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The 200 MPH "Lady in Black"
May 6, 2008
Mickey Mills - SCR
Harold Brasington returned to his
Darlington home after attending the 1933 Indianapolis 500. Visions of big-time stock car racing danced in his head. His
friends and family thought he had all but lost his mind when he described his ideas and plans for a big asphalt track in their
small South Carolina town.
Some fifteen years later, on a slice of fertile farm land just west of Darlington, Harold
starting carving out the one and a quarter mile speedway. Originally the track was supposed to be a true oval; however
land owner Sherman Ramsey restricted the west end of the track so as not to disturb his favorite fishing pond. The end
result is the egg-shaped track that has baffled crew chiefs and drivers since that first race, Labor Day weekend of 1950.
Over the next fifty plus years, the Southern 500 and Darlington speedway secured its place in NASCAR history with
dozens of memorable finishes and on track excitement second to none.
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"You never forget your first love," said seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Champion, the late Dale Earnhardt, "whether it's a high school sweetheart, a faithful old hunting dog, or a fickle
race track in South Carolina with a contrary disposition. And, if you happen to be a race car driver there's no victory
so sweet, so memorable, as whipping Darlington Raceway."
Early in the new millennium, history and tradition
gave way to the lure of California gold. NASCAR pulled the Southern 500 from Darlington Raceway and handed it over to
the Penske Speedway Group to be run at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA.
This was akin to moving The Masters
from Augusta or moving Wimbledon from London to Ireland.
For the legions of fans that grew up in the south with
calendars arranged by race dates, it was like losing an old friend. The Daytona 500 signaled the arrival of spring and
the Southern 500 annually closed the books on summer.
Say it ain't so, Joe!
But wait....
There's light at the end of the new turn four tunnel.
New asphalt, smooth as a glassy lake, surrounds the
old track. The Lady in Black has undergone an extreme makeover with major improvements, beyond the new asphalt, that
represents an investment of over 10 million by the owners, ISC Motorsports.
The first to show and challenge the
new surface are three of Sprint Cup's best. Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman pulled into the Darlington
garage in early March and proceeded to shatter speed records right off the truck. Unofficially all three drivers were
eclipsing 200 mph at the end of the backstretch.
The last time the old girl got new pavement in 1995, Ward Burton
qualified at a new track record of 173.79 mph. A relatively slow pace compared to the 175 mph all three drivers averaged
back in March.
Commenting on his thoughts about the new surface after his practice runs, Jeff Gordon said, "The
old humps and bumps are gone. It's still Darlington. It's just a lot smoother and a lot faster."
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Track President Chris Browning recently told the media in a telephone
interview that, "It is a big jump in speed. It got our attention. It got the drivers' attention." When asked
about the core reasons for the increase, he talked about several factors including the weather. It was sunny and cool during
the test contributing to the grip allowing high speeds.
Also, the three drivers are considered experts at turning
Darlington laps. Jeff Gordon has been to victory lane seven times and Biffle twice. Ryan Newman has finished in the top
five in four of the last five races. It is very likely the Mother's Day race will produce a new track qualifying
record.
The Darlington management team should be proud of the work they have done revitalizing an old friend. The
future of Darlington has never been brighter.
With a real possibility of ticket sales continuing to miss the mark
at California Speedway, perhaps NASCAR will see the folly of their decision and bring home the Southern 500. The racing Gods
would forever be appeased.
Mother's Day weekend is a great time for a race, but Labor Day racing in Darlington
belongs in the sport as much as checkered flags, victory lane, and black flags in the infield flying the number 3.
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2006 StockCar Review.
