New surface paves way for super speeds at historic Darlington

NASCAR's original superspeedway has gotten a facelift.

So far it's been a beautiful transformation.

Defending race champ Jeff Gordon is looking forward to a faster Darlington. (AP)

Darlington Raceway first hosted NASCAR in 1950 and the South Carolina track has been a staple of the sport from its very beginning. The 1.366-mile facility is NASCAR's Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Lambeau Field rolled into one and oozes history and tradition.

But it was badly in need of upgrading. Over the past few years improvements have been made, all while management kept in mind the character and legacy of the track.

"What we're trying to do is to take that next step to connect us with our past," said track president Chris Browning. "We want people, as they walk around this place, to read them and get a real feel for what Darlington's all about."

The installation of lights, grandstand upgrades, parking improvements and infield enhancements have all taken place at Darlington in recent years.

But maybe the most drastic change will be unveiled this weekend when drivers get their first chance to race on Darlington's new asphalt surface.

And even that project was done with respect to Darlington's heritage.

"They (the pavers) had four million points of reference to map the track with, and literally they mapped every square yard so they could put it back exactly the way it was," Browning said.

While the layout may be the same, the new surface has already made a radical difference in one area -- speed.

Darlington is now a lightning-fast version of its previous self with recent tire test speeds topping 200 mph.

"It's definitely going to be faster for the first race," said Jeff Gordon, a seven-time Darlington winner and defending Dodge Challenger 500 champ. "It's hard to know what's going to happen in the future.

"I remember when they paved here in 1996, it only took one year before it was back to its old self. It's hard to say if it's going to happen with this repave, but the first race is going to be very fast because of two things, the grip level is high and the track is so smooth."