Southern 500 to race at Darlington in ‘09
Quote selected text Published August 13th, 2008 in NASCAR News
The Southern 500 is back at Darlington Raceway.
Track president Chris Browning said Wednesday the historic name will return to Darlington for next May’s Sprint Cup race, restoring at least part of more than a half-century of tradition to the old country track.
“The timing really is good with us celebrating our 60th year of racing next year,” Browning said. “It just seemed to make sense.”
The Southern 500 was a shaky startup venture when it was first run on Sept. 4, 1950. But over the next five-plus decades, it became a Labor Day staple for NASCAR drivers, fans and their families to spend the final summer holiday in South Carolina’s steamy Pee Dee region.
After 2003, that date was given to California Speedway with its larger layout and population center.
“Although it’s not on Labor Day, it is a 500-mile race at Darlington,” Browning said. “And that’s another way of our continuing to tie back into our history and our tradition.”
Another Southern 500 was run in 2004, but in November. Darlington has held just one Sprint Cup weekend since 2005, each sponsored by the Carolina Dodge Dealers Association.
When the sponsorship agreement ran out this spring — and with the track’s once hobbled future on the rise — Browning thought it was time to bring back the old name.
Bookmark to:
- Don’t expect Southern 500 back at Darlington
- Another Labor Day with no Darlington
- Darlington could get new track surface
- Repaving begins at Darlington
- Goodyear to tire test at Darlington
Its still not the same,even though im from kentucky my parents took me and my brothers to several southern 500s when i was a kid and went there a few times in late 90s hopefully they’ll race there again labor day weekend.
you want to get back to your legacy change the date to labor day
REMEMBER MAJOR MARKETS!!! Highly doubtful it will return to Labor Day
DOESNT MATTER TO ME CANT AFFORD TO DRIVE TO EITHER ONE
gypsy169 wrote:
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Why, gas is getting cheaper everyday…
Switching names is just what they did with the Dodges this year. It gets confusing. Don’t just give back the name, get the race too. California does not sell out the race Labor Day weekend. So much for bigger markets.
California Does not/will not have the Labor Day weekend date in 2009.
Fisha695 wrote:
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And U know this how?, it could change or do they have to check with you 1st to see if it’s ok?
Jason wrote:
NASCAR has been working with ISC and SMI to switch the Fall dates for Cali and Atlanta because Cali suffers because of heat and Atlanta suffers because of college ball. The switch is something that both tracks as well as NASCAR and the track sponsors all want.
Look for Atlanta to be Labor Day weekend, Cali to date Dega’s chase date, and Dega moved to the spot that Atlanta had in the chase.
I bet texas terry will be there for that one! The place for his first win and I beleave his last also.
Thank God,
Finally the Name is back to Match the History of Racing. I will buy a T-Shirt to show the name, now for the Date.
WoW I don’t care if they changed
The name back, I think it’s the date
That myself and 74999999 milion people want to see
(minus brian France of course)
why don’t you go get that changed for the NASCAR community Fisha?
TheTru7h wrote:
I could care less what date they race there, just like I could care less about the name. What people need to realize is that the only important thing in racing is the fact that they are racing.
People complain all the time about history and tradition, well I don’t see all those people saying that the Daytona race should follow it’s history and tradition and race down A1A and up the Beach.
Yea because Nascar has no history at the 2.5 mile daytona superspeedway. Actually they have in excess of 50 years of history there.
Darlington should be on Labor day- end of story