Darlington Raceway Hopes Growth Is Not Too Tough To Tame

Darlington Raceway Shifting Gears To Year-Round Tourist Stop

After recently losing its traditional Labor Day weekend NASCAR Winston Cup Series race to ISC's California Speedway beginning in '04, ISC's Darlington Raceway "is striking back and trying to convert its most recognized asset — stock-car racing's oldest superspeedway — into a year-round tourist stop," according to Bob Spear of the Columbia STATE. Renovation of the 60,000-seat track's racing museum and the National Motorsports Press Association HOF "provides the opportunity" to "focus on the positives." Other events are "still in the planning stage, but one possibility would be tours of the track." Darlington Raceway President Andrew Gurtis: "This will be the first time [the track] has been promoted like this." Community leaders "understand the challenges to keep two" Winston Cup races at the track. Gurtis said, "Ticket sales can save us. (Maintaining two races) boils down to ticket sales." Although tickets for this year's Southern 500, set for August 31, are ahead of last year, the race has not sold out since '97. Gurtis said that the track "will step up promotion" of the race, "then focus on the 2004 spring race." As part of the campaign, the museum "will be touted on billboards along both I-95 and I-20 and in the Myrtle Beach area." Gurtis also noted "the possibility for an added economic windfall." Gurtis: "In a way, November gives us an added event. On the Labor Day weekend, people travel and hotels ... do well. A November race should give them another big weekend" (Columbia (SC) STATE, 7/11).