RELATED: See all the throwback schemes | Full throwback coverage
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It took only one trip to Darlington Raceway in 2014 to convince Bojangles' CEO Clifton Rutledge that the popular restaurant chain needed to remain affiliated with the legendary NASCAR track.
That was before the track's lone Sprint Cup Series race returned to the Labor Day weekend date it had held for decades -- and before track officials unveiled the "throwback weekend" format that was such a huge hit in its debut last season.
"My first year here, after the race was over I came back and met with our senior VP of marketing … they were already starting to talk about things for the following year and I said, 'Well, let's just go ahead and renew now,' " Rutledge told NASCAR.com Tuesday.
So they did. In September of '14, officials announced a five-year extension that would keep Bojangles' as the race entitlement sponsor through 2019. The company had begun sponsorship of the race in 2012.
Sunday, the track will host the 67th running of the annual Bojangles' Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Obviously Rutledge saw something he liked on his first visit to the historic venue.
"I did," he said. "First of all, it's the Southern 500; it's one of those races that goes back to when I was a kid, and then for it to be moved back to Labor Day weekend was a great thing. But the passion that I saw there -- it's not one of the larger tracks but the passion is there. The fans that are there -- those fans are our fans. They're our customers and there's just a connection between that race. Being in the Carolinas, two iconic brands, it just made sense to keep it as long as we can keep it."
The throwback-themed weekend garnered plenty of attention, and the International Speedway Corp.-owned facility was a finalist for the "Sports Event of the Year" award presented by the Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal.
"To be able to help support Darlington in that, it was just wonderful," Rutledge said. "The fans loved it. We had Grand Funk Railroad (play a pre-race concert) last year; we have Kansas this year."
Rutledge also noted that former "Brady Bunch" star Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady, will be singing the national anthem before this year's event.
"Last year it was a wonderful, wonderful event and this year I think even more of the drivers and teams have gotten involved with the paint schemes and things like that," he said.
The association with Bojangles' "means everything," Kerry Tharp, president of Darlington Raceway, said.
"It's two iconic brands in my mind," he said. "Darlington in NASCAR and Bojangles' in the restaurant business. And for where we are, location-wise, I think it's a great fit. I couldn't be more excited about it. They do a great job with their marketing and activation for this event. Their ability to get the word out and raise awareness for our event is tremendous. In my mind it's the best partnership there is in sports."