Darlington Raceway shows off its history in Myrtle Beach (AUDIO)

**Buck Baker’s #87 Oldsmobile was the first entry in the inaugural Southern 500 in 1950 (Darlington Raceway)**

NASCAR is enjoying a couple of weekends off as the Paris Olympics take center stage in the sports world. However, the staff at Darlington Raceway is hard at work as the countdown ramps up to the 75th annual Cook Out Southern 500 over Labor Day weekend. As part of its promotional blitz, the “Lady in Black” danced down to Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach on Friday to showcase a piece of history.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte, 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski, and Raceway President Josh Harris were on hand at Plyler Park to preview the upcoming race at Darlington.

Adding to the festivities, the first car entered in the 1950 Southern 500—the No. 87 Oldsmobile driven by Buck Baker and owned by Florence resident Bobby Griffin—was also on display. It accompanied two cars from the NASCAR Youth Series Presented by Cook Out, which will also compete at Darlington on Labor Day Weekend.

“Myrtle Beach drives NASCAR fans to Darlington Raceway, and Darlington Raceway drives fans to Myrtle Beach,” Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris explained in a media release. “It was an honor to have Gov. McMaster and two incredible NASCAR ambassadors celebrate that relationship on Friday as we prepare for the 75^th annual Cook Out Southern 500. This is going to be a great race weekend that’s Too Tough to Tame.”

Gov. McMaster addressed the crowd and spent time with Keselowski and Labonte, sharing his appreciation for what Darlington Raceway and NASCAR bring to South Carolina.

“The thing that impresses me the most,” said Gov. McMaster, “it provides a lot of jobs, a lot of money, a lot of happiness for a lot of people, but the demonstration of the competition, the resilience of the drivers, the determination of the drivers, the skill of the drivers in this very, very dangerous, exciting, even thrilling competition, just encapsulates the spirit of our people.”