The stat sheet: Darlington Raceway

1950

The year in which the Darlington Raceway--built on the site of a former peanut field--both opened and hosted its first topflight NASCAR race, the Southern 500. The race was won by Johnny Mantz, driving a Plymouth owned by Bill France St., Hubert Westmoreland, Curtis Turner, and Alvin Hawkins.

2

The fewest laps led by a Cup race winner at Darlington. Terry Labonte led at the right time in the 1980 Southern 500. The most laps led in a race was 351, by hard-charger and eventual winner Mantz in the inaugural Southern 500.

11

The number of time a Holman-Woody-owned Winston Cup team won at Darlington, a track record that was nearly equaled by Junior Johnson, whose teams earned 10 victories at that venue.

19

The number of times that a Cup race has been won at Darlington from the pole, the most of any starting position.

1.25

The length, in miles, of the oval track in its original shape. It was extended to 1.375 miles in 1953 and re-measured as a 1.366-mile course in 1970.

51 years, seven months, 22 days

The age of Harry Gant when, on September 1, 1991, he took the checkered flag at the Heinz 500, becoming the oldest winner in Darlington and NASCAR history.. (Gant broke his own NASCAR record the following year at Dover.)

1997

The year in which the track changed its layout so that the southern straight-away became the frontstretch.

37

The unlikely starting position of the winner of the Southern 500 in both 2000 (Bobby Labonte) and 2001 (Ward Burton). The Cup record for lowest starting position by an eventual winner is 43rd, set by Mantz in the first-ever Southern 500 in 1950. Except for Labonte and Burton, no other driver who started lower than 15th has won a Cup race at Darlington since 1955.

1968

The year in which Charlie Glotzbach and Cale Yarborough posted identical qualifying times for the Southern 500. Glotzbach earned the pole because he drove first in qualification.

224.024

The length, in miles, of the shortest-ever Cup race at Darlington. That event the 1999 TranSouth 400, was shortened due to rain and won by Jeff Burton, who also won that year's Southern 500 in a race shortened to just under 369 miles due to rain and darkness, becoming the ninth driver to sweep both Darlington races in the same year.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group