Friday, September 2, 2016

Last Year #NASCAR Returned to Darlington for Labor Day Weekend

Last Year #NASCAR Returned to Darlington for Labor Day Weekend

Edwards Wins In Dramatic Fashion


Rich in tradition, Darlington Raceway's  place in the history of the sport sets it apart from all others. The "Lady in Black" is proud to bring its fans the great racing of today mixed with the nostalgia of the past.

In 2015, the Raceway and NASCAR officials announced that stock car racing will return to the track Too Tough To Tame on Labor Day weekend in 2015. The move back to Labor Day is a direct result of the tireless efforts by officials from Darlington Raceway, International Speedway Corporation (ISC - the track’s parent company) and NASCAR to return the track Too Tough To Tame to its traditional and historic weekend. 

Last Year #NASCAR Returned to Darlington for Labor Day Weekend


So how did that return go? After overcoming early misfortune, Carl Edwards went on to win an exhilarating race at "The Lady in Black."

Carl grabbed the lead thanks to a blisteringly fast pit stop under the track-record 18th caution of the 2015 Bojangles' Southern 500. Edwards pulled away after a restart with eight laps left to beat polesitter Brad Keselowski to the finish line by .902 seconds! It was Carl Edward's first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race win at the 1.366-mile speedway.

NASCAR’s Lady in Black on Labor Day Historic Moments:

  • Sept. 4, 1950: Johnny Mantz wins the inaugural Bojangles’ Southern 500 competing against a field of 75 other cars. An estimated 25,000 fans attended the event.
  • Sept. 6, 1954: Herb Thomas becomes the first two-time winner of the Bojangles’ Southern 500. He won his first in 1951 and would add a third victory in 1955.
  • Sept. 6, 1965: Ned Jarrett wins the Bojangles’ Southern 500 by a margin of 14 laps, a track record.
  • Sept. 3, 1979: David Pearson posts his third Bojangles’ Southern 500 victory. He also won the Labor Day race in 1976 and 1977. He finished his career with a track-record 10 NSCS victories at the Lady in Black.
  • Sept. 6, 1982: Cale Yarborough, a native from nearby Timmonsville, S.C., becomes the first driver to win five Bojangles’ Southern 500 races. It was his final Bojangles’ Southern 500 victory, following wins in 1968, 1973, 1974 and 1978.
  • Sept. 1, 1985: Bill Elliott wins the Bojangles’ Southern 500 earning him the Winston Million. He had additional Bojangles’ Southern 500 wins in 1988 and 1994.
  • Sept. 6, 1987: Dale Earnhardt wins his first Bojangles’ Southern 500. He would later add two more Labor Day victories to his resume in 1989 and 1990.
  • Sept. 6, 1998: Jeff Gordon wins his fourth Bojangles’ Southern 500 in a row. He won the Labor Day race in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and added a fifth victory in 2002, tying him with Yarborough for most all-time Bojangles’ Southern 500 wins.
  • Aug. 31, 2003: Terry Labonte wins the last Bojangles’ Southern 500 raced on Labor Day weekend. It was the final NSCS victory of his career to date.
  • Sept. 6, 2015: The Bojangles’ Southern 500 returns to Labor Day weekend.

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, Facebook and Twitter.

2015 Darlington Paint Scheme Vote Winner

2015 Darlington Paint Scheme Vote Winner #nascar

 

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  5. 2017 #NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominees


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