NASCAR: Throwback Weekend vital to sport's roots

Above: Ryan Blaney and the Wood Brothers' iconic 21 car, with Delano, Len, Leonard and Eddie Wood.

Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway is necessary for NASCAR to honor its roots.

Track president Kerry Tharp stated as much when he spoke during the inaugural Motorsports Symposium at Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, N.C.) Tuesday. Tharp was included on a panel with three executives from top Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams as well as one from NASCAR, and they were given a chance to speak on different aspects of the sport.

When asked how important it is for the sport to showcase – not abandon – its roots, Tharp explained Throwback Weekend serves as a reunion.

"We can't forget the roots (of the sport)," Tharp said. "I'm at a place, for sure, in Darlington, South Carolina, that is right back home in the roots of the sport.

"Throwback Weekend that was developed about three years ago by ISC and others is right in our wheelhouse. Not only is it a celebration of the past, present, and future, it is a reunion type of weekend and getting that Labor Day date back to Darlington was huge. It was huge."

The reunion comes in the sense of family and friends being able to gather for one last hurrah before returning to reality. That could be mean return to work, or school for those with children. In racing, it's a reunion for the sport with its drivers and crew chiefs of the past.

"That's what we're trying to do over at Darlington, make it a reunion, a reunion for the sport," Tharp explained. "Bring back the old drivers and the Hall of Famers. We had about 16 or 17 Hall of Famers all weekend this past Labor Day. But it's also about bringing back some of the former crews. Harry Gant was at our race last year. He hasn't been to a race in years, I'm told, so we want to get these drivers, these crews, that maybe haven't been a part of the sport in a while to come back.

"So we are very, very committed to that. Making this date not only just a throwback weekend, but it needs to be a reunion, and that's what we're trying to do over at Darlington. Make it a reunion for the weekend."

The 2017 season will mark the third year for Throwback Weekend. The era being celebrated is 1985-89, which Tharp believes will be the best yet.

The last two years, aspects of the weekend included teams working with sponsors to run retro-looking paint schemes. Crew members donned clothing from the past. Drivers wore wigs or grew mustaches for an old-school feel. Race and television logos are changed to resemble those from the past. Broadcast legends such as Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett call a portion of the race. Fans are invited to dress the part and food choices at concession stands are a representation of the designated period.

The 1985-89 era in NASCAR saw Darrell Waltrip capture his third championship. Bill Elliott won the first Winston Million. Dale Earnhardt continued his emergence as one of the sport's top stars. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Richard Petty's sole Southern 500 win (1967).

It makes perfect sense to Tharp for the sport to celebrate the drivers and moments of the past with its stars of the present and future.

"I tell people the state of South Carolina has two passions in the fall: College football and Darlington Raceway," Tharp said. "We're right there in the midst of that, and that's what we want to do to honor our past."