 TRACK SPECSBanking: 25 degrees Width: 79 feet Radius: 600 feet Turns 3 & 4 Banking: 23 degrees Width: 62 feet Radius: 525 feet Frontstretch Length: 1,229 feet Width: 90 feet Banking: 3 degrees Backstretch Length: 1,229 feet Width: 90 feet Banking: 2 degrees Name that grandstand... Pit Road Length: 2,025 feet Width: 46 feet What year was the track completed resurfaced? A: 1994 What is the name of the pond located just outside Turn 4 that caused Mr. Brasington to narrow this end of the track? A: Ramsey's Pond What year did the Raceway change the track's layout so that this side, the southern straightaway, became the frontstretch? A: 1997 What are the names of the two grandstands that line the backstretch? A: Colvin Grandstand and Brasington Grandstand Which race saw the entire field pit on the same side of the track for the first time in years? A: 2000 SunCom 200 TRACK HISTORYCourtesy of www.darlingtonraceway.comIn the fall of 1949, when a crisp breeze toyed with the loose soil of an old cotton field on the westside of rural Darlington, SC, Harold Brasington saw more than just dirt dancing around that patch of land. He saw the future. He saw stock cars. Brasington, a local businessman, had a lofty vision that most of his peers dismissed as utterly ridiculous. His friends laughed at him when returned home from the 1933 Indianapolis 500 and mentioned the idea of little ol' Darlington having a paved superspeedway, a place to hold big-time stock car events. They nearly committed him when he told them that he was going to build it. Nevertheless, believing that Bill France's fledgling NASCAR just might catch on, Brasington set out in the fall of 1949 to shape a 1-1/4 mile speedway on land that had once produced peanuts and cotton. To the chagrin of family and friends, Brasington and his crew toiled for a year, Brasington himself often at the controls of bulldozers and grading equipment. Brasington's plan called for a true oval, but the racetrack's design had to be changed in order to satisfy Mr. Ramsey, the landowner, who did not want his nearby minnow pond disturbed. The west end of the track (Turns 3 and 4) was narrowed to accommodate the fishing hole, creating Darlington's distinctive egg-shaped design. The first race was scheduled for Labor Day 1950, and when the day finally came the stands overflowed. Brasington expected no more than 10,000 fans, but the crowd of over 25,000 shocked him. Fans practically stood on top of each other and they scaled the fence just for a glimpse of the action. Californian Johnny Mantz drove to victory that day in the first Southern 500, which took over 6 hours to complete but set a precedent for a sport that would grow to be one of the largest spectator sports in the country. Mantz started dead last in the field of 75 racers, many of whom had never raced on asphalt, but roared to the checkered flag averaging a blistering 76 mph. Over the next fifty years, names like Baker, Flock, Thomas, Pearson, Yarborough, Petty, and Earnhardt became commonplace in Victory Lane. Fifty years later the Darlington Raceway is known as the track "Too Tough to Tame." It is still remembered as the original superspeedway and as one of the pillars of the NASCAR establishment. There is no other sporting facility in the world more steeped in history and tradition than Darlington Raceway, which has aged gracefully over the years but retained its feisty charm. Still, nobody loves the feisty track more than the drivers. "You never forget your first love," said seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion 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." Thanks to that charm, which has drawn fans back to the egg-shaped oval year after year, the Darlington Raceway celebrated its golden anniversary with the 50th running of the Moutain Dew Southern 500. The annual event, which welcomes people from across the country, is to NASCAR what The Masters is to golf, what the Super Bowl is to football and what the World Series is to baseball. It's a battle in which drivers can spin out and become a part of the wall as quickly as they can thunder to Victory Lane and become a legend. The Darlington Raceway of the 21st century is an ultra-modern facility that remains true to Harold Brasington's ideas of what NASCAR racing should be about - fast, intense action for the fans and dedicated drivers loyal to the sport that America has come to crave. The man at the controls making sure Darlington keeps up with the riotous pace of NASCAR growth is Jim Hunter, a South Carolina native who returned to his roots in January 1993 to become President of Darlington Raceway. Hunter started his NASCAR career at Darlington when served as the track's PR Director in the 1960s. Since his return, the Raceway has been running at top speed. Major improvements have taken place, most notably the construction of two state-of-the-art grandstands. The Tyler Tower and the Pearson Tower, complete with modernized restrooms, food courts and souvenir stands, doubled the track's seating capacity. Tyler Tower lines the front stretch while Pearson Tower, named after legendary driver David Pearson of Spartanburg, SC, reaches through the clouds above turn four. Most recently, the frontstretch pit road was expanded to accommodate a full field of cars, and now no team has to pit on the backstretch. The track "Too Tough to Tame" has come a long way since Harold Brasington graded the first turn. It continues to keep pace with the booming NASCAR world of the new century while standing as a monument to the drivers and loyal fans who sowed the seeds of stock car racing fifty years ago. And with its dedication to fans and its continuing physical enhancements, Darlington Raceway drives wide open toward the fulfillment of its ultimate goal-to be the best facility in motorsports.  One of the most exciting finishes in recent history SPRINT CUP DARLINGTON WINNERS 1972-2010
TRACK RECORDSDale Earnhardt 139.958 03|28|93 Sprint Cup 400-Mile Race Record David Pearson 132.703 05|11|68 Nationwide Race Record Jeff Green 129.000 03|17|01 Truck Race Record Bobby Hamilton 133.645 03|14|03 Sprint Cup Qualifying Record Greg Biffle 179.442 2008 Nationwide Qualifying Record Carl Edwards 176.994 2008 Truck Qualifying Record Carl Edwards 167.745 2004
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