Tradition in the Spotlight as NASCAR Takes Historic Turn Through May

• NASCAR is embracing tradition in a big way with its current stretch of three races through Darlington, North Wilkesboro and Chalotte.

• Now, in NASCAR’s 75th year, the sport even embracing it ties to moonshining and the role that illegal activity played in the sport’s formation.

• “I think tradition in our sport is something that really should be taken seriously,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte.

Tradition is a word that for several decades in NASCAR didn’t appear all that important to the powers that be.

Tracks that were instrumental in forming the sport’s foundation were cast aside or reduced to one date annually as NASCAR worked to expand from a regional sport into a national one.

Cases in point: Darlington Raceway’s traditional Labor Day date since 1950 was moved to Southern California in 2004. North Wilkesboro Speedway closed at the end of the 1996 season and its dates moved to Texas and New Hampshire. Fans were furious at both decisions and many turned their back on the sport. Charlotte retained two dates, but even it had to re-event itself to keep its second event and the ROVAL was born.

Then came the pandemic and the region the sport had fought so hard to disassociate itself from in favor of New York City’s Madison Avenue came to its rescue. With the country shut down and professional sports on hold, NASCAR found a way to restart the business in May 2020 at Darlington Raceway. That year it was tracks in the Southeast that came to the sport’s rescue.

NASCAR became the first major professional sport to resume with two consecutive races at Darlington, two at Charlotte, one at Bristol, one at Atlanta and one at Martinsville. All tracks that opened from 1947 to 1961.

Now, in NASCAR’s 75th year, the sport is celebrating its tradition, including its ties to moonshining and the role that illegal activity played in the sport’s formation. A NASCAR licensed T-shirt sports the original NASCAR logo on it with the words “Drive and Shine Since 1948."

Darlington Kicked Things Off

For these three weeks, tradition is the focal point of NASCAR’s schedule. Darlington Raceway, with two dates once again including its traditional Labor Day weekend, hosted “Throwback Weekend” May 12-14. It’s a weekend when teams resurrect various cars paint schemes. Mario Andretti even made an appearance Friday to see the paint scheme that was on his 1967 Daytona 500 winning Ford recreated on Nick Sanchez’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry. It’s a weekend when the sport paid homage to its 75 greatest drivers.

The All Stars Take on North Wilkesboro