Jeff Gordon Ready For The Darlington Dance
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Click on the link below.
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DARLINGTON, S.C.
There was a time in the not too distant past when NASCAR's top series paid regular visits to tracks such as the 1/2-mile North Wilkesboro Speedway and the 1-mile North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.
However, a combination of progress and greed closed down two tracks that epitomized the roots of racing. Darlington Raceway in South Carolina hosted the annual Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend from NASCAR's inception until 2004. Once again, progress dictated changes. The unique egg-shaped oval now hosts a single NASCAR race-- not on its traditional weekend, but rather on a Saturday night in May. With each passing year it seems the 1.366-mile slice of history edges closer to extinction.
For Jeff Gordon, visiting Darlington is like sitting down with an old friend, albeit a tempermental one that can land a right cross on your jaw without warning. Gordon has scored six victories at the track, including five in the 500-mile affair. Even though it's been four years since he last visited victory lane at Darlington, Gordon remains a prohibitive favorite every time the series visits.
"Darlington is one of those odd mixes with the way we're setting the cars up," Gordon said. "You've got Darlington where the asphalt is worn out and it wears the tires out. You have to have a lot more finesse there and patience than you do at most of the tracks we're going to these days. I always look forward to going to Darlington. It's one of my favorites and I'm sure it always will be.
" As Gordon prepares for the Dodge 500, he knows it'll be 367 laps of mental chess with both his competitors and himself. "It's very mentally draining," Gordon said. "Unless it's hot outside, it's not a real physical race track. You can't run fast enough and hard enough to really push yourself. You just have to be careful not to push too hard because the car is slipping and sliding at all times and it's all about staying out of the wall."
There was a time in the not too distant past when NASCAR's top series paid regular visits to tracks such as the 1/2-mile North Wilkesboro Speedway and the 1-mile North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham.
However, a combination of progress and greed closed down two tracks that epitomized the roots of racing. Darlington Raceway in South Carolina hosted the annual Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend from NASCAR's inception until 2004. Once again, progress dictated changes. The unique egg-shaped oval now hosts a single NASCAR race-- not on its traditional weekend, but rather on a Saturday night in May. With each passing year it seems the 1.366-mile slice of history edges closer to extinction.
For Jeff Gordon, visiting Darlington is like sitting down with an old friend, albeit a tempermental one that can land a right cross on your jaw without warning. Gordon has scored six victories at the track, including five in the 500-mile affair. Even though it's been four years since he last visited victory lane at Darlington, Gordon remains a prohibitive favorite every time the series visits.
"Darlington is one of those odd mixes with the way we're setting the cars up," Gordon said. "You've got Darlington where the asphalt is worn out and it wears the tires out. You have to have a lot more finesse there and patience than you do at most of the tracks we're going to these days. I always look forward to going to Darlington. It's one of my favorites and I'm sure it always will be.
" As Gordon prepares for the Dodge 500, he knows it'll be 367 laps of mental chess with both his competitors and himself. "It's very mentally draining," Gordon said. "Unless it's hot outside, it's not a real physical race track. You can't run fast enough and hard enough to really push yourself. You just have to be careful not to push too hard because the car is slipping and sliding at all times and it's all about staying out of the wall."
'Who knows how long this will last
Now we've come so far, so fast
But somewhere back there in the dust
That same track in each of us'
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