I love Darlington Raceway.

Hosting her first race in September 1950, The Lady is one of the oldest tracks in the circuit, and the first track to run on asphalt.

Darlington Raceway is referred to as the “Track Too Tough to Tame” and the “Lady in Black”.  The track is an egg-shaped oval, with turns 3 and 4 being slightly narrower due to the original landowner not wanting to disturb a nearby fishing pond.  (This is NASCAR.  I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.)  These two narrowed turns prove to be problematic for the drivers.  They run out of room in a hurry and scrape the wall leaving a black “Darlington Stripe” on both the wall and the right side of their cars.  This is how the Lady in Black got her nickname, from both the black stripes on the white walls of the track and her unpredictable temperament.

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