| | Associated Press
DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Darlington Raceway not only survived
Y2K, it thrived.
The old country track, long thought by some to be past its prime
and on the way out as a twice-a-year NASCAR stop, began the year
minus a longtime sponsor and as one of the most likely candidates
to lose a race.
But it ends the year with both Winston Cup races intact, a
three-year deal with one of NASCAR's hottest names for a
spring-race sponsor and only the second Craftsman Truck event among
the traditional stock car tracks.
"This should probably put a lot of talk to rest," said Mac
Josey, Darlington Raceway's general manager.
Next year's spring race will be called the Carolina Dodge
Dealers 400, the first year of a three-year agreement for that
name. In May, the track will join Daytona as old-time NASCAR tracks
with the rising new truck series.
"These things show that we're not sitting still," said Jim
Hunter, Darlington Raceway president.
The 1.366-mile oval was carved out of farmland by Harold
Brasington more than a half-century ago. His desire to avoid
filling in a fishing pond created the track's oddball egg shape.
And while the course holds the very origins of today's Winston
Cup circuit, its facilities are well behind others in the expanding
sport. In the past five years, new racing palaces have opened in
Fontana, Calif.; Las Vegas; and Fort Worth, Texas. The Winston Cup
series is scheduled for debuts in Joliet, Ill., and Kansas City
next year.
"You have to keep up or you'll get left behind," Hunter said.
During the past eight years, he's added a grandstand named for
David Pearson. The infield has been tidied up for family mobile
homes. And the pit stalls were moved to one side of the track. The
result was to expand the capacity by about 30,000 spectators to a
total of about 80,000.
Darlington has never been in danger of losing the Southern 500,
one of the sport's glamour races. But each year Hunter hears the
rumors of Darlington becoming a one-race track and works hard to
dispel them.
He had the University of South Carolina study what NASCAR crowds
want and talked to consultants about making the visit more
pleasant. "Just things like painting bathrooms in bright colors,"
Hunter said.
Hunter said the track has worked to keep prices affordable.
Tickets for Darlington's spring race range from $45 to $110.
Racers love Darlington's lore and prestige, said Jeff Burton,
who swept both races here in 1999. "But in growth you have some
hard decisions to make," he said.
If Darlington can't draw enough fans, Winston Cup officials
might look elsewhere, Burton conceded.
Hunter thinks the truck event will keep fans coming and help
promote its Winston Cup weekends. The track expects 35,000 to
40,000 fans for the May 12 race, Josey said.
The real plum might have been getting the Dodge name on its
spring event, a 400-mile race most often talked about when racers
wonder how to alleviate the demands of a coast-to-coast, 36-race
schedule.
Dodge is returning to the sport with some high-profile names
like Jeff Gordon's crew chief Ray Evernham and drivers like Bill
Elliott and Casey Atwood.
This year, Hunter and Josey don't plan any major renovations.
But, Hunter says, "As long as we can get the fans out, we'll
continue to be right here." | |
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