The distance run and the sponsors may have changed, but for thirty years the gateway to summer race at Daytona was known as the Firecracker 400 (250 for its first four runs). It might not be as big as the 500 or have the glamour of the Southern 500, but winning this one means something. Its name should mean something as well.
Like many of you, I spent a Friday and Saturday evening in front of a television set watching NASCAR Live On Fox from Darlington International Raceway in South Carolina. After all, any race track with the names "the track too tough to tame" and "the lady in black" was bound to turn up some excitement.
There is a reason we read the entire book, rather than rely totally on the CliffsNotes version. For example, the shortened description of Saturday night’s Southern 500 action at Darlington would read that Kevin Harvick dominated and went on to win his second of the season.
“He could do things in a race car I could only dream about,” he said. “Throughout the entire racing world, I don’t know of anybody who would have said he didn’t give 110% from the time they dropped the green flag until the race was over. He was the same way in life, too.”
This weekend, NASCAR heads to the track nicknamed "too tough to tame" and rightly so. Darlington Raceway is a 1 mile egg-shaped oval nestled in a small town in South Carolina and once a year, NASCAR awakens this legendary speedway and will adorn the lady with her signature black walls before the race is done.
With the NASCAR moms getting the race started with the command, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 63rd annual Bojangles’ Southern 500.
Jimmie Johnson held off Tony Stewart to take the checkered flag in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and give Rick Hendrick his long anticipated 200th win.
Tonight we head to NASCAR's oldest superspeedway. The track "Too Tough to Tame" is the spot for the 63rd running of Bojangles' Southern 500 tonight on FOX, (live 7 p.m. ET) and when the engines fire tonight, it will be the last time the 43-cars making the start tonight have four straight fenders.
"Throughout the entire racing world, I don't know of anybody who would have said he didn't give 110 percent from the time they dropped the green flag until the time the race was over. He was that same way in life, too." Buddy Baker
