Da Nut's Track Tidbits ~ ~ Darlington

TRACK FACTS

Opened: 1950

Location: Darlington, S.C.

First NASCAR Cup Series Race: September 4, 1950 (Johnny Mantz, winner)

Qualifying Record: Ward Burton, Pontiac; 173.797 mph (28.295 seconds), March 22, 1996

Race Record: Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet; 139.958 mph (3:34:55), March 28, 1993

Distance: 1.366 miles

Front Stretch: 1,229 feet

Back Stretch: 1,229 feet

Banking in Turns 1-2: 25 degrees

Banking in Turns 3-4: 23 degrees

Banking in Straights: 6 degrees

Miles/Laps: 501.3 miles/367 laps

Grandstand Seats: 63,000

Tickets: 843-395-8499

Website: www.darlingtonraceway.com

Did You Know?  The deal to construct Darlington was originally struck over a Saturday night poker game at the city jail.  Developer Harold Brasington suggested to landowner Sherman Ramsey that they build a race track. 

The Mother's Day experiment under the lights worked.  Darlington has always been home to some of the best racing and closest finishes in the history of NASCAR and remains a must-stop for the avid NASCAR fan. 

If your into watching for wrecks, the cars get extremely high in the turns here and heading into Turn 1 on this egg-shaped track is tricky.  This is probably the best place to see a wreck.

Last Year:  A late race spin brought out the caution and forced overtime which allowed Greg Biffle to grab four fresh tires as well as the win in the Dodge Charger 500 on May 7.

Facts To Consider:  Rick Hendrick has the most wins of any car owner here and Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.  Gordon was second last season and since most expect Gordon to have a come-back year this year, this could be one of his many trips to Victory Lane.  Since Darlington didn't make the test list, that could be bad news for the many rookies running this race.  However, since virtually all of them will run the Busch race the night before, that will probably be a big plus.

Another Tidbit:  The first race at Darlington took more than six hours to complete, but since then Darlington has remained a track drivers love or hate.  It produces some of the most satisfying wins.  "There's no victory so sweet, so memorable, as whipping Darlington," said the late great Dale Earnhardt, who whipped here nine times.

Darlington is a track that demands respect.  As soon as a driver gets cocky at Darlington, that's when they leave their mark(s) on her wall.  It's not called the "Lady In Black" for nothing, drivers have to race the racetrack as well as each other.

Drivers to look at include ALL of HMS Drivers.  Penske drivers Kurt Busch & Ryan Newman know how to get around Darlington as well.  Others to watch are Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kasey Kahne, & Jeff Burton.  Roush drivers Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards & Jamie McMurray also have had good runs here.

Tracking The Top Ten

Best active drivers at Darlington based on average finish (minimum of four starts)

Driver              Races   Avg Fin   Wins    Top 5s    Top 10s    DNF   Avg Start    Poles

Jimmie Johnson   7          7.7         2           3            6            0         7.1            0

Bill Elliott           51          9.0         5          22          35           4        10.9            5

Jamie McMurray  5         11.4         0           2            3            0       16.2            0

Jeff Burton         23         11.7         2           8           12           1        21.9           0

Greg Biffle           5         11.8         1           1            2            0        10.2           0

Mark Martin       39         12.2         1          16          24           3         12.0           2

Ryan Newman     7         12.3         0           4            4            1          4.7           1

Tony Stewart      13        12.4         0            2            7           1         17.8           0

Jeff Gordon         25        12.6         6           13          16          6           6.6           3

Bobby Labonte   25         14.6         1            5           11          3         15.8           1

Okay, there's this weeks Track Tidbits.  I hope you find this information to be helpful as well as informative.  Good luck to my fellow Thread Headed Strangers...May your team(s) be "Bad Fast" and Stay Out Of Trouble.  Peace as Always....Da Nut