Southern 500 is Back at Darlington, Stripes and All!

By far one of the greatest tracks on the NASCAR circuit, Darlington Raceway is embedded with amazing tradition and great racing. One year after NASCAR celebrated its 60th year, Darlington is set for a 60-year celebration of its own. Darlington is the second-oldest track in NASCAR and has hosted 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races over the past 59 years.

“Darlington is steeped in tradition, as much a part of the Southern NASCAR landscape as the sweet scent of magnolias,” said NASCAR Vice President of Communications Jim Hunter, a former president of Darlington Raceway. “The Southern 500 is the Kentucky Derby and Masters of our sport.”

It is only fitting that as part of its 60th anniversary, the track is bringing back the race name that it has been identified with since its first race in 1950. In addition, the outer retaining walls have been painted with red stripes, something that hasn’t been done since 1989.

“Celebrating 60 Years of Racing at Darlington Raceway is truly a special milestone for the track as well as NASCAR,” said Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning. “We wanted to go ‘retro’ for our 60th season and I feel like we have certainly accomplished that on many fronts. Going back to the Southern 500 race name and painting the walls in the old red and white paint scheme is definitely reminiscent of early NASCAR.”

The link to Darlington’s rich NASCAR history doesn’t end there. Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and five-time Darlington winner Cale Yarborough will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the race. Yarborough, from nearby Timmonsville, S.C., will also be joined by several past Darlington winners for a special pre-race ceremony honoring their accomplishments.

Another Darlington story entwined with the great Cale Yarborough is the Jeff Gordon’s chance at history. A trip to Darlington Raceway is always welcomed by the current points leader. The four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion leads all active drivers with seven Darlington victories and will make track – and NASCAR – history with another victory Saturday night.

Of Gordon’s seven Darlington wins, five have come in the Southern 500, tying him with Cale Yarborough for most in the prestigious event. A win this weekend will break that tie, but will ironically bring Gordon into another tie with Yarborough in the NASCAR record books. Gordon currently has 82 career victories, one shy of Yarborough, who sits fifth on the all-time list with 83.

“I was able to spend some time with Cale a few years back at an event at the track,” Gordon said. “It was neat to hear him tell stories about racing here during that era. The cars have changed, the speeds have changed and the asphalt has changed, but I don’t believe the driver’s thinking has changed one bit. You race the track here, not the other competitors.”

If there is someone who can keep Gordon from reaching history, it’s last years winner Greg Biffle. Over the last four Darlington races, Biffle has a series-best Driver Rating of 121.8, a series-high 174 Fastest Laps Run, an Average Running Position of 7.9 (fourth-best), an average Green Flag Speed of 155.230 mph (second) and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 88.2% (fourth). Plus, with three top 10s in the last four races, Biffle seems poised for a repeat.

One other driver to pay close attention to this weekend is Tony Stewart. Almost one-third of the way into Stewart’s first season as owner/driver of Stewart-Haas Racing, Stewart is third in the standings and a few breaks away from a trip to Victory Lane. Stewart has finished runner-up in two of the last three races and has been in the top five in four of the last five. Newman has been able to shake off early season struggles, moving up 22 spots over the past six races.

A Darlington win would be especially sweet for Stewart, who has won at all but three tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule – Darlington Raceway, Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Stewart came a step closer last year when he won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington.

“With the rich heritage and history at Darlington, to win there – it’s a feeling that’s hard to describe,” Stewart said of his NASCAR Nationwide Series win. “It’s just cool to win at Darlington… This series is just so deep in history, and this is one of those tracks where the history goes as deep as NASCAR does. To finally get a win at Darlington was a huge honor for me.”

Should be another great race at one of the most famous race tracks anywhere. And, it’s at night! This is one you won’t want to miss. Go Gordon Go!