Darlington International Dragway/Darlington Dragway
ActiveActive Still racing today.
Quarter-mile strip near Hartsville built in 1976 and long called a birthplace of Pro Modified racing. Now run by Pro Mod racer John Doc and his Nasty Racing team, it hosts PDRA events and a year-round test and tune program.
- A concrete bridge carried the strip over Swift Creek
- The 1976 IHRA Southern Nationals was rained out twice
- Hosted the IHRA Winter Nationals from at least 1981 through 1996
- Raced
- 1976-present
- State
- South Carolina
- Raced on
- Built as a drag strip
- First race
- 1976
- Sanction
- NHRA Division 2
- Track
- 1/4 mile
- Address
- 2056 E. Bobo Newsome Hwy
Hartsville, SC 29550 - People
- Harold Brasington, builder and manager (1972-)
- Elevation
- 184 ft (56 m)
- Coordinates
- 34.31300, -79.99384
Big races
PDRA Carolina Nationals
Red Line Oil PDRA series stop with Pro Boost, Pro Nitrous and other eighth-mile doorslammer classes; Darlington opened the 2026 PDRA season.
Friendsgiving Classic
Two-day event held over Thanksgiving weekend to close out the season.
Wednesday Night Fights
Midweek test and tune night for street and race cars, plus regular Saturday test sessions.
Southeast Street-N-Yeet
A drag-and-drive: racers drive their street cars from track to track over several days and race at each stop.
Cackalacky Run
A drag-and-drive: racers drive their street cars from track to track over several days and race at each stop.
Southeast Street-N-Yeet Fall
A drag-and-drive: racers drive their street cars from track to track over several days and race at each stop.
Hot Rod Drag Week
A drag-and-drive: racers drive their street cars from track to track over several days and race at each stop.
Southeast Street-N-Yeet Spring
A drag-and-drive: racers drive their street cars from track to track over several days and race at each stop.
History
On June 6, 1972, Harold Brasington filed incorporation papers for Darlington International Dragway. A few months later the Florence Morning News described the planned strip north of Highway 151 in Hartsville as possibly one of the best in the Carolinas. It was to be 4,500 feet long and 70 feet wide, with a 66-foot-wide concrete bridge over Swift Creek 3,000 feet from the start, a 10,000-seat grandstand and bleachers for 3,500 more. Brasington built and managed it, and though it opened as Darlington International Dragway, most people called it Darlington Dragway. More than 400 racers entered the IHRA Southern Nationals on June 4-6, 1976, for a $200,000 purse. Rain washed it out and pushed it to mid-October, when rain hit again and final eliminations were cancelled. Other 1976 events included the U.S. Open Nationals Motorcycle Drag Race Championships, won by Marion Owens with an 8.46 on his ‘69 Harley, and the Bracket Nationals in July, where Sam Carroll won the $10,000 purse. Hoping to beat the rain jinx, IHRA set the Winter Nationals for March 18-20, 1977, and more than 17,000 fans came over the three days. Paul Longenecker won top fuel, Tom McEwen funny car and Harold Denton pro stock. Darlington hosted the IHRA Winter Nationals from at least 1981 through at least 1996.
Video
