Special Birthday Pavement Party at Darlington Raceway September 4.
It may not be the tastiest slice of birthday cake race fans have ever been offered, but it will definitely be the most unique.
On September 4, Darlington Raceway will celebrate her 58th birthday by offering fans not a piece of cake, but a piece of history – an actual chunk of asphalt from the track, which is currently undergoing a repaving and tunnel construction project.
The inaugural Southern 500 at Darlington was run on September 4, 1950. Darlington Raceway was the first-ever paved superspeedway designed for stock cars, and her first race signaled the beginning of a new era in NASCAR.
Professionally mounted sections of asphalt will be available for purchase later this year through Mounted Memories at www.darlingtonraceway.com, but fans wishing to visit Darlington Raceway and walk away holding a piece of history in their hands will be able to do just that on September 4, in exchange for a donation to charity or the adoption of a pet.
All proceeds will benefit the Darlington County Humane Society.
“As we continue preparing the track for her new racing surface, we wanted to find a way to thank the fans, particularly in our local area, for their support through the years,” said Raceway president Chris Browning. “Darlington Raceway has provided many thousands of fans with wonderful memories over the course of the past 58 years, but those are intangible. This is a rare opportunity to be able to provide them with physical evidence of our ongoing appreciation. What a great way to celebrate the track “Too Tough To Tame’s’ birthday!”
Hours for the Pavement Party are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 4. A table will be set up in front of the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum and gift shop, located at 1301 Harry Byrd Highway in Darlington.
The 2008 Carolina Dodge Dealers 500 weekend is currently scheduled to include practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series on Friday, May 9, followed by the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 that evening. Denny Hamlin will be looking for the elusive Darlington "three-peat" after winning the 2006 and 2007 events.
On Saturday night, May 10, Darlington Raceway will host Cup Series racing for the 59th consecutive year when the green flag waves to signal the start of the Carolina Dodge Dealers 500. Jeff Gordon, a seven-time winner at Darlington, is the defending champion.
For tickets or more information, call toll-free at 866.459.RACE (7223) or visit www.racetickets.com. |
The annual event, which welcomes people from across the country, is to NASCAR what The Masters is to golf, what the Super Bowl is to football and what the World Series is to baseball. It's a battle in which drivers can spin out and become a part of the wall as quickly as they can thunder to Victory Lane and become a legend. The Darlington Raceway of the 21st century is an ultra-modern facility that remains true to Harold Brasington's ideas of what NASCAR racing should be about - fast, intense action for the fans and dedicated drivers loyal to the sport that America has come to crave. 
