Car Hauler Parade to be postponed until 2022
An aerial view of the 2019 Car Hauler Parade. SUBMITTED PHOTO
The annual Car Hauler Parade, a Southern 500 tradition, won’t take place this year, officials say. “Due to the condensed nature of the NASCAR race weekend schedules over the past 15 months, the Darlington Car Hauler Parade won’t be able to take place in September,” said Kerry Tharp, Darlington Raceway president. “Depending upon what NASCAR decides its race weekend schedules will look like in 2022, we’re hopeful that we will being able to resume this popular fan-friendly activity next May as part of our Throwback Weekend.” The parade recognizes the drivers of the transporters carrying race cars and equipment for the NASCAR Cup Series. COVID cautions forced cancellation of the parade last year. Typically, the event presented by Raldex Hospitality begins at the Florence Center with kids’ activities, silent auction of NASCAR memorabilia, food, live entertainment, and the NASCAR transport vehicles. The parade then makes its way along the 12-mile route into Darlington Public Square, where crowds gather for more festivities. The trucks then enter via the Darlington Raceway tunnel to park for the NASCAR Cup race. “While we miss holding the Darlington Car Hauler Parade in 2020 and 2021, we are anticipating a bigger-than-ever event in May of 2022, depending, as always, on the NASCAR schedule,” Holly Beaumier, executive director of the Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau and chair of the parade committee, said in a statement.