In the context of NASCAR history, the playoffs -- and the idea of a 10-race battle for the championship in general -- are still a fairly recent development. Introduced in 2014 and building off an idea first implemented in 2004, the NASCAR playoffs are a reflection of the modern state of stock car racing and a sport that, for better or worse, is trying to compete for national attention in the greater sports landscape. It's ironic, then, that the playoffs start with perhaps the single most time-honored tradition in all of NASCAR.

Before NASCAR could even dare to dream of a Daytona 500, much less being the most popular form of racing in all of America, there was Darlington Raceway and the Southern 500. First held in 1950, the Southern 500 was brought about as Darlington resident Harold Brasi

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