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DARLINGTON, S.C. (Aug. 25, 2009) – Open-wheel racing legend Johnny Rutherford has signed on to be a featured guest at the upcoming Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts announced raceway president, Chris Browning. Rutherford, a three-time Indianapolis 500 Champion, will participate in a question and answer session and autograph session with fans. “Having Johnny Rutherford, a three-time Indy 500 Champion, at the Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts will be a special treat for our fans,” said Browning. “Victories in racing’s most prestigious events will be well represented with our current schedule of legends with nine Southern 500 victories, seven Daytona 500 victories and three Indy 500 victories between Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, Ned Jarrett, Junior Johnson, Marvin Panch and Johnny Rutherford.” Although best known for his Indy racing accolades, Rutherford is no stranger to stock cars. Rutherford posted 35 starts in what is now the Sprint Cup Series with two starts at Darlington scoring a best finish of 28th in the 1981 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500. Rutherford also started two races for legendary car owner and South Carolina native Bud Moore at Daytona during the 1964 season. Moore and Rutherford will be reunited at Darlington for the autograph and Q&A sessions during the Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts on Saturday, September 26. The event will also give Rutherford the opportunity to be reunited with one of his former cars. Vintage racing enthusiast Bob McConnell owns the 1963 Watson Roadster once driven by Rutherford and will have the care on display throughout the event weekend. The Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 26-27. The event will offer fans two days of excitement featuring question and answer sessions with racing legends, exhibition laps by over 100 historic race cars including stock cars, Indy roadsters, midgets and modifieds, autograph sessions, a large display and vendor area, car corrals, and a variety of other activities. Darlington Raceway or the track “Too Tough to Tame” as it is known to many, is where the purest of NASCAR competition meets true southern hospitality. A NASCAR staple since 1950, Darlington Raceway has seen some of motorsports most talented drivers thunder to Victory Lane . In 2009, a NASCAR tradition, the Southern 500®, returned to Darlington Raceway as part of the famed track’s celebration of 60 Seasons of Racing. Don’t miss the 2009 Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts. The event will feature something for the entire family. Tickets for the event are $15 per day or $25 for the entire weekend, kids age 12 and under will be admitted free and each admission includes access to the garage and infield area. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Darlington Raceway ticket office at 843-395-8802 or online at http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/tickets/. The following is the schedule of question and answer sessions and autograph sessions during the Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts.
Saturday, September 26
Q & A Session
11:00 am – 12:00 pm--Cale Yarborough & Junior Johnson
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm--Johnny Rutherford & Bud Moore
Autograph Sessions
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm--Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, Marvin Panch, Ray Fox
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm--Ned Jarrett, Charlie Glotzbach, Reb Wickersham
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm--Johnny Rutherford, Bud Moore, Waddell Wilson
Sunday, September 27
Q & A Session
11:00 am – 12:00 pm--David Pearson & Leonard Wood
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm--Humpy Wheeler & Jim Hunter
Autograph Sessions 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm--David Pearson , Leonard Wood, Marvin Panch, Charlie Glotzbach
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm--Donnie Allison & Rex White
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm--Humpy Wheeler & Jim Hunter
* Schedule tentative and subject to change.
Guests must have a wristband to access autograph sessions. A limited number of wristbands for that day’s autograph sessions can be obtained beginning at 10:00 am each day adjacent to the garage entrance. Only one wristband per person will be given out.Legends will sign only one item per person.
DARLINGTON, S.C. (July 7, 2009) – O’Reilly Auto Parts, a leading retailer of automotive parts and accessories, has been signed as the presenting sponsor for the second annual Darlington Historic Racing Festival, announced track president Chris Browning.
The Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 26-27. The event will offer fans two days of excitement featuring question and answer sessions with racing legends, exhibition laps by over 100 historic race cars including stock cars, Indy roadsters, midgets and modifieds, autograph sessions, a large display and vendor area, car corrals, and a variety of other activities.
“O’Reilly Auto Parts has been a great partner since coming on board in 2008,” said Browning. “We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with O’Reilly Auto Parts with the presenting sponsorship of the Darlington Historic Racing Festival.”
“Our partnership with Darlington Raceway has been very successful,” said Wes Wise, Director of Marketing for O’Reilly Auto Parts. “The Darlington Historic Racing Festival gives us a great opportunity to expand our relationship and offer discounted tickets to the event to O’Reilly customers; it is a win-win for everyone.”
