Hello Nascar fans and hope you are having a great week. It’s been a stress free week for the first time since I started college but it is short lived and classes start again next Monday so its only a one week break. This week we are at the Darlington Raceway. This will be the first Southern 500 run at the track since the race was cut from the schedule back in 2004. The five time winner of the race at Darlington, Cale Yarborough will be bringing the field to the green flag as he drives the pace car for the return of this race to the circuit.
Darlington Raceway was first opened for racing in 1950 although construction began in 1949. Owner of the track Harold Brasington had only expected maybe 10,000 fans to show up and was shocked when over 25,000 fans showed up to see the. Darlington is remembered as the original superspeedway and is one of the pillars of NASCAR. The track celebrated the 50th running of the Southern 500 in 1999.
Some of the most memorable NASCAR moments have happened at Darlington over the years. The track well known as the one “Too Tough to Tame”, is loved by drivers and fans alike. That charm is what keeps the fans coming back time and time again. This weekend when the Southern 500 makes it’s return to Darlington, it will help the speedway celebrate 60 years of racing.
Darlington has the unique egg shaped oval. The banking in turns 1 and 2 is 25 degrees. The banking in turns 3 and 4 is 23 degrees. Turns 1 and 2 are 79 foot wide and have a radius of 600 feet. Turns 3 and 4 are 62 foot wide and have a radius of 525 feet. The Darlington frontstretch is some 1229 feet long and the backstretch is 1229 feet long as well. Pit road is 46 foot wide and is 2025 feet long. Over the years the tracks specifications have remained true to Mr. Brasington’s vision and expectations for the track.
In other news this week, former Nationwide driver Kevin Grubbs was found dead in his hotel room in Richmond Virginia. His death is the result of an apparent self inflicted gun shot wound to the head. Apparantly he was suspended back in 2004 for failing a drug test. As a stipulation of reinstatement in 2006, he agreed to random drug testing as a condition for reinstatement. He was 31 years old. My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time.
Well this marks the return of the Southern 500 to Darlington and there are only a handful of drivers really contending for another win. The two that come to mind the quickest are Kurt Busch who now pilots the #2 Miller Lite Dodge and Tony Stewart who now pilots a car for his own team, Stewart Haas Racing, is consistently seeing good finishes weekly but has yet to secure a win this season. Jimmy Johnson although still with his sponsor and team may be looking to repeat his victory from 2004 at this track. Gordon who is also still with his team Dupont, is hungry for another win this season and has done wel l at Darlington in the past. And what about Mark Martin? He might possibly stand a chance of doing well here this weekend also. After all Mark has a victory under his belt this season. Go Mark.
Well that’s about all for now fans. I’ll be back Sunday after the race. Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint. See you then Nascar fans.
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