A tradition restored: NASCAR returns to Darlington on Labor Day weekend

Some traditions are just too important. They are the institutions that shouldn’t be tampered with under almost any circumstance, worthy of being shared from one generation to the next.

For 53 years, NASCAR had one of those deep-seated, iconic traditions when every Labor Day weekend it held the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Each September from 1950 to 2003 fans knew that NASCAR’s oldest speedway would stage one of the sport’s biggest races.

Darlington on Labor Day weekend was to NASCAR what Augusta National is to golf each April -- a place where history and prestige combine to transform an event into something much more.

“NASCAR is filled with great traditions, but one of the best is the Southern 500,” track president Chip Wile said in a phone interview with SB Nation. “... Everyone wants to win at Darlington, it’s one of those races teams circle on the calendar as a race they want to win. ... Because we grew with the sport when the sport was very regional in the 50s, there is some mystery and mystique.”

But if there is one thing that trumps tradition it is the almighty dollar.

As NASCAR’s popularity exploded in the 1990s and into the early 2000s, a building boom saw the construction of race tracks across the country. What followed were new modern facilities in or near major metropolitan areas of Boston, Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Kansas City.

Gradually each of these venues would be given a date(s) to host a premiere series race as NASCAR expanded its footprint nationally. And as an already compacted schedule became too robust, the inclination was that further growth meant eliminating dates from traditional cornerstone tracks.

Gone were both races at venerable North Wilkesboro Speedway, where NASCAR had competed since the 1940s. So too was Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway. Although Darlington initially remained on the schedule, with NASCAR wanting to further its presence outside the southeast, it seemed only a matter of time before the “Track Too Tough to Tame” was removed altogether.

Those fears were confirmed when a moment came few ever thought would transpire: The longstanding tradition of spending Labor Day weekend at Darlington was no more. That fancy new palace in Southern California (Auto Club Speedway) would get the valuable date.

Almost universally, fans revolted. They condemned NASCAR for turning its back on its roots just to fill its coffers. Feeling unappreciated and disenchanted by the overabundance of interchangeable mid-sized tracks that had taken over the schedule in lieu of places with charm and character, many gave up the sport.

“I remember when they moved it, and honestly I was ticked, and that’s putting that politely,” NBC Sports personality and retired NASCAR driver Kyle Petty said. “You can move forward in any business, in any industry and grow and flourish and prosper, but in a day in time when so many things we buy and so many things we do are ‑‑ is just in a throwaway society, I think we need traditions to live, and this was a tradition. It was a tradition of this sport. It was part of the cornerstone of this sport, being at Darlington, being there Labor Day.

“It hurt the sport and it hurt us in a lot of ways because you don’t ‑‑ we just threw away a tradition it seemed like.”

While it may have taken years, NASCAR listened and finally responded. When it unveiled the 2015 schedule last summer, there was Darlington occupying its rightful spot on the Sprint Cup calendar.

“The Southern 500 has been a cornerstone on the NASCAR schedule for such a long period of time,” Wile said. “To get it back is so special for this race track, but also for this community. Everyone in this community thrives on activity at the track and they have an affinity for Labor Day weekend, and for us to be able to bring it back is truly special.”

The machinations to get Darlington back on its proper weekend are multi-layered.

As NASCAR’s popularity has regressed in recent years, there has been an acknowledgment -- though mostly subtle -- that it must do more to appeal to its longtime core fan.

Drivers have been encouraged to show emotion without fear of sanctions, a greater emphasis has been placed on distinguishing the various manufacturers instead of a common looking car and NASCAR even now stages a national touring race on dirt.

Darlington returning to the date it held for 53 years is another such step.

“There are a few things that NASCAR racing has always been about,” said Dale Jarrett, NASCAR Hall of Fame driver. “That’s the Daytona 500 in February as our first race. You’ve got the Coca‑Cola 600 on Memorial Day and you’ve got the Southern 500 on Labor Day.”

By reinstituting Darlington to Labor Day weekend, NASCAR has righted a wrong; even if it was a tradition that should have never been abandoned in the first place.