Last Lap of the Last Southern 500

[Bevo2455]

2003 was the last Southern 500. If it's not on Labor Day weekend, it's not the Southern 500. Thank you, Brian France, for screwing over everything that your father and grandfather built. Thanks for thinking about us fans, too!!

[WhiteHatBobby]

The spring race has always been the Rebel, originally a 300-mile Convertible race run on Confederate Memorial Day (May 10) that became a 400-mile race (1963-73, 1994-2004), 450-mile race (1974), and a 500-mile race (1975-1993, 2005-present). The Rebel 500 shouldn't be abused either.

[retroguy1976]

they still got the southren 500 its just not laor day weekend anymore

[406590]

@retroguy1976 the darlington race now is not the southern 500 its just called that

[MrSpeed427]

Fail much? It was the last time it was called the Southern 500 until 2009, but it was still considered the Southern 500, its just that NASCAR relies so much on sponsorship. It was the Dodge Charger 500 in 2006, the Dodge Avenger 500 from 2007-2008, the Southern 500 in 2009, and its now called the Showtime Southern 500.

[Sportsgamer92]

They have a Southern 500 at Darlington don't they?

[cookieacdc24]

@Sportsgamer92 yea they do now but it isent really the same cause its not in fall 

[kasey9fan]

Jimmie Johnson is a pos.

[fatriani]

this doesnt even count as the real last one because it was at night. terry labonte won the real final southern 500

[SaintBEEP]

i agree, a race needs to be exciting, same wit hchampionships, not just Jimmie Johnson always wins, although they do remind you of Jeff Gorden and ray Everham but either way.

[cookieacdc24]

@SaintBEEP but remember this gordon was dominate all year he didnt hav the chase 2 dominate in while jimmie just wins a few races and wrecks alot at the start of the year and then is near flawless in the chase

[crbassassin]

fucking car dropped on the air hose

[AJLOGSDON5]

i was there off of turn 2

[tarheelboy05]

Thet need to move the race to labor day now the southren 500 isnt the same if its not on labor day

[NASCAR48Fan1]

Yes, It will be called the Southern 500 but it will not be on labor day

[coachbo24]

Not the last Southern 500 anymore. I know it isn't Labor Day but at least they have the name right.

[Crisgo3d]

NASCAR needs to accept the fact that NASCAR has gotten as big as it has. It cannot get any bigger. Now they are stuck with tracks like California, Texas and others that cannot sell out. The quality of racing has gone down and attendance has gone down. Its time to go back to the roots and only cater to the REAL fans

[RichieWilliams97]

If Martin had about 10 more laps, he would have caught Johnson.

[ballsthatclank]

Gordon's crew cost him this race.

[JGordonisone]

not only that, it costed him the championship. :/

[rig48]

thats true........cause he had a great car that night.

[Browntown12]

Unimpressive.

[TheUBFunkeys]

f*** jimmie johnson

[darlington24fan]

Gordon should've won that race if the jackman didnt drop the car on the air hose! oh well, still great race! I love Darlington!

[djv2448]

ahhhhh ahhhhhh ahhhhh Choo Riverside

[fireandflames18]

The race that cost Jeff the championship. It pissed all us Gordon fans off that his pit crew fucked up

[ballsthatclank]

Gordon should've won this race.

His idiot pit crew cost him the race.

[combatking08]

Cali has failed to saleout every year it has been on the scheduale. Bring back the southern 500 BRAIN FRANCE!!!!!!!

[JRracing0116]

1. Big Bill Sr. Is turin over in his grave because of what brain has done

2. Kill Brain France n we will bring back great racing

3. All fans force atlanta TO GIVE UP THE LABOR DAY RACE N BRING BACK THE SOUTHERN 500!

[Robman275]

This years race will be called Southern 500 (look on the official website) and they can't and won't move it back to Labour Day weekend. I can't remember why but there was an article on Nascar(dot)com about it. It was apparantly considered but proved to not be a fesible option.

They announced the return of the Southern 500 a few months back, before the end of the last season.

[JRracing0116]

yea i knew that it was gonna be called the soutern 500 again but y isnt it possable.....n dont give me crap like money wise idc nascar needs to preseve tradtion not kill it!

[Robman275]

hate to tell youu but i think money was the reason. From what i can remember in the article, the labour day race was losing A LOT of money. That's why there's now only 1 Darlington race instead of 2 and why they dropped Southern 500 and had sponsers (I.E Dodge Charger 500). It was either that or it looked like they'd have to close.

Also Atlanta hasn't got the labour day race now. Talladega has, they've changed the race schedule. Look it up, it's interesting. Atlanta isn't even in the Chase now.

[JRracing0116]

no i thought that moved atlanta to labor day n california gets the old Talladega spot n then talladega has the old atlanta spot....

[Robman275]

ah well forgive me, being English i don't know when your Labour day is. I assumed that Atlanta was already on Labour day and Talladega got it.

Your right on everything else though.

Just for for future reference, when is labour day?

[JRracing0116]

oo well r labor day is in september

[3fan4eva]

If Bill France Sr. was alive today he woulda hit Brian France upside the head. The Southern 500 was one of the last NASCAR traditions from the early bootlegging days of the sport. Too damn bad they replaced this with California...if it was all up to France he would give all places beside California one race and give California 10 or so races.....BRING BACK THE SOUTHERN 500

[KKFan9]

I totally fucking agree. While were at it, bring back Rockingham. Hell bring back Wilkesboro too =]

[3fan4eva]

hopefully Rockingham will be back since Andy Hillenburg bought it....I would love to see N. Wilksboro....I started watching in 98 and never saw that track....no offense to the people of Pocono and New Hampshire but take their 2nd race and give one to each

[KKFan9]

I agree on that with Rockingham and such, but I think we should at least keep Pocono. Pocono, no mater how boring it is, its a tough track, and in my opinion, for you to be a NASCAr champ, you gotta prove you can race and win at any type of track, so Pocono stays on, but New Hampshire is too generic, like a bigger Martinsville. In my opinion, keep Pocono but take a race away from New Hampshire.

[charger778]

EXACTLY......we have sponsored historical races.....foreign name plates....where have we gone???? all you have to do is refer to the race by their old name. if everyone did that, the sponsor would feel there is no point in sponsoring because the people arent gettin the ad and they will pull out of sponsoring the event.

[slowasss]

Sorry but IMHO Sr was just as greedy and would approve of what has happened.

[3fan4eva]

I dont think so.....Sr would of never let NASCAR become they way it became

[slowasss]

Obviously this is all speculation and opinion but let me explain. I based what I said on what I've read about the history of NASCAR and how Sr ran the business from day one. BF Sr and his greed brought stock car racing from very humble beginnings to a respected sport so I'm not saying he was all bad. What I am saying is that he would do whatever it took to make NASCAR profitable and I don't think even the storied Southern 500 would have come before profits.

[3fan4eva]

well I see where your coming from. But I still think even thou how much NASCAR woulda profited Sr. woulda been very pissed that NASCAR has sold themselves the way they have

[cookieacdc24]

@3fan4eva well now they hav the southern 500 but it will never be the same as this

[SaintBEEP]

@3fan4eva Bill France Sr. actually alwasy wanted to move the darlington race out of labour day weekend, but just never got around to it. Bill France would slap Brian upside the head for other reasons.

[dhamlinfan11jgr]

bring back the southern 500

[gadgefan48]

AMEN! The September race at California pales to Labor Day weekend in Darlington, SC