South Carolina H 5229: Throwback Weekend of NASCAR

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5229 Text of Previous Version (Feb. 24, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5229

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A concurrent RESOLUTION

TO EXPRESS THE BELIEF OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THAT 
NASCAR RACING IS AN INTEGRAL AND VITAL PART OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND 
ITS ECONOMY AND TO RECOGNIZE AND CONGRATULATE DARLINGTON RACEWAY ON CONTINUING 
TO HOST TWO NASCAR RACE WEEKENDS THAT GENERATE SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC IMPACT TO 
THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AS ONE OF OUR STATE'S MOST TREASURED ATTRACTIONS 
AND TO NAME THE WEEKS AROUND BOTH RACES, MARCH 15-22, 2026, AND THE TRADITIONAL 
LABOR DAY WEEKEND, AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2026, AS "DARLINGTON RACEWAY WEEK," 
TWO WEEKS TOO TOUGH TO TAME.

Whereas, Darlington 
native Harold Brasington had the vision and determination to bring stock car 
auto racing on a paved superspeedway to South Carolina and built Darlington 
Raceway, which opened on September 4, 1950, with the inaugural running of the 
Southern 500, the first stock car race on a paved track; and

Whereas, since 1950, 
Darlington Raceway has served as a cornerstone in the development of stock car 
racing, one of the fastest growing and most popular spectator sports in the 
country; and

Whereas, NASCAR, which 
was incorporated on February 21, 1948, and is celebrating its 77th anniversary, 
has become the premier motorsports innovator, universally regarded as one of 
the world's most successful sports entertainment properties; and

Whereas, NASCAR has 
expanded throughout its history to become a global sport with series that race 
in more than 30 States, as well as Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Brazil, and 
today, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually and its races are 
broadcast in nearly every country around the world; and

Whereas, South Carolina hosts 
one of the crown jewel events in motorsports, the Southern 500, which has sold 
out the past four years, and lays claim to many of the legends of NASCAR 
racing, including Rex White, David Pearson, Bud Moore, James Hylton, Tiny Lund, 
and Cale Yarborough; and 

Whereas, the State of South 
Carolina is rich in historical references to the sport of stock car racing, as 
evidenced by the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum and the National 
Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame at Darlington Raceway, in addition 
to dirt raceways across the State of South Carolina that served as home to the 
fledgling sport of NASCAR racing in the 1950s; and

Whereas, the NASCAR events at 
Darlington focus our nation's attention and the attention of the world upon our 
great State as a sport and tourism destination each year; and

Whereas, the annual economic 
impact that NASCAR racing with two events has on South Carolina is in excess of 
$118 million dollars, generating over $18 million dollars annually in federal 
and state tax collections as NASCAR fans from across the country and around the 
world visit the State to attend racing events and then vacation in communities 
throughout the Palmetto State; and

Whereas, Darlington 
Raceway participates as a good corporate citizen at the local, regional, and 
state levels and is active in numerous community and charitable efforts in 
contributing to the improvement of the people and the State of South Carolina. Now, 
therefore,

Be it resolved by the House 
of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the members of the 
South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, express the belief that 
NASCAR racing is an integral and vital part of the State of South Carolina and 
its economy, recognize Darlington Raceway as one of our state's most treasured 
attractions and NASCAR's 78 years of racing as a significant part of our 
state's rich history in the State of South Carolina.

Be it further resolved 
by naming the weeks around both races, the official Throwback Weekend of 
NASCAR, March 15-22, 2026, and the traditional Labor Day weekend, August 30 - September 
6, 2026, as "Darlington Raceway Week," two weeks too tough to tame.

Be it further resolved that 
a copy of this resolution be forwarded to NASCAR and the Darlington Raceway.

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This web page was last updated on February 24, 2026 at 12:57 PM