The NASCAR Cup Series teams headline the Throwback Weekend schedule at Darlington Raceway. They will compete on Sunday afternoon in a race that could be historically significant for Ford Performance.
Drivers under the Blue Oval banner swept last season's Cup races at The Lady in Black. If a Ford Performance driver wins this weekend, it will mark the first time since 1961-62 that a Ford driver has won three straight events.
Fred Lorenzen won the 1961 spring race at Darlington while driving a Ford. Nelson Stacy then won the Southern 500 crown jewel race in September in 1961.
The streak continued in 1962 as Stacy won in the spring while going back-to-back. Larry Frank won the 1962 Southern 500 to make it four straight wins for Ford drivers. Joe Weatherly snapped the streak in 1963 in a Pontiac.
The Gen 7 era began with Joey Logano winning the 2022 spring race at Darlington. Chevrolet drivers then won three straight races at the South Carolina track with Erik Jones (2022 Southern 500), William Byron (2023 spring race), and Kyle Larson (2023 Southern 500).
Ford Performance got back to victory lane last season. Brad Keselowski won the 2024 spring race, his first win with RFK Racing. Chase Briscoe then captured the 2024 Southern 500 in what was Stewart-Haas Racing's final Cup Series win. This put Briscoe into the playoffs for the second time in his career.
Briscoe is now a member of Toyota Gazoo Racing North America, which leaves Keselowski and Logano as the only active Ford Performance drivers to win a Cup Series race at Darlington. Keselowski, the 2012 champion, has two trips to victory lane at the track. Logano, the three-time champion, has one win.
David Pearson is the all-time leader in Cup Series wins at Darlington Raceway. The Hall of Famer celebrated 10 wins at the South Carolina track. Eight were part of the Ford family. He won six times in a Mercury and twice in a Ford. His other two Darlington wins were in Chevrolets.