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it clear he didn't want his minnow pond disturbed and Harold agreed. It took a year to build and pave the egg-shaped oval, but on Labor Day in 1950, Brasington's Darlington Speedway was ready for its first race. Curtis Turner won the pole for the first Southern 500 with an astounding speed in excess of 82 miles per hour. The winner, after more than six hours of competition, was Californian Johnny Mantz, who had qualified slowest in the field. Mantz averaged more than 76 miles per hour in his victory and the rich tradition of Darlington had begun.
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