Brasington quickly cut all ties with the facility, with Bob Colvin taking over control of the venue as president of the track.

[9] However, according to numerous Carolinan newspapers decades after the venue's opening, construction started sometime in 1949,[7][8][10] with Charlotte News writer Bob Myers stating that groundbreaking occurred on December 12.

[11] Darlington Raceway, according to multiple South Carolinian newspapers, was placed under heavy speculation and doubt, with the facility reportedly earning the derogatory nickname "Harold's Folly" by the local populace.

[6][7] In February 1950, The Charlotte News' Rubye Arnold reported that the facility would host a 500-mile (800 km) race on Labor Day of that year.

[16] By the completion of the then-named Darlington International Raceway, it had a seating capacity of approximately 10,000, with the 1.25-mile (2.01 km) track drawing comparisons to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in terms of prestige.

[26][27] The installation of lights for the 1953 Southern 500 was also considered;[28] however, the proposal was rejected due to impracticality and a lack of fan support.

[32] Another 3,300-seat grandstand named after Confederate Army general Robert E. Lee was erected in 1963 on the track's then-fourth turn.

In November 1950, the track's first fatality occurred when racer Robert Burns crashed and died due to internal injuries in a motorcycle race.

[22][23] Two years later, Rex Stansell died after suffering a head injury in a crash during a modified and sportsman race.

[36] In the 1957 Southern 500, Bobby Myers was killed in an accident after his car hit the standstill car of Fonty Flock, flipping several times[37] and eventually dying due to a broken neck and "a crushed chest and massive hemorrhaging" according to the Florence Morning News.

[38] In the 1960 Southern 500, the track experienced its deadliest incident, when Bobby Johns' car crashed and flipped on the track's backstretch pit road, killing three people: NASCAR official Joe Brown Taylor alongside Paul McDuffie and Charles Ernest Sweatland, both members of Joe Lee Johnson's pit crew.

[45] Under Colvin's tenure, the track's marquee events, the Southern 500 and Rebel 400, were openly promoted as celebrations of the Confederacy.

[51] Within the year, upgrades were also made to the facility's press box alongside the installation of a new concrete wall in then-turns one and two.

[58] In March 1982, Darlington Raceway was reported to have been suffering "significant revenue losses" according to The News & Observer.

[60] On June 11, 1982, a sale to the France family-owned International Speedway Corporation (ISC) was announced, with the company offering to buy out control at $70 a share.

[75][76] An additional 7,700-seat grandstand was constructed within the year, alongside upgrades to the venue's victory lane and a new media center.

[79] In 2003, after a previous failed attempt to do so in 1999, track officials announced the addition of permanent lighting to host night racing at the venue.

[80] The following year, the addition of soft wall SAFER barriers was announced;[81] both features were added to the track in time for the 2004 Mountain Dew Southern 500.

[90] The following year, ISC approved a $10 million renovation project aimed at repaving the track, the addition of an infield tunnel, and other upgrades.

[94] In 2015, the track added approximately 4,600 ft (1,400 m) of SAFER barriers in response to Kyle Busch's injury at Daytona International Speedway.

[105] The Goodyear 400 currently serves as NASCAR's throwback weekend, where race teams run special retro paint schemes.