Southern 500 Moves to Darlington's Old "Rebel" Weekend

I can no longer figure any of this out, but what is these days called the "Southern 500" is changing its date again. The new date is what was the traditional April "Rebel" race weekend at Darlington from around 1972 on.

For many of us that traditional first superspeedway NASCAR race quit being the Southern 500 when it was moved from Labor Day weekend to the Saturday night preceding Mother's Day.

Many speculate that the date change is a deliberate attempt by NASCAR to set the Darlington track up for failure and shutter its doors forever. I don't know about that, but "experts" cite the Masters golf tourney in Augusta and the spring football weekends at University of South Carolina and Clemson diluting media coverage and fan interest with the April date.

Darlington Will Be Run a Month Before Mother's Day
COLUMBIA, S.C. October 11, 2013 (AP)
By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer
Associated Press

The Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be run in April next year after nearly a decade of racing on Mother's Day weekend.

Track President Chip Wile said Friday the Sprint Cup event would be held Saturday, April 12. The Nationwide race will be run Friday, April 11. Both those races are run under Darlington's lights.

It's the second time Darlington has shifted from a holiday weekend. The track "Too Tough To Tame" ran the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend for over half a century until shifting to larger California Speedway. Atlanta Motor Speedway currently holds a Labor Day weekend race.

"We all believe in Darlington's future," Wile told The Associated Press by phone.

Wile said Kansas Speedway would take over Mother's Day weekend. He said the rest of NASCAR's schedule would come out Tuesday.

Wile, named track president in late August, said the change was in the works before he arrived. Yet, he believes this enhances the 1.366-milie country's track's long-term future in NASCAR. Wile said track owner International Speedway Corp. and NASCAR drivers and teams are committed to Darlington's success. If they weren't, he said, they wouldn't work to improve the fan experience by moving up the date.

Wile said temperatures in mid-April are generally cooler than the second week in May. Shifting to April also lets Darlington tap into the region's college market to attract fans.

"Usually, they're in commencement or exams," Wile said. "This change will let them take part in the tailgate experience and the race."

Wile said he and his staff plan several campus visits to state schools like Francis Marion, Coastal Carolina and South Carolina.

Next year, Darlington will come the week before Easter, a traditional off week. Wile acknowledged that the race date may have to float around when Easter Sunday falls each year.

"I think this is our new date, moving forward," Wile said. "We want to have a consistent date that people can get their minds wrapped around."

Darlington's fate had been up in the air a decade ago because of falling attendance and crumbling facilities. It held two Sprint Cup races each year from 1960 through 2004 and was a staple of the sport. Upheaval came the following season when the raceway was given Mother's Day weekend, which was traditionally an off week for the sport.

But then track president Chris Browning and his staff had four straight sellouts and it turned into a modern NASCAR tradition, racer's moms joining then at driver introductions and giving a family friendly call to begin things of "Drivers and sons, start your engines."

Attendance suffered the past few events, however, despite major improvements to the track. ISC spent $10 million to repave the track and add a wide, modern infield access tunnel before the 2008 race. Still, Wile is confident Darlington won't disappear from NASCAR. He's spent his first few weeks meeting with state and local officials and found wide-ranging support for what Darlington means to South Carolina. He met with Gov. Nikki Haley earlier this month and is confident she want to do everything possible moving ahead.

"Mother's Day did work for us," Wile said. "But I think this will be better."

Many speculate that the date change is a deliberate attempt by NASCAR to set the Darlington track up for failure and shutter its doors forever.

That's foolish talk by some people. Darlington is owned by ISC, is their oldest superspeedway, and the only Sprint Cup track in South Carolina in the heart of NASCAR country. I see no reason why they'd want to kill it; it's not like it's easy to get permission to build a racetrack these days or need the date for a race in a new market. They were stupid to take away the Labor Day race date but I don't think they'd repeat that stupidity by shutting down the track.

Maybe they want to choke off the economy around the track so that the area pleads with ISC and the state to add a casino there in order to restore tourism revenue.

Andy, don't rule out the casino issue with the state. For years, as you know, SC wouldn't allow racing on Sunday. Finally, Darlington management had enough and told the religiously controlled (guess what demonination) said they would close Darlington and run in North Carolina. Seems the "blue laws" as to Darlington couldn't be changed quickly enough. In fact, the laws were changes specifying venues with only a certain seating capacity (almost exactly what Darlington had) could hold Sunday sporting events.Never rule out the politicians figuring ways to get around laws and get what they want and what they want is more of a tax base for their wasteful spending.

