Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington

The 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 will take place this Saturday night at the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The track is well noted for providing one of the biggest challenges on the Sprint Cup schedule and drivers are geared up and looking ready to race.

The 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 will take place this Saturday night at the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The track is well noted for providing one of the biggest challenges on the Sprint Cup schedule and drivers are geared up and looking ready to race.

The Dodge Challenger 500 has been providing auto racing fans with plenty of excitement since its inception in 1957 as a 300 mile race known as the Rebel 300. Though the length and name of the race has changed repeatedly over the years, it would seem it is now firmly set as the ‘Dodge Challenger 500′ with a set length of 500 miles. The main reason for this is that the race plays an important role in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series. The race takes place every year during the Confederate Memorial Day weekend and so fans can really splash out and make a day of it.

At present the Darlington race track is a 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval. The track is known for being tricky since its racing surface is narrow and the groove is situated right up against the wall. This means that just a slight miscalculation on the part of the driver could leave the car with some dents and scrapes. This year the action is bound to be even more exciting than before with the Darlington track having been recently repaved. The procedure has given drivers a firmer footing that has brought about a number of record speeds during the test rounds. The improvement in the surface of the track means that drivers can reach speeds of almost 200 mph as they head down the straights. With speeds increasing so rapidly, drivers are faced with even more challenges than usual and fans are sure to see plenty of nail-biting action during the actual races on race day.

The current top twelve for the race are: Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne. The change in surface and the difficulty of the track makes it virtually impossible to try and predict the outcome of this year’s race. If you want to be the first in line to know who wins, you should get your tickets at the speedway ticket office or online from TicketsNow.