NASCAR Darlington Southern 500 preview: Taming the ‘Lady in Black’

A temptress with curves unlike any other whom many have tried to conquer, and yet every time they think they do, she jumps up and teaches them a lesson they’ll never forget.

Her proper name is Darlington Raceway, but with the highest of admiration she’s better known as the “Lady in Black” or “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” And she has a long and storied history in NASCAR.

When she first opened her doors on Labor Day 1950, it was a unique track, one almost unlike any other found in motorsports, with the only other oval similar to her being the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While almost all stock-car races at the time were run on dirt tracks a half-mile or less, Darlington was not only paved, it was a daunting 1.25-miles in length. (The track would later expand to its current 1.3-mile dimension.)

Even though occasionally a driver will come out of left field and pull a surprise, more often than not you need to be someone special to win. Someone of great importance. A champion.

Of the 111 races run on the egg-shaped track, drivers who have once held the Sprint Cup trophy have won 62 percent. Included in that group are David Pearson (a track-best 10 victories), Dale Earnhardt Sr. (nine), Jeff Gordon (seven) and Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison tied with five victories apiece. Each of the past three Southern 500s have been won by Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick, all former series champions.

Without a win on NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway on your resumé, you’re just another driver, as this lady knows how to decipher between champion drivers and those who are mere mortals.

“It’s a hard race to win, it takes its toll on you,” said Denny Hamlin, 2010 Darlington winner. “Five-hundred miles around this track is an eternity. It’s always really hot -- doesn’t matter if it’s daytime or nighttime. The groove is so narrow all the heat gets trapped in the racetrack itself. And it’s a hard track not to make mistakes on -- the fast line is right up against the wall and one bobble and you’re in it.

“Even though it’s one of the most challenging events we have, it’s also one of the most prestigious. The trophy I have from winning the Southern 500 ranks right up there with my best wins.”

As she has proven countless times, the only way to conquer her will be through a combination of endurance and patience. Both are usually in short supply anytime the series rolls into the racetrack that holds more than 10 times the amount of people who live in the small, sleepy southern town from which the facility gets its name.

“It is just one of those race tracks that is a grueling race -- 500 miles around this place feels like the Coca-Cola 600 (NASCAR’s longest race),” Joey Logano said. “It is a long, long race. It takes its toll on the car and driver and team.

“You have to run hard but you have to weigh the risk versus reward for the whole race.”

Biding one’s time will get you only so far, however. Sometimes the lady will strike when you least expect it, just to let you know who’s boss. Though she occasionally shows her age and has had some work done a time or two to help keep up her youthful appearance, to dance with a lady as lovely as the one in black is always a special treat.

“It could be compared to a ballet or to dancing and you don’t want to step on your partner’s toes,” Kurt Busch said. “And the Lady in Black, she’ll spin you around or spit you out if you treat her the wrong way. So, that old cliché, race the racetrack, is what you have to do.”

And the lady in question -- who often doubles as a vengeful vixen from a 1930s black-and-white movie -- will again have a date with a 43-car field Sunday. And it will be on a very special date.

After an 11-year hiatus off its traditional Labor Day weekend date, the Southern 500 is back in its rightful place on the calendar. Long considered one of NASCAR’s four majors (the others: the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Brickyard 400), the prestige of the Southern 500 had slipped in recent years. It went from being an end of summer staple to getting bounced from November to mid-May then to early spring.

The ballyhooed return has been accompanied with a collection of historic paint schemes with the intent to honor NASCAR’s rich past, in which the historic speedway has played a prominent role.

“There is no better racetrack to do this at,” Logano said. “Darlington, with the history behind it and how it has kind of really stuck true to its roots is pretty neat to have all the throwback schemes as well.”

Widely received -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. said drivers without a retro scheme is like showing up to a Halloween party not in costume -- has only added to the significance of what a victory Sunday would mean.

“This is a really special place and when you think of all the race tracks you want to win at, Daytona is top of the list,” Aric Almirola said. “Indy and Charlotte are special, but Darlington is really high on the list. Especially now with it back on Labor Day weekend and it really is the Southern 500. That would be really cool.”