Full Throttle

With The Lady in Black on the schedule this weekend everyone and his brother has their race previews published. Being the contankerious ole fool that I am I made the decision to go the opposite way via the Wayback Machine. Enter Here:

The first race was scheduled for Labor Day 1950, and when the day finally came the stands overflowed. An expected crowd of 10,000 fans, turned into a throng of over 25,000. In a scene similar to basball’s early days of the “Knothole Gangs” fans practically stood on top of each other and they scaled the fence just for a glimpse of the action.

Californian (who said NASCAR was a “Southern” sport) Johnny Mantz drove to victory in the first Southern 500, which took over 6 hours to complete. Mantz started dead last in the field of 75 racers but raced to the checkered flag averaging 76 mph.

One of the most unusual Darlington events was the Spring 1963 Rebel 300. Darlington Raceway began holding spring events in 1957 and the venue had featured convertibles for the previous six races. The Darlington events were the only time convertibles appeared on the circuit from 1960 through 1962.

Raceway president Bob Colvin thought it was good idea to stage something a little different so, with the convertibles gone in 1963, Colvin came up with a plan to stage the 300 miler in two parts - 110 laps each - with a separate complicated point system he developed on his own. Joe “The Clown Prince” Weatherly won the event by one lap over Fireball Roberts, Richard Petty, Tiny Lund and Bobby Johns. That Spring event is also the only one to date that has run caution-free at Darlington.

Terry Labonte met the “Track Too Tough to Tame” in 1978 when he started his career by qualifying for the Fall event. The then 21-year-old Texan brought his Duck Industries, Billy Hagan owned Chevy to Darlington and finished an impressive fourth. For a kid he was in impressive company, Cale Yarborough won the event followed by Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty.

The Half-Vast Staff of Full Throttle tips it’s helmet to Terry as he makes his last appearance at Darlington this weekend.

The egg-shaped oval has seen a lot over the course of 56 years and nearly 100 Winston/NEXTEL Cup events. That history and the mystique that surrounds the Grand Ole Lady is best summed up in the words of the late Dale Earnhardt: “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.”

So who will do the “whipping” this weekend? I’m hedging my bets by selecting two possibles. Jeff Gordon seems to have the place wired with six wins in the books. That’s a safe bet.

Greg Biffle is my second choice. What better place to give Lady Luck the proverbial “finger” than Darlington. Lady Luck has not been Biffle’s co-pilot and Darlington is never a place that is kind to any driver. What better place to have these two “evils” lock horns and miss the fact the #16 has sailed under the Checkered Flag as the winner.

Darlington Raceway, The Lady in Black, NASCAR, NEXTEL Cup, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle