Southern 500

Darlington regains Southern 500 name
By PETE IACOBELLI, AP Sports Writer
Aug 13, 5:34 pm EDT

Buzz Up PrintCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)—The Southern 500 is back at Darlington Raceway.

Track president Chris Browning said Wednesday the historic name will return to Darlington for next May’s Sprint Cup race, restoring at least part of more than a half-century of tradition to the old country track.

“The timing really is good with us celebrating our 60th year of racing next year,” Browning said. “It just seemed to make sense.”

The Southern 500 was a shaky startup venture when it was first run on Sept. 4, 1950. But over the next five-plus decades, it became a Labor Day staple for NASCAR drivers, fans and their families to spend the final summer holiday in South Carolina’s steamy Pee Dee region.

After 2003, that date was given to California Speedway with its larger layout and population center.

“Although it’s not on Labor Day, it is a 500-mile race at Darlington,” Browning said. “And that’s another way of our continuing to tie back into our history and our tradition.”

Another Southern 500 was run in 2004, but in November. Darlington has held just one Sprint Cup weekend since 2005, each sponsored by the Carolina Dodge Dealers Association.

When the sponsorship agreement ran out this spring—and with the track’s once hobbled future on the rise—Browning thought it was time to bring back the old name.

Browning said he’s in talks with potential title sponsors for next year’s race, and one told him the return of the former race name was an important selling point.

Next season, Darlington will celebrate its 60th year since Harold Brasington carved the misshapen superspeedway out of farmland.

Browning came to Darlington in 2004 after the track he previously led, nearby North Carolina Speedway at Rockingham, had its race dates taken away. It is no longer part of the NASCAR schedule.

Darlington seemed like the next old, crumbling Southern domino to fall in the race to open sparkling new superspeedways with seating capacities far bigger than the track “Too Tough To Tame.”

However, Darlington modernized and expanded, adding lights and nearly 4,000 seats. It most recently completed $10 million in improvements that included the first repaving in 13 years and a massive new infield entrance tunnel.

The track also struck gold with its Mother’s Day weekend date, which has sold out all four times.

“When I think of Darlington and the history of the track, the Southern 500 is what comes to mind,” said driver Jeff Gordon, who has won five Southern 500s and seven times total at Darlington. “I look forward to the opportunity of possibly winning a sixth.”

Terry Labonte won the final Labor Day weekend Southern 500 in 2003.

Former racer and current TV analyst Darrell Waltrip, whose last NASCAR victory was the 1992 Southern 500, said Darlington’s appeal comes in taming the oddly shaped layout and matching accomplishments with some of the sport’s greatest names.

“It’s anything but routine racing,” he said.

Start your engines! — Sign up for Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Auto Racing '08 today.

• 3 Comments
• Darlington

the Dale Trail

just curious as to how many rowdy members think that the city officials in Kannapolis will be re-elected after deciding a cali billionaire was more important than the Dale Trail honoring Dale Sr and took Srs banners down to honor the billioniare

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crash video

I was checking out youtube and came across an old video set to the music of my all time favorite band

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Development Drivers Ready for "Unknowns" ---from DEI PR

Development Drivers Ready for "Unknowns" ---from DEI PR
Body: Development Drivers Ready for "Unknowns" of Adirondack
by Blair Minton, Public Relations - July 23, 2008

Dale Earnhardt Inc. development drivers Jesus Hernandez, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Trevor Bayne head to this Saturday’s Camping World East Series event at Adirondack International Speedway with more questions than answers. That’s because the trio has limited experience at the 0.5-mile circular track, located in Beaver Falls, New York.

Earnhardt, driver of the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Foundation Chevrolet has the most experience of the group and even he can’t be considered a track veteran.

“We raced there last year, but qualifying was rained out," Earnhardt said. “We had a good car but we got caught up in someone else’s wreck, so it wasn’t a great night for us. We definitely feel like we’ve got something to prove this year.

“I’ve tried to tell Trevor and Jesus what to expect, but Adirondack is a track you have to experience for yourself. You’re basically racing on a half-mile circle. You never hold the steering wheel straight because you’re always turning left. It’s a tough place to pass, so your car has to be handling on the low side if you want to get by somebody.

”

Haskell Lavalette, crew chief on Bayne’s No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet entry, is excited about watching his driver take on the track for the first time.

“Trevor’s really good about learning a track’s quirks,” Lavalette said. “Even though he’s never seen Adirondack before, he’s a real quick study when it comes to learning the fast way around a track. Plus, Martin (Truex) ran well there when he was coming up through the ranks, and he’s been coming by the shop and giving the guys some advice.

