Notes & Quotes: Mountain Dew Southern 500
Darlington Raceway: "The Track Too Tough To Tame"

Broadcast Information:
• Qualifying: Friday, August 29, 3:00 p.m. EDT, Speed Channel
• Race: Sunday, August 30, 12:30 p.m. EDT, NBC

Race Length:
• 500 miles (367 laps)

Track Records:
• Qualifying: Ward Burton, March 1996, 173.797 mph

• Race: Dale Earnhardt, March 1993, 139.958 mph

Notes:
• In the spring event at Darlington, Foyt started 42nd and finished 32nd. • Best Performances for Foyt Racing at Darlington:
Start: 12th (spring event 2000)
Finish: 12th (summer event 2000)
• When Darlington Raceway was built in 1949, a pond located outside turns three and four forced the builders to narrow that end of the track, giving the track a unique "egg" shape. • In 1997 the layout of Darlington Raceway was switched. Therefore, what was once the frontstretch is now the backstretch and vice versa. • The first Southern 500 (Labor Day 1950) was won by Californian driver Johnny Mantz. He outlasted 75 other drivers in a race that took over six hours to complete.

Larry Foyt on Darlington:
"Darlington Raceway is a bull of a race track. The rough racing surface eats away tires very quickly, so you really have to try to pace yourself once the green flag drops. Usually, the fastest line around the track has been at the top - close to the wall. But during the course of the last race here, some guys were running well around the bottom. It all depends on how your car is handling.
"We picked up a lot of valuable experience after the race here in March, so we should be able to perform a lot better this weekend. This is going to be the last Southern 500 at Darlington that will be held on Labor Day weekend. It's going to be an honor to be a part of history and hopefully we can give all the Harrah's fans something to cheer about!"