Quotes and Trivia about Darlington: The Motherland
compiled by Jo Ann Hlavac
“You never forget your first love, 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 racecar driver, there’s no victory so sweet, so memorable, as whipping Darlington Raceway.”
Dale Earnhardt
“Some people call that ‘character,’ others call it frustrating, but make no mistake about it, Darlington is unique. There will never be another track like it because I believe they broke the mold, and a lot of drivers breathed a sigh of relief. Personally, I think Darlington is a great change-of-pace race track." Kenny Schrader
“There isn’t any place like Darlington. I think Darlington is important to NASCAR because it is so unique. It stands for so much in the sport too. It’s steep in tradition and it’s a huge part of where this sport started. I can’t imagine a schedule without Darlington on it." Jeff Green
“You’re not there because it’s the largest market in the country. I don’t know of a single person yet who has confused Darlington with Los Angeles or New York. But you go because of what it is, and the tradition that is there. You can’t overlook the history of the place. You can’t overlook the greatest names in stock car racing who have won there, and some of the greatest races ever run have been there.” Jay Robinson, car owner
“Darlington is nothing if not tradition. Everything about the place says tradition & heritage...Legends are built on legendary things. Names like David Pearson, Richard Petty, Joe Weatherly, Herb Thomas, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison...those are legendary names. But they did a lot of legendary things at Darlington, which has become a legendary place. " Kyle Petty
“Darlington has a pretty brutal reputation, but then again - it deserves it. It’s a brutal track. It’s oddly shaped, the surface is rough, and it’s nicknamed ‘The Track Too Tough to Tame’ for a reason. It’s (Darlington) never been a track you go expecting a joy ride on a Saturday afternoon.”
Steve Grissom
"Darlington tests your skills each and every lap. By far, it's one of the tracks that I enjoy the l least but you can't help getting caught up in the history of it all. You come through what used to be the backstretch tunnel and look around and it's almost overwhelming." Clint Bowyer
“Long division will tell you that it would take 1,316½ races at Chicagoland Speedway to ever get a finish as good as the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400. Even if Chicago is the beneficiary of that Darlington race when NASCAR's "bigger is better" mentality takes it away, that's still 658 years and three months of waiting.” JIM MCLAURIN writer.
“It’s probably the most challenging race track for a number of reasons. So many variables change in the entire equation as far as driving that it’s the most challenging. For that reason, I like it.”
Ryan Newman
“The day that they take Darlington completely off the schedule is the day I’m going to be really sick. I don’t care if nobody comes. There’s a part of this sport that has to have respect for history and heritage.’’ Jeff Burton
AMEN JEFF...TELL THAT TO THE POWERS THAT BE....
"It gave me chills to go out there and run on that race track after hearing the things that happened there. You hear about the great race car drivers that have struggled there and the guys that had glory there and the races that happened. I still feel that way when I go back. I still feel like, 'man, it's so cool to get to drive on this race track." Carl Edwards
"When it comes to personality, design and degree of difficulty, Darlington stands alone. There is nothing like it -- it's a classic racetrack that demands 110 percent attention on every lap and every corner." Joe Nemechek
"I am a big fan of Darlington. It is so engrained in the history of our sport...I don't want to be part of the sport with no Darlington date on the schedule. One race certainly isn't as good as two but one race is a heck of a lot better than none." Jeff Burton
AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH JEFF...
“When you talk about the history of NASCAR,
you’ve got to talk about Darlington.”
Bobby Labonte
"I love coming here. I hope there will always be
a Darlington on the schedule." Kurt Busch
"The second you let your guard down here, this
place will bite you...The tires wear out quick, so
it requires a lot more finesse and patience than
we use at most tracks we go to...It's all about
staying out of the wall. I always look forward to
Darlington races. It's one of my favorite tracks,
and probably always will be." Jeff Gordon
“This is a great racetrack. It’s one of the most fun racetracks we ever come to.” Matt Kenseth
"You have to get excited about going to Darlington. The tradition, of course, but Darlington is a racer’s racetrack. There isn’t another track on the circuit that challenges drivers the way that Darlington does. On top of that, if you do make the slightest mistake the wall has a way of jumping out and slapping you. But, you have to love Darlington.” Kenny Schrader
AND WE DO KENNY AND WE DO!
And Now for a little Trivia...
Oldest Winner: Harry Gant, 51 years, 7 months, 22 days, Sept 1991
Youngest Winner: Terry Labonte, 23 years, 9 months, 16 days, Sept 1980
Most Wins - Active Driver: Jeff Gordon, 6
Most Wins - All Time: David Pearson, 10
Most Poles - All Time: David Pearson, 12
Most Wins - Owner: Rick Hendrick and Junior Johnson, 11
Curtis Turner won the first Nascar Cup pole at Darlington in 1950. An Indy car driver, Johnny Mantz won the first Labor Day Southern 500 on September 4, 1950. There were 75 cars in the field. He had an advantage. He drove a light weight Plymouth in his only Cup victory and used tires similar to ones he had used in the Indy car circuit. The other drivers drove heavy Cadillacs & Olds.
Where Darlington Raceway now sits used to be a peanut farm.
Darlington hosted the first ever 500 mile race in Cup in 1950
The Oldsmobile Rocket 88 made up nearly half of the 75 car field driving at the 1950 Southern 500.
Most Finishers on the Lead Lap: 23, Sept 2002
Fewest Finishers on the Lead Lap: 1 - 24 times, most recently 9/3/1979
Most Wins by a Manufacturer: 36, Chevrolet
Races won from the Top 15: 98 of 103 [95.2%]
Jeff Gordon has led 1,558 ;asp at Darlington - the most of any active driver
above trivia courtesy of www.jayski.com, www.phoenixinternationalraceway.com
above quotes courtesy of www.catchfence.com
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