DARLINGTON, S.C. — The romantic in Jim Hunter would love to see the Southern 500 back at his beloved Darlington Raceway.
The pragmatist in NASCAR’s chief spokesman is certain why it shouldn’t.
Seemingly ever since the Southern 500 left this country track for California Speedway on Labor Day weekend after 2004, whispers have abounded about a triumphant return to South Carolina where the race was run for 54 years.
Hunter doesn’t expect more changes.
“We could sell 55 to 58 thousand tickets here on Labor Day five years ago,” Hunter said Saturday. “We moved it to California and they sell 90 or 92 (thousand) or something. From a business standpoint, that is a no-brainer.”
“Do I feel bad about it? As a shareholder of ISC, I don’t feel bad about it at all,” Hunter said.
Hunter, a South Carolina native, was Darlington’s president from 1993 to 2001. He still has a home here and loves how the old layout has reinvented itself with lights and more grandstand seats the past few years.
Still, track owners International Speedway Corp. have responsibilities to those who own the stock.
“Do I feel bad about it? As a shareholder of ISC, I don’t feel bad about it at all,” Hunter said.
Hunter’s attitude might be different had Darlington not retained one race weekend. It has sold out its past four races since moving to Mother’s Day weekend.
“But the way things are going, I think there’s always going to be one here,” Hunter said.
BOO BUSCH: As expected, Kyle Busch was raucously booed during driver introductions, where fans made it loud and clear how they felt about his late-race accident last week in Richmond that might have cost Dale Earnhardt Jr. a win.
But NASCAR’s newest villain took it all in stride, enticing the crowd to keep it coming by raising his arms in the air and cupping his ear as he passed by the stands on the back of a pickup truck.
As the truck rounded Turn 1, a member of Earnhardt’s crew rushed to the pit road wall to jeer Busch on his way by, and the driver responded by turning and flipping his middle finger at them. Crew members up and down pit road marveled at Busch’s bravado. The rest of Earnhardt’s No. 88 team simply smirked as he passed by.
Moments later, meanwhile, Busch’s older brother, Kurt, made the way around the track for his introduction with hardly a peep from the crowd.
BIFFLE’S NIGHT: Greg Biffle had the fastest car, but his night ended in frustration.
Biffle had set the track’s qualifying record with a speed of 179.442 mph on Friday. Mechanical problems cost him a chance at a third Darlington title.
Biffle’s Ford was parked in the pit stall with the hood up.
“Guys are just digging their heart out, but the fact of the matter is in this sport in this day and age, you cannot leave the wheels loose,” Biffle said. “Someone’s going to get hurt.”
TOURING DARLINGTON: Talk about a smooth ride.
Darlington Raceway’s repaved surface was a hit with former NASCAR driver Brett Bodine, who gave tours on “The Lady in Black” in a Dodge Challenger pace car.
“Boy, they did a great job,” he said as he hit speeds of 120 mph on Darlington’s straightaways.
Bodine had two top-five finishes in 32 career Darlington starts.
Bodine explained how the banked curve that makes up turns one and two acts like a third straightaway as racers build up speed they carry all the way through the backstretch. “That’s the fastest part of the track,” Bodine said.
Even faster this year. There were 41 of 44 drivers who broke the old qualifying mark on Friday during their first laps on the new surface.
The old asphalt would bump and push machines throughout the lap, Bodine said. On this new blacktop, tires grip better and drivers feel more confident at run faster than ever into the turns.
“That’s when it’ll get you,” Bodine said.
Bodine made no miscues during the 10-minute spin around. “It should be a fun race tonight,” he said.
MOTHER’S DAY: Since Darlington’s lone race date moved to Mother’s Day weekend, the track always makes sure to remember mom.
Several NASCAR mother’s will be on hand to give perhaps the most unique call in motorsports, “Sons, start your engines.”
Driver Michael McDowell had “Love you, mom,” on his No. 00 Toyota.
Although, sometimes the late finish is a little too much to handle. That’s what happened a year ago when Jeff Gordon’s mom, Carol Bickford, left early with her son’s car overheating.
A few hours later, Gordon was celebrating his seventh Darlington victory — and wondering where his mother went.
“They bailed on me,” Gordon said, laughing. “I can’t wait to call and chew them out.”
PIT NOTES: The Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports receive will receive $10,000 from Huggies and Pull-Ups brands as a ‘Thank you” to all moms this weekend. … Tony Stewart’s Nationwide Series victory Friday was his first in 20 Darlington starts. It will be difficult for Stewart to add to that Saturday as he was involved in a second-lap collision with Elliott Sadler. The veteran Sadler admitted he made a “rookie mistake.”
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