Right now the Catawba Indian Nation of SOUTH CAROLINA wants to build a casino, but they want it constructed on I-85 in King's Mountain, NORTH CAROLINA!

Sep 9, 2013, 12:12pm EDT
Catawbas push to open $600M casino in Kings Mountain

Ken Elkins
Senior Staff Writer- Charlotte Business Journal

The Catawba Indian Nation says it wants to build a $600 million casino along Interstate 85 in Kings Mountain, a move that the tribe says will bring 5,000 jobs to the region.

But the big question remains: Will the state of North Carolina and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs allow it?

Catawba Chief Bill Harris announced this morning that hes asked the federal government for permission to buy 16 acres at the Kings Mountain Boulevard interchange of I-85 for the casino.

The people of North Carolina have witnessed firsthand the benefits of a close working partnership with the proud people of the Cherokee Nation, says Catawba Chief Bill Harris. It is our goal to forge such a working relationship so all who choose will grow and prosper.

Rumors of the Catawbas' interest in an N.C. casino have been swirling along the western side of the Charlotte region for months now. Until today the Catawbas have said theyre concentrating on another bingo operation in York County instead.

David Dear, interim Cleveland County manager, says the Catawbas deserve to operate a gambling house in North Carolina.

It would have a huge impact for the entire region with up to 5,000 jobs, he says. It would be no threat to the Cherokees operation in the N.C. mountains, he says.

Theyre over 150 miles away from where theyre looking here in Cleveland, Dear says. He says the casino site is 44 acres in the northwestern quadrant of Exit 5 of I-85. There was no immediate explanation this morning about whether the casino would occupy 16 acres or 44 acres.

This morning the Cleveland County Chamber posted on its website an elaborate site calling the casino Cleveland Countys World Class Resort. There will be 1,500 hotel rooms, 5,000 construction jobs and a casino designed by The Friedmutter Group, which designed casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Macau.

A study by Miley & Associates of Columbia, S.C., says the casino would generate $300 million a year in economic activity once in operation. That would be the result of a 220,000-square-foot casino that would be in operation by 2015.

However, more than 100 members of the N.C. House signed a letter last week opposing an N.C. casino for the Catawbas. State Rep. Paul Stem (R-Wake County), House speaker pro tem, says he will do everything I can to defeat it.

An editorial in the Greensboro News & Record says the Catawbas planned casino belongs in their own state of South Carolina.

The idea of an N.C. Catawba casino surfaced a few months ago when gambling veteran Darrell Hardin approached Gaston County officials about the idea. There economic development officials were skeptical about whether the Catawbas would be allowed to open an N.C. casino.

Hardin is the former chief of operations for Dockside Entertainment of Gastonia, which planned to operate a 214-foot riverboat with gambling on the Arkansas River until the Tahlequah, Okla.-based Cherokee Nation but a halt to it in 2003. The Cherokees contended the riverboat needed permission from the tribe to gamble in its jurisdiction.

It was unclear today whether Hardin is involved in the Catawbas' efforts in Cleveland County.

I'm with Dave, The Southern 500 is onlyduring the Labor Day weekend. My Labor Dayhas never been the same since it was moved. That is like the Indy 500 alwaysduring Memorial Day. NASCAR does notcare 2 cents about tradition.

Didnt they play football in the 50s when darlington was built?? did it interfere with college football when clemson and columbia played?? maybe I missed something in that transcript

I totally agree Blane. Things just haven't been the same since The Southern 500 is not run on Labor Day weekend. The only "tradition" NASCAR cares about is the first President of the United States and how many "portraits" of him they can gather on any weekend.

You didn't miss anything Johnny. Today's "experts" just have no expertise preceding Y2K.

Here's another 'can't miss' idea LOL! Have ya ever BEEN to college? "Darlington, Spring Break, Final Exams, and Commencement" Do not go in the same sentence. College kids, in ear shot of Myrtle Beach, don't care about the weekend of ANY Darlington race. " ISC/NASCAR get real PLEASE! So far, you marketing expertise has just about nailed the coffin shut.