It may not be tame or the same, but respect is what #24-Jeff Gordon will give Darlington Raceway as he prepares for his 700th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this Saturday night in the Bojangles’ Southern 500. Darlington Raceway has earned a few monikers since it opened in 1950.
“The Track Too Tough to Tame” and “The Lady In Black” are two of those, and drivers tend to use the term “respect” when describing how they attack the 1.366-mile South Carolina track. A new element – the Generation-6 car – will be added to the mix this weekend, but a winning recipe will still include respect. Saturday’s race marks Gordon’s 700th start – all consecutively – in NASCAR’s premier series.
The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion comprehends the milestone, but does not focus on it. “I’ve been fortunate to race this long and have the type of career I’ve had,” said Gordon. “It’s really cool to see that this will be my 700th start, but it’s not something I really paid attention to. It’s hard to believe I’ve run that many – especially consecutively.”(Performance PR Plus)
