Converted school bus campers hand painted to match a favorite driver's car. "Show your BLEEP" scrawled in black marker on a piece of cardboard. Usually the cardboard contained a case of beer in a previous life. Confederate flags hanging limp on makeshift PVC poles. The ubiquitous blue tarps protecting pale white skin from the Pee Dee sun and rain. Overwrought fans. Overflowing portable toilets. Overweight, underdressed women.
Welcome to the infield at Darlington Raceway in the 1980s. I was there a few times back in my wasted youth. I've heard the stories about the Talladega infield, but I haven't seen it firsthand, like Darlington. I'll still put Darlington's notorious infield up against anyplace else's. I don't recall the cops or guards ever stopping any activities at Darlington.
It was like a two night, three day, rock festival with a couple of high speed, roundy rounds thrown in to keep the inmates occupied for a few hours. There's nothing quite like waking up in a K-Mart lawn chair covered in dew. I hope it was dew. Stand in line to take a shower, or stay in camp and drink a few Busch beers for breakfast? That line was too long anyway.
***Side note on the Darlington infield shower shack. It was a cinder block, flat roofed box about 12'x12'. One shower for men, one for women. The shack was originally built in the 1950s to be used as a temporary jail for any overexuberant customers. It was built a couple of days before the race. Sure enough the cops put some partiers in there the night before the race. When Andy and Barney came back the next morning to release their prisoners there was a hole in the wall, and an empty cell. According to infield legend, the mortar used on the block jail hadn't hardened completely, and the thirsty prisoners kicked their way to early freedom.***
South Carolina being such a forward thinking state, even back then, didn't allow beer sales on Sunday. So when you entered the infield for the weekend you better be packing, and ready for company. Of course, back then, we never did a lot of pre-planning, so Sunday beer was at a premium. Hard to believe a six-pack of Busch cost $1.99 back then, and we still didn't ever carry enough.
You could see anything in the Darlington infield back then. Girls in the men's room. Drunks passed out under their trucks, for the whole race. Fans standing on top of the family sedan to see the race, and stomping a large bird bath in the roof. Homemade wooden scaffolding that looked like something off of Donkey Kong. Shirtless, sunburned, Levis wearing drunks stumbling along lost. And, that was just the girls.
The SC Highway Patrol should give seminars on how to move 50,000 people out on three two lane roads in an hour. Every road leaving the track will be going one way, both lanes. When the trooper points for you to turn, you turn. Don't try and stop to let him know that you actually want to go the other way. He ain't hearing it. Keep moving.
No one was ever left behind. We were all back at work the next day. Sunburned, hoarse, and hungover. Looking back now I'm glad I went, but don't think I could go through it again. But, it sure was fun for a young man. Ahh, good times.
My buddies and I were big on the drags. Hot weekends at the spring Smokers meet north of Bakersfield, the Winternationals in Pomona, the Supernationals at the old Ontario Speedway... Night time Funny Car races at Orange County International Raceway and Saturday nights at the old Lions Drag Strip in LA... Walking in with two cases of iced down Coors... Wearing your colors. Cheering till you could hardly speak, and oh the young California hotties...
i saw jeff gordon win a southern500 there once. there was a mens washroom i went in, it was a blocked room and you pee against the wall. your urine would run down the wall and into a trough that went around the rooms floor like a moat. i have never seen anything that primitive in all my life, but boy did i have to go and it fit the bill.
Hi, Lori....I was working near Darlington then---little town called Cheraw SC---on my way home on Friday, I did stop to see qualifying. I believe the 3 HMS cars qualifyed 1-2-3. Gordon, T. Labonte, and Schrader.
Hanahan ~ yep, I did go. I was living in Virginia Beach and drove down. That is the only one I've been to there. Honestly, I don't remember who won, (I could look it up, but what's the fun in that! LOL) but remember there was an abundant amount of cautions - like 17? 13? Anyways, it was a great time.
kris...sorry for the visuals over oatmeal. I'll keep that in mind for future posts. When I was at Lowes--in the stands--a couple of years ago, we were checking out the infield with binoculars. They do it up right at LMS.
They lay plywood across several truck racks and create a floor about 24'x32'. Then they add the living room furniture...couches, lazy-boys, big screen TVs, even end tables with working lamps.
Underneath one of these elevated media rooms there was even a pool table! Free standing neon palm trees were the must have infield accessory that year.
s2dsayer...I have to give credit to you. Your Richmond post yesterday was so funny, and it reminded me of the good old days. That's what gave me this idea. Thanks.
You're 1st and 3rd paragraphs pretty much describe my entire campground experiences at Charlotte for the Coke 600. Wish I had been around to see Darlington in the 80's. Of course I don't really remember much about that whole decade, except for a lot Bud, Seagram's and Bacardi.
moseby...the 80s were a fun decade. Except for the bad haircuts and bad bands. Or, bad bands with bad haircuts---Flock of Seagulls, anyone---?
Hearing that qualifying may get rained out tomorrow. A friend of mine is an exec with Pepsi in Florence, SC. He's at a special Pepsi mgmt only event with Jr. today at the Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach. Maybe I'll hear some good stuff later tonight.
Man I hope there is no rain on Saturday. Really like that track as a night race.
I remember all the great bands that I saw in the 80's - AC/DC, Stones, Who, Springsteen, VH and Thorogood, Ozzy, Kix and Cinderella. BUT, I still have ticket stubs to the ones I don't remember seeing, like Poison, Whitesnake and Dokken. Yikes!
YeeMum...It was sort of like a bike rally without the bikes. I'd say half bike rally, half rock festival, half block party, and half stock car race. Too many halves? I knew that skipping the third grade would come back to haunt me.
YM...you mentioned it last week. I just wanted to check it out. I just left another comment on your Lion's post. Sorry that they have to play my Jaguars this year.B^(
Hanahan--Reminds me of everyday at the bacholor pad me and my brother shaered ---Good times---
Like the bird bath line in the roof of the car..I tryed to jump off the roof onto mt dads 1978 malibu station wagon dint take the morning dew into consideration before I jumped hit the car both feet instantly where above mt head from slipping on the dew--I still cant sit for to long my dad wore out his leather belt with his name engaved in it..I had welps that said Bill ..great scribble made me feel like I was there with you in the bush light line..
J Dub...you musta thought you were Colt Seaver. My old man had that same kind of BLEEP up cowboy belt.
The car roof happened right next to us one year. Three necks stood on top of their AMC Javelin---it was a nice car---and jumped up and down til it was caved in. They had to lay down in the front seat and push up with their arms and legs to get the roof to go up far enough so they could drive it home.
Back in the day, primitive out houses,infield chaos, wild half nude over weight women, beer cans every where,Dixie flags flying every where, and a race to boot. I remember those days I think.
What sticks out in my mind mostly was meeting Cale Yarboro and Jr Johnson once at Darlington in the 80s. We had a P.R. gal from Kmart that got us tickets for the races when they used to co sponsor the K&K insurance car.
Ah Myrtle Beach and the Hard Rock Cafe (Don't think it was called that back then). That was my favorite hang outs. Loved the bands that played there. I think ALABAMA got their start playing at one of the arenas that hosted bands near the beach.
photogr...Yeah, I remember about half of what went on back then. I remember when Alabama was the house band at The Bowery in Myrtle Beach. Saw them there right before they hit it big. Thanks.
