RacingWin

ISC Gives Bruton Smith Bump and Run

International Speedway Corporation has just given Bruton Smith the equivalent of a bump and run on the last lap at Martinsville.

The Southern 500 will return to Darlington in 2009 - just not on Labor Day weekend.

Darlington officials say they plan to run the race on Mother’s Day weekend. But it’s nice to the speedway and NASCAR acknowledge that three are still are a lot of longtime, loyal fans who don’t want to see stock car racing stray too far from it’s roots.

The track first ran the Southern 500 on September 4, 1950. 75 cars started the race, and it was Johnny Mantz who won the first race on a set of truck tires.

For the next 54 years Darlington would host the Southern 500, until the Labor Day race date was moved to California Speedway in 2005.

Here’s a photo of Herb Thomas and his 1955 Chevrolet in a Southern 500 victory lane on September 5, 1955. Did you notice that there’s no catchfence, just a retaining wall.

ISC owns Darlington Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and 9 other NASCAR tracks - and by the way ISC is headed by James C. France, who is NASCAR CEO Brian France’s uncle and, the son of NASCAR founder Big Bill France.

In a nod to long-time tradition Darlington has decided to bring back the Southern 500 name for its 2009 Sprint Cup race. Darlington first ran the Southern 500 in 1950, but the name disappeared from the race after Jimmie Johnson won the 2004 Mountain Dew Southern 500.

I guess it wasn’t politically correct to call it the Southern 500 any more - besides, the Race was no longer being held on Labor Day weekend. That date was going to California speedway.

So, where does Bruton Smith figure into all this? Bruton owns Atlanta Motor Speedway - and it looks like Atlanta will host the Labor Day race beginning in 2009. Mainly because the temperatures in Southern California that time of year are just a few degrees lower than the face of the sun.

You can bet that Bruton has at least considered naming his new Labor Day weekend race the Southern 500. Now it looks like that won’t happen. After all, there can be only one Southern 500.

I’m just glad it’s back. How about you?

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