Darlington Raceway yesterday confirmed that ISC has commissioned a capital improvement project for the track entitled "A Better Darlington," that will mainly be based around the grandstands. Darlington will alter the angle of the Tyler grandstand to improve sightlines and also install new, wider seats with cup holders. The Wallace and Colvin grandstands will receive new benches. Darlington, one of 12 ISC facilities, also will make its grandstands smoke-free moving forward. The project also includes new crossover gates allowing fans to walk from the grandstand onto the track for pre-race activities, as well as a new “Wall of Honor” banner signage honoring past winners at the track. The track operator in its earnings report last week said that it expected to spend $120-130M in capital expenditures in FY '18, which includes ongoing renovations at Richmond and ISM Raceway (Adam Stern, Staff Writer).
TOO TOUGH TO TAME: In South Carolina, Scott Chancey in a front-page piece notes the renovations are projected to be worth $7M, and Darlington President Kerry Tharp said that the project "will be finished by mid-August." The track hosts its NASCAR weekend around Labor Day, and Tharp said, “We’re not going to let any grass grow under our feet." Chancey notes there will be "more luxury seating" in the Tyler grandstand. Three more 12-seat luxury areas are "to be added to the Jeff Gordon Finish Line Terrace." New seats and bleachers "will be wider," but that "will reduce the track’s overall seating capacity from its current number of 58,000." Tharp said, “We’re not sure exactly of where it’s going to go, because we’re still working on the seating manifest." ISC Exec VP & COO Joie Chitwood III said, "This is the coolest race track on the planet. It’s some of the best racing there is. We just want to make sure the fans can show up and be treated to the amenities they would get at other great sporting facilities” (Florence MORNING NEWS, 2/1). USA TODAY's Mike Hembree notes restrooms, concession stands and other fan areas also "will be renovated" (USA TODAY, 2/1).
