FanHouse Darlington Raceway

Darlington Raceway is trying out the method that most fans think will lead to an increase in ticket sales -- and you can bet that many other NASCAR Sprint Cup tracks will be taking a good hard look at its results.

The 1.366-mile South Carolina track will roll back its ticket prices up to $31 per seat for next May's Southern 500 at the track built in 1950, according to the Associated Press, in an effort to bring fill its grandstands.

Last season, track president Chris Browning said "The Lady in Black" came within 3,000 seats of recording another sellout of its Saturday night race, despite a local area swamped with unemployment.

Enjoy a look back at Mark Martin's Southern 500 Darlington win from Saturday night from the angle of Sprint Cup Numbers:

1.531 - Martin's margin of victory, in seconds, over teammate Jimmie Johnson

2 - Wins for Martin at Darlington in 43 career starts

3 - Career 'Did Not Finish' results for Martin at Darlington, each of which was for engine problems

Here's a quick-hitting rewind on all of the happenings from Saturday night's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Yellow Fever - Despite 60 years of racing and 106 Sprint Cup Series events at Darlington Raceway, never had the field combined to create as many caution flags as it did Saturday night. The yellow waved 17 times for 73 laps, upping the previous record from 15 cautions.

The number of caution flags wasn't a record though as a race in 1995 had 12 cautions for 94 laps, a race in 1977 had 6 cautions for 93 laps, and one in 1974 with 11 cautions for 101 laps.

Where: Darlington Raceway
Time: Saturday 7:20 p.m./EDT
TV/Radio: FOX Sports, MRN Radio
Twitter: In-race updates at FanHouseRacing
Forecast: 64 degrees, 20% chance of storms
Distance: 367 laps (500.1 miles)
Pole Winner: Matt Kenseth
2008 Winner: Kyle Busch

NASCAR's gettin' used to this two day show format, it would seem. Both this weekend's action at Darlington Raceway and last weekend's run at Richmond have been run in a quick and simple two day pattern.

Jump in as FanHouse's Holly Cain and Geoffrey Miller go Wheel2Wheel about Darlington, Kyle Busch's audacious goals and the oh-so-lovable Goodyear.

Does NASCAR need more tracks with unusual character like Darlington and what do you think about re-naming the spring event the "Southern 500"?

Geoffrey Miller: Frankly, I'm a little confused. It's not Labor Day weekend, tropical storms aren't brewing off the South Carolina coast and the heat index in Darlington this weekend won't be anywhere near triple digits. Why then, in the name of Richard Petty, is it time for the Southern 500?

This doesn't make up for a lack of NASCAR racing at the speedway over Labor Day weekend, but the new retro look at Darlington Raceway is certainly a good look.

Darlington, site of Saturday night's wannabe Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com -- don't forget that GoDaddy or Danica will go after you -- has drawn up an old-time logo and repainted its walls to commemorate the track's 60th anniversary.

And if I must say so myself, the alternating red-and-white paint job around the track [photos below] isn't such a bad idea for a track that with the history and character of Darlington.

Is Dale Earnhardt Jr. following in his father's footsteps and joining Richard Childress Racing at age 32?

Boston FOX affiliates are reporting exclusively that RCR has finalized a deal with Junior and that an announcement could come as early as tomorrow.

There was a lot of bogus reporting (not by FOX) the other night, so ... take that for what it's worth.

Childress does have a press conference scheduled at Darlington Raceway Friday morning, which could be about ... anything.

So fans, how do you feel about splitting the #8 down middle and turning it into a #33?

What's it like being Tony Stewart's mother?

Pam Boas says it depends on the day and what her son has said on his radio show.

One thing's for sure, he was taught to always be honest and he took the lesson to heart:

"We taught Tony that if you stretch the truth, it will come back to you, or us. And if it comes back to us, it's going to get to you. Maybe that's why Tony is so brutally honest. That's the way he was raised, to tell the truth. Maybe we should have spent a little more time on tact."

Nah. We love him just the way he is.

Thanks, Ma.

Track officials at the egg-shaped Darlington Speedway announced this week that this Saturday night's NASCAR Nextel Cup event has sold out for the third straight year. Which, of course, begs the question.

Why, NASCAR, aren't we racing at Darlington on Labor Day? If they can sell it out on Mother's Day weekend...

...well you get the point.

It's good to see the Lady in Black shimmering in some glory. New grandstands, lights, and other capital improvements have all done wonders from the speedway and more are still on the way for one of NASCAR's crown jewels.

It's just gotta make you feel darn good inside to realize that NASCAR fans still understand what a good race track is -- no matter the location.

I'd be down for a Saturday night, Labor Day Weeked, knock-em out,drag-em out Southern 500 for sure. We'll get to that point in baby steps, though, especially if sell-outs keep happening.

50th Daytona 500 Tickets On Sale Tomorrow [May 9]

Tickets will be available for the 2008 edition of the Daytona 500 starting Wednesday morning. The 50th running of the event is sure to be one heckuva spectacle, and if the finish is 20% of this year's race to the checkers, the cost of admission is worth that alone. Get the good ones 'fo they gone.