| | DARLINGTON, S.C. -- When Mall.com signed on last month to replace TranSouth Financial Services as title sponsor of Darlington Raceway's spring event, it didn't send a good signal about the track's future.
But Darlington president Jim Hunter is fairly confident the circuit will hold two races here again in 2001.
"I'm not as comfortable about 2002 and beyond that, who knows," he said Saturday.
Hunter, who worked at NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla., before coming to Darlington seven years ago, knows how the sport's officials work and thinks he would have plenty of lead time if he were losing a race.
Mall.com president and CEO Larry Latham said the company wants to review its sponsorship before signing on further. He said the Internet venture plans to devote the bulk of its racing sponsorship dollars to NASCAR.
Usually, the track stays quiet between the spring and the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend. But Hunter has lined up Truxpo, a big-wheeled truck show, on April 29-30.
He has also talked of bringing the NASCAR truck series to Darlington and about adding lights to the sport's oldest superspeedway.
Hunter said every year opinions of Darlington's demise crop up.
"It happens so much you can't worry about them," he said.
Dale Earnhardt, who has won nine times at "The Track Too Tough To Tame," said Darlington has a lot of history. "But I'm not the one who decides what tracks are on the schedule," he said.
Anyone have the Weather Channel
Race conditions for the Mall.com changed several times during the 400 miles, going from cloudy and cool one moment to downright sunny the next.
That left most racers and their crew chiefs guessing at what to
do during pit stops. Dale Jarrett, who finished second to winner
Ward Burton, said his car seemed to heat up when the sun came out.
"I don't know if we ran as well when it was cloudy," he said.
Jeff Burton, Ward's younger brother, said he tried to blame his
fifth-place finish on the weather.
"But we weren't ever good in the sun, the clouds, we weren't
good at any time," he said. "We just missed it."
Both races at Darlington last year were shortened by rain, with
Jeff Burton winning each time.
I can see clearly now
Mike Skinner, who had laser eye surgery earlier this week, says he feels great and can see a lot better than before.
"I'm better than new," he said.
Skinner, who drives for Richard Childress, said he didn't see
his teammate, Dale Earnhardt, during a pass at Atlanta Motor
Speedway on March 12, and cut off The Intimidator. Earnhardt still
went on to win the race.
"Maybe I can see him a little better this week if it happens
again," Skinner said.
Skinner finished 14th in the Mall.com 400.
Pit stops ...
Terry Labonte, who finished 11th, extended his modern day NASCAR with his 641st straight start. ... Darrell Waltrip, whose last Winston Cup victory came here in the Southern 500 eight years ago, kept up a string of futility at the track he used to dominate. Waltrip was behind the wall by lap 95. He returned to finish 43rd. Only once in his past 10 Darlington races has Waltrip made the top 20. ... Ray Evernham, Jeff Gordon's former crew chief, was acting as a consultant to Bill Elliott's team at Darlington. Evernham and Gordon teamed for five victories here.
Elliott will drive for Evernham's Dodge team next season. ... Bobby
Labonte finished 13th, ending a streak of top-10 placings that
began in Richmond, Va., last September. | |
ALSO SEE
Ward Burton ends frustrating 4½ years with Darlington win
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