“D” is for Darlington Raceway

“D” is for Darlington Raceway. “The Track Too Tough to Tame,” “The Lady in Black.” These two titles provide some indication of the respect and awe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) drivers and fans have for Darlington Raceway. Contractor Harold Brasington completed the Darlington Raceway in 1950. Although many people laughed at the notion of building such a facility in rural South Carolina, Brasington persisted, and with financing from local business leaders and the donation of seventy acres of land, he carved the high-banked, egg-shaped, 1.25 mile facility out of the sandy soil of the Pee Dee. Darlington hosted the first Southern 500 on Labor Day 1950. Darlington Raceway, with its unique shape and coarse racing surface, is considered one of the most challenging tracks on the NASCAR circuit.