South Carolina governor Henry McMaster serves as honorary pace car rider at Darlington

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster will serve as the honorary pace car rider for the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway this Sunday. McMaster will participate in the pre-race ceremonies and ride in the passenger seat of the Ford Mustang Dark Horse to lead the field to the green flag. This event marks the opening race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Darlington Raceway officials noted that McMaster played a significant role in supporting the return of racing to the track during the 2020 pandemic. The race occurs at the historic 1.366-mile, egg-shaped superspeedway, which has operated since 1950. Known as the track too tough to tame, Darlington serves as the venue for this first stage of the postseason championship chase.

• 8:55 AMYahoo Sports — McMaster to serve as honorary pace car rider at Southern 500