Busch vs. Busch: Darlington

Kyle Busch

Nationwide: Busch finished seventh in final practice and qualified second to teammate Denny Hamlin. In matching Z-Line cars, they took the front row. However, Busch couldn't keep up with Hamlin. Although he never dropped out of the top 10, he did drop down to eighth around lap 40. He came back and led the race for 17 laps and eventually finished second. This would give Busch his third top-10 finish in seven races at Darlington and his seventh top-10 finish of the season.

Cup: The Cup race was a roller coaster for Busch. He finished sixth and 15th in practices. He then qualified 39th but had to start at the rear of the field (43rd) after going to a backup car. Busch turned his night around, quickly moving through the field. He led twice for 29 laps and at one point was fighting for position with his brother. After the final pit stop, they made adjustments to the car which made it fall back. He ended the race seventh, leaving him third in points.


Kurt Busch

The remainder of this article can be found out examiner.com.

This article was originally published at LV NASCAR Examiner and republished with permission from the author.

Photo courtesy of: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

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Showtime Networks named title sponsor for Southern 500 at Darlington

SHOWTIME SOUTHERN 500 — NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACE
Saturday, May 8, 2010 at Darlington, S.C.

NEW YORK (April 1, 2010) – Showtime Networks Inc. announced a deal with Darlington Raceway to be named the official title sponsor of the Southern 500, becoming one of the only television networks ever to title sponsor a NASCAR event.

The newly branded SHOWTIME Southern 500® is one of the most exciting and anticipated races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.  

The title sponsorship builds on the premium television network’s recent entry into NASCAR. In February, SHOWTIME premiered Inside NASCAR, premium television’s first weekly highlights and analysis show dedicated to auto racing. The network committed 38, one-hour episodes of Inside NASCAR on SHOWTIME (weekly premiere on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT) featuring exclusive narrated highlights and in-depth analysis of every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this season.

“The NASCAR fan is a deeply loyal and passionate one,” said Ken Hershman, executive vice president and general manager of SHOWTIME Sports. “With the launch of the Inside NASCAR series, we were looking to connect with the fans in a meaningful and emotional way, and to affirm our commitment to the NASCAR family. Sponsoring a race at an historic track like Darlington Raceway, one that has hosted all the legends in the sport, was the perfect fit.”

“We are very excited to partner with a company as well known as Showtime,” said Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning. “The timing of this announcement could not be better with the recent launch of their new program Inside NASCAR. From the start, Showtime recognized the value in the Darlington Raceway brand and the significant role the track has played in the history of NASCAR, which we believe makes Darlington the perfect partnership for Showtime.”

As part of the title sponsorship, Showtime has activated a range of marketing and promotional initiatives including a robust presence on the grounds at Darlington Raceway for the Mother’s Day weekend event and the launch of the SHOWTIME Southern 500 Experience Sweepstakes. 

The sweepstakes Grand Prize (http://sports.sho.com/500sweeps to enter) is a VIP trip for two to the SHOWTIME Southern 500 with round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations, VIP access at Darlington Raceway, two Hot Passes, an opportunity to meet and greet the Inside NASCAR talent and access to the SHOWTIME infield suite.

The Grand Prize winner will also be part of the SHOWTIME Southern 500 Gatorade Victory Lane celebration and will be presented with a replica of the coveted SHOWTIME Southern 500 Trophy.
The SHOWTIME Southern 500 Experience sweepstakes launched on Tuesday, March 30, and has an entry deadline of April 23. The Grand Prize winner will be announced on the April 28 edition of Inside NASCAR.

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame.

Don’t miss any of the paint-scraping action at Darlington Raceway in 2010. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series will visit the track on Mother’s Day Weekend, May 7-8, for the SHOWTIME Southern 500® and Darlington 200. The Camping World Truck Series will make its return to Darlington Raceway for first time since 2004 on Aug. 14 for the Too Tough to Tame 200.

Tickets for all three events are on-sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Darlington Raceway ticket office at 866-459-RACE or online at http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/tickets/.

Release courtesy of Darlington Raceway

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Have lunch with Mark Martin at Darlington Raceway

DARLINGTON, S.C. (March 3, 2010) – Darlington Raceway will host a fan luncheon with 2009 Southern 500 winner Mark Martin on March 17, Darlington President Chris Browning announced.

Martin will be in town to promote the upcoming Southern 500 set for May 8. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m., and will include a question and answer session with the two-time Southern 500 Champion moderated by an announcer from the Motor Racing Network.

Fans interested in attending the event must first sign-up at DarlingtonRaceway.com/MarkMartin. The event will be held at the Florence Civic Center and is free of charge. Directions and information about the Florence Civic Center are available on DarlingtonRaceway.com.

“We wanted to create an event we could invite our fans to participate in,” Browning said. “Mark is a fan favorite, and a perfect fit at Darlington because he has such a great appreciation for the history of our sport, and we are really looking forward to hosting this great event.”

Following the question and answer session, five lucky fans and a guest will be selected to attend a meet and greet with Martin.

“Darlington is one of my favorite stops on the schedule. To win the Southern 500 you have to battle the track as well as the other competitors,” Martin said. “The fans that come out and support Darlington are great. I’m really looking forward to hanging out with them on March 17.”

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Darlington Raceway at DarlingtonRaceway.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DarlingtonRaceway and on Twitter at Twitter.com/TooToughToTame.

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 2010, NASCAR’s stars return to battle the track “Too Tough to Tame” in the Sprint Cup Series Southern 500® and Nationwide Series Darlington 200. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will also make a stop at Darlington for the first time since the 2004 season.

The Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series will visit the track on Mother’s Day Weekend, May 7-8, for the Southern 500® and Darlington 200. The Camping World Truck Series will make its return to Darlington Raceway for first time since 2004 on Aug. 14 for the Too Tough to Tame 200. Tickets for all three events are on-sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Darlington Raceway ticket office at 866-459-RACE or online at http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/tickets/.

Release courtesy of Darlington Raceway

Photo from NASCAR Media

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