Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
Harold Brasington was a retired racer in 1948, who had gotten to know Bill France, Sr. while competing against France at the Daytona Beach Road Course and other dirt tracks in the Southeast and Midwestern United States; he quit racing in the late 1940s to concentrate on farming and his construction business.[3] He began planning a new speedway after he noticed the huge crowds while attending the 1948 Indianapolis 500[3] and thought, "If Tony Hulman can do it here, I can do it back home."[3] Brasington bought 70 acres from farmer Sherman Ramsey, and started making a race track from a cotton and peanut field.[3] However, he was forced to create an egg-shaped oval with one corner tighter, narrower, and more steeply banked because he promised Ramsey that the new track wouldn't disturb Ramsey's minnow pond at the west side of the property.[3] Brasington was able to make the other turn at the east side of the property wide, sweeping, and flat as he wanted.[3] It took almost a year to build the track.[3]
Brasington made a deal in the summer of 1950 with France to run a 500-mile (800 km) race in Darlington on Labor Day that year. The first Southern 500 carried a record $25,000 purse, and was co-sanctioned by NASCAR and its rival Central States Racing Association.[4] More than 80 entrants showed up for the race.[4] Brasington used a 2-week qualifying scheme similar to the one used at the Indianapolis 500.[4] Brasington was also inspired by Indianapolis when he had the 75-car field aligned in 25 rows of three cars.[4] These practices have been curtailed over the years as NASCAR adopted a more uniform set of guidelines with regard to the number of cars which could qualify for a race. The race was won by Johnny Mantz in a car owned by France.
Race report
David Pearson defeated Dick Brooks by three laps in a race lasting three hours and five minutes; leading to his only win of the 1970 NASCAR Grand National Series season. Bill Seifert finished in last-place due to him quitting the race on lap 3. There were four cautions for a duration of 37 laps. Twenty lead changes were made during the course of the race. Overall, there were three accidents and one accidental spin down turn 4. Bobby Isaac dominated the last half of the race but ended up in third place. Had Richard Petty not crashed his vehicle in the race and dislocated his shoulder in the process, he would have won the NASCAR championship instead of Bobby Isaac due to his consistency during the other races that season.[1] Isaac raced 47 times and Petty raced 40 times during the 1970 NASCAR Cup Series season.
This was Buddy Arrington's first race back after his vicious wreck in the Daytona 500. The Mopar stalwart posted a strong run in his return as he brought his #5 Charger home with a sixth-place finish, his best of the season.[1]
Engine failures dominated a good portion of the race. Five drivers failed to qualify for the event; including two Ford drivers. Cale Yarborough would finish in 13th place despite losing control over his clutch on lap 250. Nearly 13% of the race was run under a caution flag. Each green flag lasted almost 51 laps on average.[1] Paul Connors would make his final professional stock car appearance at this event.[5]
Drivers who failed to qualify for the race were: Ed Negre, Bill Shirey, Dick May, Hoss Ellington and Johnny Halford. Qualifying times ranged from 64.3 seconds to 72.1 seconds; speeds driven at the event ranged from 137.267 miles per hour (220.910 km/h) for the 37th-place driver to 153.822 miles per hour (247.553 km/h) for the pole position driver.[6]Dale Inman was listed as the official crew chief for Pete Hamilton and Richard Petty. Other notable crew chiefs included Banjo Matthews, Harry Hyde and Herb Nab.[7]