Discounted one-day tickets for the event can be purchased at participating O’Reilly Auto Parts stores in the Charlotte, North Carolina and Greenville, Columbia and Florence, South Carolina areas beginning on August 24 for only $10, a $5 discount off the regular price. Children age 12 and under will be admitted to the event for free. Each admission includes access to the garage and infield area.
Darlington Raceway or the track “Too Tough to Tame” as it is known to many, is where the purest of NASCAR competition meets true southern hospitality. A NASCAR staple since 1950, Darlington Raceway has seen some of motorsports most talented drivers thunder to Victory Lane . In 2009, a NASCAR tradition, the Southern 500®, returned to Darlington Raceway as part of the famed track’s celebration of 60 Seasons of Racing.
Don’t miss the 2009 Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts. The event will feature something for the entire family. Tickets for the event are $15 per day or $25 for the entire weekend, kids age 12 and under will be admitted free and each admission includes access to the garage and infield area. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Darlington Raceway ticket office at 843-395-8802 or online at http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/tickets/.
DARLINGTON, S.C. (July 20, 2009) – The entry list for the Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts continues to grow with the latest additions coming from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum in Speedway, Indiana. The museum will send three cars to Darlington Raceway for the two-day festival planned for September 26-27. All three cars raced at Darlington Raceway in the 1950’s, with one car, a 1950 Russo-Nichels Special, thundering to victory at Darlington . “Having these three Indy cars at Darlington for the Historic Racing Festival is special because all three have raced here,” said track President, Chris Browning. “With the history these cars have at Darlington they will be a centerpiece of this event and will be on display in our Moment in Time tent for the entire weekend.” The three cars on display from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum will include:
The Russo-Nichels Special was actually built in the basement of the Hammond , Indiana home of its driver, Paul Russo by Russo and his chief mechanic, Ray Nichels. It had to be partially dismantled in order to be removed, earning the nickname, "Basement Bessie." By the time of the final AAA Championship race of the year, at the brand-new Darlington Raceway , Russo was trying to make a comeback after being sidelined with an arm injury. In the meantime, 1950 Indianapolis winner Johnnie Parsons, delayed by travel woes, arrived to discover that another driver was in his car. Russo and Nichels decided to turn "Basement Bessie" over to Parsons and the unlikely combination won the Darlington race.
Jimmy Bryan finished third in the 1954 Darlington 200, driving the same Dean Van Lines Special with which he had finished second at Indianapolis five weeks earlier. These finishes were quite remarkable in that the Eddie Kuzma-built Offenhauser-powered car was designed for use on dirt tracks. Bryan did win five dirt track races in 1954, including the last four in succession to capture the 1954 AAA National title by a huge margin.
Built primarily for dirt tracks, the Wolcott Special was driven by Rodger Ward in the 1956 Darlington 200. Seen in the attached photo at Indianapolis that May, the driver is Len Sutton, who would end up as Ward's teammate in the one-two finish by the Leader Card team at Indianapolis in 1962. Behind Sutton are fellow "500" drivers Clark "Shorty" Templeman and Jack Turner, plus the famed radio broadcaster, Sid Collins, "The Voice of the 500." The Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 26-27. The event will offer fans two days of excitement featuring question and answer sessions with racing legends, exhibition laps by over 100 historic race cars including stock cars, Indy roadsters, midgets and modifieds, autograph sessions, a large display and vendor area, car corrals, and a variety of other activities. Darlington Raceway or the track “Too Tough to Tame” as it is known to many, is where the purest of NASCAR competition meets true southern hospitality. A NASCAR staple since 1950, Darlington Raceway has seen some of motorsports most talented drivers thunder to Victory Lane . In 2009, a NASCAR tradition, the Southern 500®, returned to Darlington Raceway as part of the famed track’s celebration of 60 Seasons of Racing. Don’t miss the 2009 Darlington Historic Racing Festival presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts. The event will feature something for the entire family. Tickets for the event are $15 per day or $25 for the entire weekend, kids age 12 and under will be admitted free and each admission includes access to the garage and infield area. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Darlington Raceway ticket office at 843-395-8802 or online at http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/tickets/.
NOTE: Photos of cars attached. Please credit Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
For more information contact: Jake Harris, Darlington Raceway Public Relations, 843-395-8823