Travel Log: Darlington

Southern 500 -- the name, alone, sparks chills down the backs of NASCAR's longtime fans.

It immediately rekindles pictures of the 21 car riding the top lane, right next to the wall. Or the time Yarborough went over the wall. It's red-and-white fences with black scuffs circling the track from where competitors were unable to tame the Lady. It's history.

Darlington has that South Carolina feel. It drips with history, as does the state. Seems like this stretch of the schedule provides a weekly history lesson. South Carolina is no different.

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• Isle of Palms, S.C., is thought to be at least 25,000 years old. The Seewee Indians are believed to have been the first people to settle on the island. Legend has it, according to the city's Web site, that the only other occupants were pirates who buried their treasures. No such treasures have been found. Isle of Palms is about 150 miles south of Darlington.

• At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, the first Confederate shot was fired toward Fort Sumter, a Federal fort. Thus, the Civil War began. After 34 hours of battle, the Union forces surrendered Fort Sumter to the Confederates.

• Mullins is known as the Tobacco Capital of South Carolina. In the late 1800s, tobacco boomed in the area and the first tobacco sale was held Aug. 28, 1895. Of course, the tobacco company R.J. Reynolds was title sponsor for the Cup Series for 31 years. Today, Mullins is still known for its tobacco, but such affiliation with racing is long gone. Mullins, population 5,000, is about 40 miles west of Darlington.

• The South Carolina Cotton Museum can be found in Bishopville, S.C., about 25 miles east of Darlington. Cotton has been a staple in South Carolina, particularly the Darlington area. According to the museum, U.S. paper currency is made of a 75 percent cotton blend.

• South Carolina's capital city of Columbia was created in 1786 as the nation's second planned city. However, it almost wasn't named Columbia. The name won out by an 11-7 vote over Washington.

Best Local Stop: Takis Restaurant
Best Barbecue: Carolina Wings and Rib House
Best Restaurant: Red Bone Alley

Admitted as a State: May 23, 1788, as eighth state
Capital: Columbia
Nickname: Palmetto State
Population Rank: 24th
Largest City: Columbia

Darlington takes the racing experience back to the good old days. The track's creation, alone, is storybook (it's shaped like an egg because a pond was in the way during formation).

Along the way, legends have formed from the high banks of NASCAR's first superspeedway. Those icons can be celebrated at the Winston Walk of Fame in Darlington, a NASCAR version of Hollywood's walk, complete with handprints and signatures.

The track provides a good guest guide to get prepared for a Southern tradition.
• Darlington Raceway

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