DARLINGTON, S.C. – Darlington Raceway and Cook Out, through its partnership with Coca-Cola, 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 matches the fierce competition of the NASCAR Playoffs at the track Too Tough To Tame, so we are proud to welcome the Official Quick Service Restaurant of Darlington Raceway back with a multi-year partnership for 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 32 years. As Cook Out continues to expand across the east coast, we look forward to continuing our partnership at The Lady in Black to support their growth.”

Cook Out will continue to have a substantial presence with at-track signage at Darlington Raceway. As part of the partnership, Cook Out will have additional sponsorship rights with Darlington Raceway for point-of-sale, advertising collateral, in-market promotions, consumer sweepstakes and integrated digital campaigns. The brand will also remain 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 and Morris Reaves, Founder, Cook Out. “The sport of NASCAR and Cook Out have a shared history in the Carolinas. We’re looking forward to building on that tradition for the next two years and beyond.”

“Coca-Cola has been a part of the race day experience at NASCAR events for decades and we look forward to engaging some of the most passionate fans in motorsports at this iconic event at Darlington Raceway,” said Hector Gallardo, Vice President, Customer Leadership at The Coca-Cola Company. “The Cook Out Southern 500 is a tentpole event on the NASCAR schedule and along with Cook Out, we look forward to fans celebrating this renewed partnership with a delicious meal and a fresh Coke.”

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.

2022 NASCAR Season

Darlington Raceway will host the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR on May 6-8, featuring all three national series with the Dead On Tools 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m., Mahindra ROXOR 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, May 7 at 1:30 p.m. and NASCAR Cup Series on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8 at 3:30 p.m.

The Tradition Continues at Darlington Raceway with the Labor Day Race Weekend on Sept. 3-4, featuring the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 Xfinity Series race on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 3:00 p.m. and start of the Cup Series Playoffs in the 73^rd running of the crown jewel Cook Out Southern 500® over Labor Day weekend on Sunday, Sept. 4 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, Twitter and the all-new NASCAR Tracks App.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Cook Out

It has been 32 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 (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series, NASCAR Peak Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro 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