Confederate 100

by Mark Malmkar (Author). READ SAMPLE

They called the racetrack at Darlington “The track to tough to tame – the Lady in Black.”

In April of 1966, Vic Karras found out for himself how tough the track was. The NASCAR race that day was called the Rebel 400. Four hundred grueling miles of noise, heat, distractions, vibrations, pit stops, worn tires and over thirty other drivers gunning for the same path around the egg shaped oval.

His car was a 1964 Ford – a hand-me-down from another race team. They painted it gray, painted a rebel flag on each door and numbered it 100. The engine mechanic guaranteed the new 427 engine to last 400 miles. As that goal, and the finish line got closer, Vic wasn’t so sure.

When a driver lost control and side swiped the twin Armco guard rails, it was said that he got his ‘Darlington Stripe,’ dents and scratched paint on the right side. Early in the race Vic Karras earned his ‘Darlington Stripe.’ It got worse from there.