NASCAR WCUP: Silly Season Says Lights Might Be Coming To Darlington
1 September 1999
Silly Season Says Lights Might Be Coming To Darlington Park Says A New Yorker Winning 50th Southern 500 Might Be A Grand Daylight Finale NASCAR's season for rumors is in full swing right now. One of the most interesting making the rounds is Darlington Raceway's plans to spend $3 million to add lights and run at least one of its races on the egg-shaped oval at night. If that is true, drivers and crewmembers say "The Track That's Too Tough To Tame" will become a little bit more interesting and a lot more fun for the fans. This weekend, the South Carolina track stages the 50th running of the race long known as the Southern 500. #1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo driver Steve Park thinks it would be a fitting example of how NASCAR has grown in popularity for an East Northport, New Yorker like himself to win the prestigious Southern 500 - the last of the century and maybe the last in daylight. Park on Darlington Lights "Man they are making Darlington tough on us. That place has four different corners, the track surface is so abrasive that it's like driving on ice back in Long Island, the race is 500 very tough miles and hotter than you know what, plus just when I figured that place out a little they flipped the front stretch and back stretch, and if that isn't tough enough they make you qualify in the top 28 or you have to pit on the backstretch. Now they want us to run at night. I think they really want to make Darlington the track that is too tough to tame! On the other hand, I think once we get used to running at night there it will be better show for the fans. If the temperatures are a bit cooler and more consistent throughout the race then it will enable the drivers to be a little bit racier and I know it will be easier on the fans. But it sure is going to be weird going there for the first time at night. I guess it will be a lot like the first time we went to Daytona at night. I kind of hope they do it. It will be fun. "No matter what time of day we race there it's going to be tough. It's tough on the driver. The sandy soil in the Sand Hills of North and South Carolina where Rockingham and Darlington are make the surface pretty abrasive and its hard to get a lot of grip there. So tires are important. You could see a dozen stops on Sunday with everyone coming in for fresh tires. Darlington is a place where you feel the history as soon as you walk in. As I kid glued to the television set, I watched Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty battle there and remember seeing the Darlington stripe on the right side of their cars when they would touch the wall in what was then the fourth turn. I loved the red and white checkered wall and I'm sure every race fan has seen Cale Yarborough go flying through the guardrail. That would be a great place to win. Can you image what the reaction from fans who were at the first Southern 500 would have been if you told them that a New Yorker would win the 50th race and that it might be the last before the race was run at night. That would be cool." #1 Pennzoil Crew Chief Paul Andrews "I think it will be good to have another Saturday night race which also means that we get at least a half a day off on Sunday. I'm all for Saturday night races. There hasn't been any disadvantage to running night races even in Atlanta last November when we ran at night because of the rain delay without ever having tested there at night. There seemed to be no problem there. Maybe you will see sparks fly at Darlington whenever you get into the wall." Race: Sunday, September 5, 1999 in Darlington, SC TV: ESPN 1:00pm/et 1998 Race Winner: Jeff Gordon Track/Race Length: 1.366 mile oval, 367 laps, 501.3 miles Practice: Friday, Sept 3rd, ~11:00am - 12:15pm/et and ~1:00 - 1:55pm/et; Saturday, Sept 4th, ~9:30 - 11:00am/et Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, Sept 4th, for 1 hour after the BGN race, TV-ESPN2 6pm/et Qualifying Draw: Friday, Sept 3rd at 10:30am First Round Qualifying: 1 lap for positions 1-25, Friday, Sept 3rd at 3:30pm/et, TV-ESPN2 and live via MRN radio/internet Second-Round Qualifying: Saturday, Sept 4th at 11:30am/et for 1 lap, positions 26-36 Event Qualifying Record: Dale Jarrett, August 1996, 170.934mph Track Qualifying Record: Ward Burton, March 1996, 173.797mph Last Year's Pole Sitter: Dale Jarrett, 168.897mph
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