Governor lauds Darlington Raceway heritage and improvements
Darlington Raceway president Kerry Tharp (center) with SC Governor Henry McMaster (right) and NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace (left) ; (left to right) NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace, Darlington Raceway president Kerry Tharp, Peggy McMaster, and Governor Henry McMaster Photo by Samantha Lyles
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
The Track Too Tough to Tame briefly relocated to downtown Columbia last week as Governor Henry McMaster welcomed Darlington Raceway president Kerry Tharp and legendary NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace to the Governor’s Mansion for an official celebration of Southern 500 Day.
McMaster said that he and his wife Peggy visited Darlington for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 in 2017 and greatly enjoyed the race.
“Y’all, I’ve got to say that I’m never going to miss it. It is total excitement, particularly if you get a chance to go on the infield and see those cars with 800 horsepower under the hood and feel the power of those engines,” said McMaster.
McMaster added that he was in awe of the high-tech nature of NASCAR racing engineering, and said that the Southern 500 “speaks of South Carolina so well and so strongly, it is world-renowned.”
Tharp spoke of Darlington Raceway’s capital improvement project (A Better Darlington…The Tradition Continues) which will feature renovation and new seating at the track’s Tyler, Wallace and Colvin Grandstands.
The project will remove the 18-inch wide metal seats from the Tyler Tower Grandstand and replace them with stadium-style seats with cupholders. The new multi-colored molded plastic seats will be more generously proportioned, with a seat width of about 20 to 22 inches. Wallace and Colvin Grandstands will also get a seating overhaul, with new stadium-style bleachers that feature back support and a wider seating area (again, about 20 to 22 inches) to provide spectators with more comfort.
The rake of the Tyler Tower Grandstands on the front stretch will be improved to offer better sight lines and viewing angles. The Colvin concession and restroom facilities will also be refurbished, and the track has added TV screens on the concourse so fans waiting in line for snacks won’t miss a minute of racing action. Other projects include the installation of more hand rails and guard rails, and widening of aisles in seating areas.
Darlington Raceway will also add 36 seats to the Jeff Gordon Finish Line Terrace. All together, the project will upgrade about 60 percent of the track’s 58,000 seats.
Tharp thanked McMaster and the State of South Carolina for all their support, and called race sponsor Bojangles’ “the best partner in sports, and we couldn’t do what we do without them.”
“We’ve been around now for almost seventy years, and certainly Darlington Raceway and the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is one of the sport’s crown jewels,” said Tharp, predicting that this year’s fourth annual Throwback Weekend will be the best one yet. “If you haven’t been to the race, you’re missing out. It’s a party where a stock car race breaks out.”
The NASCAR XFINITY Series SPORT CLIPS HAIRCUTS VFW 200 is scheduled for Sep. 1, and the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is set for Sunday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. For ticket information, visit www.DarlingtonRaceway.com
