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Written by Andrew McClellan
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Thursday, 08 May 2008 19:00 |
 Fifty seven and one half years ago Harold Brasington began the task of turning his dream into reality on a former peanut and cotton field on the Westside of rural Darlington, South Carolina.
Brasington had visited the Indianapolis 500 and upon returning to South Carolina the local businessman laid out plans for the first stock car superspeedway in the southern United States. The locals called him crazy. His original plans called for a true oval but landowner Sharman Ramsey did not want his nearby minnow pond disturbed. Brasington agreed to realign what was then turn two in order to allow the minnow pond to stay, creating the egg shaped Darlington Raceway that we all know and love today. The first race at Darlington Raceway was scheduled for September 4, 1950, Labor Day, and when the day arrived the grandstands over flowed. Brasington expected a crowd of no more than 10,000 fans and was pleasantly shocked when more than 25,000 strolled through the gates. A Californian by the name of Johnny Mantz won the inaugural Southern 500. Darlington Raceway earned the nickname \"Lady In Black\" among competitors for her fierce temper and unforgiving attitude. A second race date was added in the spring of 1960 and became known as the Rebel 500. The Southern 500 continued its Labor Day tradition and remained Darlington\'s flagship event until 2003. NASCAR decided to move the date to Fontana, California in it\'s realignment of the 2004 Cup Series schedule, devastating many hardcore race fans. While numerous competitors have tried their luck with the Lady In Black, she has been the kindest to native South Carolina son David Pearson of Spartanburg. Pearson is the all time winner when he drove a Rod Osterlund-owned Chevrolet in relief for Dale Earnhardt, who had been injured at Pocono. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven Darlington victories. Darlington Raceway has hosted many great races over the years including the greatest battle ever seen on a superspeedway. The date was March 16, 2003 when Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch by .002 thousandths of a second, the closest finish in NASCAR history. The Lady In Black received a new coat of asphalt over the off season and drivers have been clocked in the 200 mile per hour range during recent test sessions, the fastest ever at Darlington. The 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway will take the green on May 10th at 7 p.m. The race will be televised live flag to flag and if history truly does repeat itself it should be quite an event. Thank you Mr. Brasington. 
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