”

Lavalette said that his driver does have one thing that should work to his advantage – a race-winning car.

“We’re bringing the car that we won with at Thompson (Conn.),” said Lavalette. “We know it’s a fast car so we should be good in qualifying and race trim.

”

“I’m really looking forward to this weekend,” said Hernandez, driver of the No. 11 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet. “It’s always a challenge when you go to a track for the first time but that’s how you get better as a driver – by learning to adapt quickly to a track that you’ve never seen before.

“One of the best things about having Jeffrey and Trevor as teammates is the way we communicate. I know we’ll talk after practice and qualifying on Saturday. We’ll exchange info on how are cars are running, what line we’re using to get around the track, those types of things.

“Discussing things like that helps us all improve as drivers.

“

Saturday's Edge Hotel 150 begins at 6:40 p.m. ET.

• 0 Comments

a soldier dared

this one is for our service men and women hi everyone just playing around with words again dont really know how to form them right to make sense or to say what I am trying to say but maybe I will get better someday
sherry

A Soldier Dared

No-one knows
What a soldier dares
No-one goes
Where a soldier dares

From oceans depths
To the stars above
From desert sands
To the highest mountain top
The jungles
And wastelands
In between
Our men and women
In whites, blues, and greens
Keeping safe
Both you and me

No-one knows
What a soldier dares
No-one goes
Where a soldier dares

A tea party
A midnight ride
2 days of infamy
Calls to action
Our nations bravest
Civilians of this great land
Backed up by
Our armies
By land
By air
By sea
The men and women
In their whites, blues, and greens
Defending both
You and me

No-one knows
What a soldier dares
No-one goes
Where a soldier dares

That we do not belong
Off our land
Fighting wars
Not our own
Is a common belief
If we don’t face
Their atrocities’ now
What will our message be
And how many more days
Of infamy

No-one knows
What a soldier dares
No-one goes
Where a soldier dares

Our freedoms we enjoy
The truths we know
Our liberties
The pursuit of happiness
Our joys, loves, and hates
To think, feel and be
Just who and what
We want to be
These things and more
That make up this great land
Are because
For One Nation
God Entrusted
A SOLDIER DARED

Sherry M.

Gilliland
07/23/2008

• 2 Comments

welllllllll

my old reliable 79 chevy pickup gave up the ghost yesterday :-( the best I could come up with on short notice and no funding is a 95 bonneville oh well gimme a year or 2 and I will have me another pickup side note to all those attending indy have a great time

• 2 Comments

I am not a religious person..., but

I am not a religious person but...,
you do not have to read my rant but please read the poem under it
Thank You, Sherry

I am not a religious person but the belief in god and faith is what our country was built on and I am more offended with that belief being belittled and no longer allowed the practice of ALL religion is one of our rights but the worship of god is no longer acceptable while all others are when this nation was founded and defended it was One Nation Under God and the strength and conviction of our ancestors belief is what this country was built on you dont have to practice or believe but you should not force those who do to change when we take One Nation Under God out of the equation we belittle our founding fathers and say what they accomplished was of no consequence thier practice and belief is what made this country strong and should not be struck from history we have the right not to believe but believers had the right long before we did and history should reflect that not be changed so it wouldnt offend non believers AND THIS GOES DOUBLE FOR MY OWN CHILDREN

Written by a 15 year old school kid in Arizona :

New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME)!

Since the Pledge of Allegiance
And The Lord's Prayer
Are not allowed in most
Public schools anymore
Because the word 'God' is mentioned....
A kid in Arizona wrote the attached

NEW School prayer: Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.

And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.

The law is specific, the law is precise.

Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all..
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks..
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.

To quote the Good Book makes me liable. We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, And the unwed daddy, our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls, Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.

But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.

So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen

• 4 Comments

Ashton Xaviar (AX)

dont care much for cell phone pics but heres the first pics of my newest g-baby (I know, I know lay off the name..., lol I guess I will eventually get use to it at least he doesnt have 4 names like my g-daughter)

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Ashton Xavier

my newest grandson came into the world this morning at 7:37 weighing in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and 18 inches long his momma sure could have picked a better name tho

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so what now?

Don gave us the scoop on tonys decision before everyone else started reporting it but that was also before HMS and mears reported that mears will not be returning now tony is saying the # 5 is something he needs to look into do you think he is serious or is he just blowing "smoke" to throw every1 off? I really really hope thats all hes doing cuz while I would support him no matter where he went I really really dont want it to be HMS

• 1 Comment