by Ryan McGee

Updated: May 13, 2006, 4:11 PM EST

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Whenever I come to Darlington, I always forgo the media parking pass, opting to park along Racetrack Road, just outside of Turn 1. I love walking in with the fans along souvenir alley and taking in the sight of the massive front-stretch grandstands that look totally out of place in the middle of the woods. To think about gravel salesman and peanut farmer Harold Brasington driving his own bulldozer through these woods and building a racetrack in the middle of nowhere is a scene straight out of "Field of Dreams."

I once had a conversation with Indy Car legend Johnny Rutherford about Darlington, where he made two of his rare NASCAR starts, both in 1981. Lone Star J.R. got so excited he actually scooted up to the edge of his folding chair in Gasoline Alley and started staring off into space as he talked. "Darlington is the only track that I can compare to Indianapolis. You don't even think of it as a place, but more like a person. It is a privilege to race there, and you feel like you should thank her for letting you do so. There aren't many places in this sport where as you ride along, you can't help but think about the tire tracks that you are following in. It's scary and exciting all at the same time."

And this is from a guy who won the Indy 500 three times.

A few random rambling thoughts for those of you who aren't lucky enough to be here with me today...

Labbe angry, ready for appeal

Slugger Labbe is pissed. Earlier this week, NASCAR announced that Dale Jarrett's crew chief is being slapped with a four-week suspension for a sway-bar violation at Richmond, a rig that would jack the rear end up and put the spoiler in the wind. Two other Cup chiefs have already been hit with similar penalties for two different violations, but Labbe doesn't like being lumped in with "cheaters," in particular Jimmie Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus.

"As soon as I walked into the garage this morning, people were coming up to me and saying 'What's up, Chad?' I told them 'It's Mr. Knaus to you.' Hey, I have to have some sort of fun with it, right?"

Labbe went on to say that he had gone back and read his rulebook "at least 10 times" in preparation for Wednesday's appeal hearing and, at one point, went into boss Robert Yates' office and offered to quit over the whole mess. Stay tuned...

Busch whacks back

One stroll through the Busch Series garage and the growing chasm between the haves and have-nots is as obvious as the Yankees vs. the Royals. "The problem isn't the drivers," one longtime NBS owner told me, "My guy can compete all day against Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick. But I can't compete with Jack Roush and Richard Childress." I'll have a lot more on this coming as we head into Charlotte...

Old mixes with new at Lady in Black

Adding to the aura of a Darlington visit is a couple of recent renovations at the sport's oldest asphalt speedway. At the entrance to what has to be world's oldest continually-functioning pedestrian tunnel, track workers have uncovered a pair of original paint billboard ads on the concrete wall. It is very tempting to think about each of the original 75 — yes 75 — race teams that participated in the inaugural Southern 500 seeing those same signs as they entered the track for the first time back in 1950.

Just above that tunnel is the new Turn 1 Brasington Tower grandstand that nearly hangs over the track to provide an amazing view of the cars barreling out of the front-stretch and climbing the 25-degree banking into the Turn 1 and 2 wall. This is the area of the track where the fabled Darlington Stripe was born as cars will actually lean the right rear corner into the wall to get the best exit move off treacherous Turn 2. An unforeseen but extremely cool side effect of this new grandstand is the noise that it produces if you stand outside the track. Echoes of Goodyear tires squealing against the sandblasted blacktop actually come up off those turns and reverberate off the aluminum stands. It's so loud they manage to drown out the engine noise.

A visit to the NMPA Hall of Fame and Museum on the backstretch lends a truckload of historical perspective on this track. The pudgy "98 Jr." Plymouth that Johnny Mantz drove to victory in 1950 is the type of car this track was built for. The fact that these guys can get a 3400-pound 750 horsepower monster through one lap without wrecking is a modern-day miracle.

Ford furious with Dale's defection

Ford officials are none too pleased with the apparent loss of Dale Jarrett, who announced his decision to join Michael Waltrip Racing Saturday on SPEED. All but two of Jarrett's 32 career Cup wins have come behind the wheel of a blue-ovaled automobile, as did his 1999 Winston Cup title. In addition, Jarrett's father, Ned, won his 1965 Cup title as a Ford factory driver, and Dale Jarrett Ford is one of the largest Ford dealerships in the country, located in Monroe, N.C. about one hour north of Darlington.

Priority number one for the suits in Dearborn? Making sure the rest of their camp stay put, in particular Jarrett's current teammate Elliott Sadler.

Chevy stays happy

On the flipside, smiles abound in the Chevy camp now that Kevin Harvick has been inked at Richard Childress Racing through 2009. Had the 2001 Rookie of the Year jumped ship to Toyota, GM would have lost a marquee name in all three major NASCAR series — Cup, Busch, and Craftsman Truck Series.

'Idol' shocker

First person I saw when I walked into the credential office this morning — American Idol castoff Bucky Covington. "Dude, it is great to be here," he told me, totally meaning every word. "I love NASCAR, and today I don't even have to pay to get in." When I asked him about Chris Daughtry's shocking departure earlier this week, Covington admitted that no one was more shocked than he was … except maybe Daughtry himself. "That look on his face said it all, didn't it? Hey man, been there done that. Nothing fun about it."

Too tough to be a lame duck

But there isn't a single facial expression in or out of the Darlington garage that can compare to those in the track's front office. Darlington Raceway president Chris Browning has spent the last several years swimming up a very difficult stream, both personally and professionally. He was the man at the helm of the North Carolina Speedway when NASCAR pulled The Rock's race date in 2004. International Speedway Corporation, NASCAR's track ownership arm, did the right thing by finding Browning a new job, but many believed he had been handed another sinking ship when he was moved down the road to Darlington. And in the midst of it all, he lost his 10-year old daughter to a fight with bone cancer.

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But two years later, there are more seats than ever at the old track and not a one of them is available for Saturday night's Dodge Charger 500, the quickest sellout in the history of the speedway on Mother's Day weekend no less, a time slot once thought to be a no man's land for track promoters. Life in the ISC world is a constant tug-of-war for corporate dollars, with tracks like Daytona, Chicagoland, and California fighting places like Martinsville and Darlington for a piece of the pie. Through tireless work and boundless hope, Browning has finally managed to pull the rope his way.

When the great history book on the Darlington Raceway is finally written, the current track staff should be given equal billing with legends like Bill Elliott, David Pearson and even track founder Harold Brasington. They have done nothing less than save the sport's grandest old venue.

Remember those ghosts I was telling you about? Thanks to Browning and his army, they're smiling too.

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Ryan McGee is the managing editor at NASCAR Images. He can be reached at his e-mail address: rmcgee@foxsports.com.