‘The King’ Richard Petty Salutes the Legacy of the Track Too Tough to Tame in 8 Words

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series is making landfall at the Darlington Raceway. The iconic track has a bit of a reputation about it, which makes it so alluring. It is so notorious that it has been given the monikers, ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’ and ‘The Lady in Black’. Even the legendary Richard Petty has only conquered this track three times.

Out of the current crop of drivers, Erik Jones has won twice, and Denny Hamlin has snatched four wins. In terms of all-time success, Jeff Gordon has won seven times, but no one was able to match David Pearson on 10. Its notoriety stems from its egg-shaped layout, which poses a challenge.

Richard Petty acknowledged the track’s legacy

On track, which is known for being fast, unforgiving, and treacherous, even the smallest mistakes reap severe punishment. The race also has a deep history with NASCAR, dating all the way back to 1950, before the Daytona 500, as this was regarded as the biggest race in the NASCAR arena.

Recently, Petty sat down with Jeff Burton to discuss the track’s legacy, where he said, “So you got to look at Darlington. That was the first superspeedway that Cup started running. The deal was that, it was the biggest race of the year. So like what Daytona is now, it was then. Anybody you talk to in racing, they want to win Darlington. They want to win Daytona, naturally, but Darlington is probably next on their list. Just because it’s such a tough race track. I ran down there for years and years, finally won three races in two years.

“None before that or none after, but I always liked Darlington. It suited me, the way I drove. I just didn’t have a lot of good luck there. Again, it was so demanding, not just on the driver, but it was demanding on the car. The grooves changed as cars changed, so they went into completely different grooves now than what we’re used to run. Just because of the way the cars are, so people had to learn the race track. Then they got to learn the cars that fit that race track.”

In essence, the 7-time Cup Series champion was suggesting that Darlington was a race that everyone wanted to win. Winning there was equivalent to winning the Daytona 500 or any other marquee race. The legendary driver confessed that he was fond of the track, largely because his driving style suited it. Unfortunately, poor luck often meant that any potential win chances for the Legacy Motor Club co-owner were quickly snuffed out.

Why is Darlington called the Lady in Black?

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There’s actually an interesting story behind that moniker. It was coined all the way back in 1965 by sports editor Benny Phillips. Another explanation for the nickname is that, in its early years, the track maintenance crew would put on a fresh coat of asphalt the night before the race. This gave off the appearance that the racing surface was dark black, and thus the name stuck.

Additionally, NASCAR Cup cars would often run as close to the outside wall as possible. If they got close enough, they would leave large smears of tire marks on the wall. Many drivers often see that as a badge of honor and a way of earning their stripes. If they didn’t leave a mark, then they were not racing hard enough at the race track.