Darlington Raceway Historic Treasure
Darlington.
It’s a name that carries a lot of weight in stock car racing circles. In fact, it carries weight in any auto racing circle. The NASCAR story that has taken place at South Carolina Raceway fills the books on its own.
This is the first superspeed built for stock cars, home to NASCAR’s first 500-mile race. This track was holding events ten years before Daytona International Speedway was built. This venue helped NASCAR take a big early step in taking stock car racing from its beginnings on the southeastern dirt track and bringing the sport throughout its fifty-year journey to the national spotlight.
By the end of the 20th century, highway construction projects across the country were proceeding at a healthy pace. The new major league auto race tracks planned to open their doors in new areas of the domestic market. Las Vegas, Fort Worth, Chicago, and Kansas City were among the new three-oval designs that were installed. The Atlanta Freeway turned its true oval shape into another front section with doglegs. The new Miami oval also underwent some redesign projects.
All the tracks had a lot of glass, polish and shiny chrome. It shows that a sanctioning body could entertain current and potential sponsors. Auto racing as a sport needs these places like Major League Baseball, Coors Field and AT&T Park.
However, since baseball also needs its Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, NASCAR needs Darlington Raceway. In today’s age, it reminds your visitors where the sport came from, how it has grown, and hopefully not forgetting the past.
Darlington.
The newly completed Mother’s Day weekend events saw an effort by track management to adopt a “throwback” look and feel to the event. In place of the neat and neat retaining walls were the alternating red and white sections of days gone by. Winston cigarettes used to be a major sponsor in NASCAR on many levels. From the Cup division to the grassroots local courts, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company was an important marketing partner. Almost all racetracks under the NASCAR umbrella had the same paint scheme that surrounded their racing surfaces.
That Darlington track reverted to an earlier logo, an easily recognizable one from the 1970s or early 1980s. Styles and culture evolve in this country. They always have and always will. Letter and font designs have changed in all forms of advertising. Look at anything from a motor oil label to the look of a soda can. Sometimes you can guess the year of sale by looking at a product image.
Last weekend, Darlington Raceway signage was added to the expected entry list to include Benny Parsons and Neil Bonnett. And this is good.
And calling this event The Southern 500 made anyone with a sense of history smile. Media folks couldn’t get enough of referencing the name in their broadcasts and written stories. The Southern 500 name flows nice and easily and when it was spoken, a small change was detected around the edges of their mouths.
Darlington.
There aren’t many venues on the Sprint Cup circuit that could attract the big names in the sport to visit. Saturday afternoon featured a press conference from David Pearson and Cale Yarborough. I firmly believe that because it was Darlington, both legends were eager to attend.
Could the same be said for a random D-shaped oval built somewhere convenient for a major market? Without disrespecting the other tracks on the circuit, but it’s an honest question.
Richard Petty spent time over the weekend in Indianapolis with his new company in the IRL ranks for the 500 later this month. John Andretti drove the IndyCar under Petty’s name for the first two days of qualifying. Petty’s first and perhaps only attempt to submit an entry for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing is important to him. But he got back to Darlington before the Southern 500’s green flag flew.
Sam Ard and his family visited the famous South Carolina oval before the start of the race last Saturday. Two-time Busch Series champion and multiple NASCAR winner Late Model Sportsman met with Kevin and Delana Harvick, and Kyle Busch late in the afternoon. Health and money issues have challenged Ard and both Harvick and Busch have turned in to help the former NASCAR driver.
Busch and the Harvicks showed great respect and appreciation for the older generation star and all that he and his family have contributed to the sport over the years. Today’s best runners thanked Ard for everything he has done and truly understood that the success of the sport now is due in part to the participants who came before.
The Ard family also visited the drivers’ meeting and were greeted by numerous NASCAR names. Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte, Mike Helton and Dick Berggren were just a few of those who came to greet the family and recognize their contributions to stock car racing.
It’s a fitting race track that served as the backdrop for this gathering of superstars and sports legends that helped NASCAR achieve the success it is now. The Raceway also played a role in that increase.
Darlington.
Daytona, Indianapolis, LeMans, Monaco all have their place in auto racing history. Together, through different forms of racing, chapters have been filled in motorsport history books. Stock cars, open wheel, ovals, road racing, dirt and asphalt have created their own stories and appeal to racing fans. Each particular place has its own attitude and personality.
Darlington Raceway is included in that same level of importance. It is a difficult place to drive. Only the best have survived the often grueling events here and have achieved victory. The track has taught many drivers to rethink their definition of confidence and has taught a few more the true meaning of patience.
It is an older track that has been updated to make it workable in current times. But not too many to take away from the character watchers marveled in 1950. “The Lady in Black” creates new stories and reminds us of old ones every time a race is run here. It’s nice to see where the races are coming from and where they are going, all at the same time.