-to-back win this season.
There were a total of four lead changes among four different drivers, and there were eight cautions in total for 45 laps. Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell moved up in the driver standings after the race, while Chase Elliott moved down to fourth place. William Byron continued to lead the standings.