Column: Legendary Southern 500 Rises Again

Traditional race fans got a pleasant surprise last Thursday morning when the announcement was made that the Southern 500 would be returning to the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, in name at least, at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina in 2009.

The Southern 500 was one of the races that helped build NASCAR into what it is today. But a desire to cash in on a supposed goldmine of fans in California (that has since failed to materialize) saw Darlington’s traditional date go to the California Speedway in 2003. The Southern 500 event itself, after a one-year run in November, was done away with in 2005.


Darlington’s lone cup event, now run on the Saturday night before Mother’s Day, has become one the toughest tickets to get in NASCAR. Despite this, officials seemed to have no interest in returning the legendary event name to the record books.

But Thursday, some sanity returned to the world. For long time race fans, it’s akin to the Dodgers announcing that they are not only moving back to Brooklyn, but that they’ll be rebuilding Ebbets Field to boot.

Darlington Raceway came into existence at the hand of peanut farmer Harold Brasington in 1949. Brasington, a retired racer, traveled north to Indianapolis in 1948 to witness the 500-mile classic. The huge crowds that Tony Hulman brought into the venerable speedway impressed Brasington, who figured a similar event could be held back in his home state of South Carolina.

Brasington purchased 70 acres from a farmer near Darlington, and began laying out plans for his dream track. Those plans had to make a slight detour when he was forced to alter one end of the track to accommodate a farmer’s prized minnow pond on the west side of the property. Because of the changes, the track’s shape resembled that of an egg, making one turn more tight and narrow than the other.

Little did Brasington, the farmer or the minnows know that by doing that, they had given birth to a legend.

The first Southern 500 was held on Labor Day of 1950.

California driver Johnny Mantz won, piloting a lightweight, underpowered Plymouth. Mantz simply drove around, protecting his car and his tires while the other drivers drove hell-bent for leather, blowing tires left and right.

Since then, Darlington became the track the drivers hated to race at, but wanted to win more than any other. The track was dubbed “Too Tough To Tame,” and nicknamed “The Lady In Black” because of how hard it was to win, and how grueling the track could be on equipment and drivers. Just to complete the Southern 500 was an accomplishment, much less win.

As such, it’s had many memorable moments.

Like in 1965, when Ned Jarrett won the race by a whopping 14-laps over Buck Baker. The night before, a local preacher had told Jarrett he had a feeling he would record a big win.

In 1970, Buddy Baker became the first second-generation driver to win the 500, piloting Cotton Owens’ winged Dodge Daytona to victory.

In 1985, Bill Elliott drove into the history books by winning the Winston Million with a victory in the Southern 500, launching a media frenzy that had been unseen before in NASCAR.

When NASCAR made the move to reduce Darlington to one event in 2005, many saw it as the beginning of the end for the venerable old speedway.

But the fans said otherwise. They bought the tickets, they camped out, and they refused to let the old track go quietly into that good night.

Now their reward is the return of the Southern 500, although most purists would prefer it to be held Labor Day weekend. But it’s a start. More importantly, it’s a tribute to those who refuse to completely give up on tradition.

As for the first Southern 500 in four years, you can expect an exciting and unpredictable race.

That’s because the Lady In Black has been waiting quietly for four years for her signature event to be returned. Now that she’s got it, she’s going to be looking for some revenge.

Brandon Reed is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Contact him at brandon@mainstreetnews.com.