DARLINGTON, S.C. – Darlington Raceway and Cook Out announce a multi-year extension on the entitlement for the famed Southern 500®. Cook Out, one of the fastest growing family-owned restaurant chains in the nation, will continue as the Official Quick Service Restaurant of Darlington Raceway. The official name of the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will remain the Cook Out Southern 500®.

“Cook Out is a brand that can match the fierce competition of the NASCAR Playoffs at the track Too Tough To Tame, and we are proud to welcome the Official Quick Service Restaurant of Darlington Raceway back for the 72^nd running of the Cook Out Southern 500,” said Darlington President Kerry Tharp. “Cook Out has been serving their quality burgers and shakes across the south for over 30 years, so we look forward to continuing to grow our partnership at The Lady in Black.”

Cook Out will have a substantial presence with at-track signage this race season at Darlington Raceway.  As part of the partnership, Cook Out will have additional sponsorship rights with Darlington for point-of-sale, advertising collateral, in-market promotions, consumer sweepstakes and integrated digital campaigns. The brand will also become an official partner with NASCAR legacy track, Richmond Raceway.

“We are thankful and honored to renew our partnership with NASCAR and Darlington Raceway for the famed Cook Out Southern 500,” said Jeremy Reaves, CEO, Cook Out. “Our fans responded when we partnered with Darlington Raceway for last year’s Cook Out Southern 500, so we look forward to returning for another thrilling fun race in South Carolina!”

Since opening its first restaurant in Greensboro, N.C., Cook Out has been known for its fresh burgers, barbecue, hot dogs and shakes and Coca-Cola as part of the “best combos in town.” The restaurant chain has since grown to over 300 locations across 10 states (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia).

To learn more about Cook Out and find the nearest location, visit cookout.com.

2021 NASCAR Season

The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR moves to a new dedicated spring weekend as The Lady in Black unites generations of race fans to celebrate on Mother’s Day as part of the new spring weekend of action-packed racing featuring all three premier series on May 7-9. Darlington will host the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday night, May 7 at 7:30 p.m., the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday, May 8 at 1:00 p.m. and the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, May 9 at 3:30 p.m.

The Tradition Continues as the famed Cook Out Southern 500® will launch the NASCAR Playoffs for the second consecutive year as part of a Labor Day weekend of racing on Sept. 4-5. The Xfinity Series will compete on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m. The Cook Out Southern 500® Cup Series Playoff race will once again compete at night on Sunday, Sept. 5 at 6:00 p.m.

NASCAR tickets are available for purchase via phone at 866-459-7223 or online at darlingtonraceway.com.

Stay connected to Darlington Raceway on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Cook Out

It has been 31 years and counting since Morris Reaves first spoke, “Welcome to Cook Out! May I take your order, please?”. Cook Out is still owned and operated by The Reaves Family and headquartered in Thomasville, N.C.

The Reaves family takes great pride in serving premium quality food, day-in and day-out. All of our meat is ground and pattied every single day, loaded on a truck every single day, delivered to each individual store location, every single day and cooked fresh every single day. This where the motto was born, “Always Fresh, Never Frozen.” Cook Out has been proudly serving great, fresh food with Coca-Cola beverages since day one. For more information on Cook Out, visit cookout.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.

About NASCAR

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 consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series and three international 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 in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

Source: Darlington Raceway

Photo Credit: Hunter Thomas/TheFourthTurn.com