Stars & Stripes

One of NASCAR’s great inevitabilities is the Darlington Stripe, defined simply as a driver whose car makes contact with the wall at Darlington Raceway. It’s a rite of passage for rookies. No driver can say they’ve raced at Darlington until they’ve earned a stripe, and seldom does one come without another. Rest assured, AJ will earn his stripes this weekend. Darlington is also known as "The Lady in Black" and she bowed down to BV in 2003. The second of three victories in his championship Busch Series season came at Darlington when BV (in a Hendrick #5) slipped, slid and slithered around the 1.33-mile, egg-shaped track that’s famous for digesting large amounts of rubber in one sitting. BV admits he has a crush on Darlington as it is his favorite of all NASCAR tracks,. Even more than Talladega?

For the full scoop on Darlington, read this week's website feature.