NASCAR - Darlington's Dodge Charger 500 A Sellout

Darlington, SC May 3, 2005; Reserved grandstand seats for the Dodge Charger 500, the 104th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway, are sold out, track officials have announced. The sellout is the earliest at Darlington since the 1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500, when the track had approximately 10,000 fewer seats than its current seating capacity.

"We are thrilled at the excitement surrounding Darlington's new Mother's Day weekend race date," said Raceway president Chris Browning. "The fans' enthusiasm and support has been truly overwhelming, and we can't wait to show off 'Darlington after dark' to a packed house, and begin a new tradition at the track 'Too Tough To Tame.'"

The Dodge Charger 500 will be run on Saturday evening, May 7, and will be the first NEXTEL Cup Series event ever to be run under the lights at NASCAR's original superspeedway. Infield admission tickets and reserved infield RV parking spots are still available for purchase. Fans can also be placed on the waiting list by calling the ticket office toll-free at 866.459.RACE.

Good seats do remain for the events on Friday, May 6. This very full day of race action begins with qualifying for both the NASCAR Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series. The NASCAR Busch Series will follow up their qualifying efforts on Friday evening in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200. Race time is 8 p.m.

NEXTEL Cup Series drivers doing double duty at Darlington by also competing in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 include Jimmie Johnson; Matt Kenseth; Kasey Kahne; Jamie McMurray; Jeff Burton; Sterling Marlin; Carl Edwards; Dale Jarrett; and defending champion Greg Biffle. Brian Vickers will also race in this event, his first NASCAR Busch Series start since winning the championship - and Darlington's spring NASCAR Busch Series race -- in 2003.

The Dodge Charger 500 weekend officially begins at Darlington Raceway on Thursday, May 5, with practice for the NASCAR Busch and NEXTEL Cup series. The first practice session begins at 4 p.m. and the final session ends at 8:30 p.m. Admission is only $10 per person.

To be placed on the Dodge Charger 500 waiting list, or to purchase reserved RV parking, tickets for Thursday and Friday, or infield admission tickets for Saturday, call the Raceway ticket hotline toll-free at 866.459.RACE, or online at www.darlingtonraceway.com.