# Darlington HO Raceway



## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Some of the chat regulars know I purchased my first routed track last summer, an oval, from TKO tracks. Anyway, after sitting on the project since about June waiting for a friend to get some free wood from work, I finally said enough is enough, time to just buy the dang wood and get things rolling.

This is Darlington HO Raceway's story.

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The 'real' 1:1 Darlington Raceway is in South Carolina and is the first NASCAR superspeedway.

The track was to be an oval, but ended up egg-shaped when the turn on one end of the track had to be tightened up in order to preserve a pond on the property. Just one of many interesting stories from Darlington's birth.

Some pics for the guys who like visuals:









Some cars from the Joe Weatherly stock car museum on the speedway grounds.









A Wood Brothers Mercury and Carl Edwards' 2009 Ford Fusion did demonstration laps last year on a media day.

More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

In working with Todd from TKO tracks, we were able to plan a track that incorporated several things I wanted in a Darlington replica.

First was the shape, and the banking:









Next, I wanted the outer walls to be close enough to hit, but not so close that you can just lay on them and hold the throttle open. My short oval is good for this, so I sent Todd the following pics in an e-mail so he could figure distance from the slot to the wall, and get an idea of what I was looking for:

















More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Since this is a custom track, I also altered the lane spacing. I went with wider Tyco spacing on the tight end, and closer Tomy spacing on the wide end. I felt like the tighter spacing in the big end would mimic Darlington pretty well as the cars are running fast and close to the wall on that end of the track, and that is where they typically brush the fence and pick up a "Darlington Stripe."

I told Todd to work it out to fit a 5' x 12' area, and this is what he came up with:









I signed off on the plan, and Todd had it cut & shipped out within about 3 weeks.

This old bar pool table is never used, and came with the house, occupying a large area of slot cave. This is the perfect place for the track, and a great way to cover this old POS up.









My friend Mike helped me pick up some 4' x 8' sheets of 1/2" plywood with his pick-up truck, and hung around to help me cut them down to 4' x 6' for the table top. Three sheets will make up the table.









More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

I ended up framing out the bottom of the sheets with 1" x 2"s. I know all the table builders are wincing right now, but you have to understand: I wanted to use something lighter like furring strips but I am in Home Cheapo with a buddy on a Sunday, he is helping me out, and I can't find a single straight piece in the pile of crap that is the 'indoor lumber yard.' So, the 1" x 2"s were plentiful and I was able to find 10 of them straight enough to be used for the project:









Three of these will cover the pool table nicely:









I am doing the legs for the table in the same fashion that I did them for my big road course, as it has worked out very well and is very sturdy (plus I had a batch of 2" x 4"s left over from that project).

Basically, I start by framing out the size of the table top with 2" x 4"s, in this case 4' x 6.' Then, I use 4 more 2" x 4"s as legs, screwed into the inside of the frame. The pool table was 35" high, so I made my legs 36" high. I use scrap 2" x 4" to elevate the frame, that is what you are seeing with the little block at the right side:









More in a minute.


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*'doba... really?*

You and I _BOTH_ know this isn't what you really want. Give it some more thought and order again. In the meantime, just pack this one up and send it to me. I'll keep it out of sight so you are not constantly reminded of it ( I hate when that happens ). Not sure what I'll do with it... maybe I'll set up a pool table on it. Anything to help a friend.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

The top of the table legs will fit inside the frame under the table top. Since the basement is angled toward the floor drain, I needed a trick to easily level the table top sections in case things don't quite line up. When I built these legs for my big track, I used screws in the top of the leg as a way to adjust the height:










This is kind of a full view shot of what is happening right here:









So I built two leg frames for my table tops and ran out of 2" x 4"s -- I need to pick up two more -- but so far the table tops are spot-on:










Tomorrow I will try to get the two boards I need to finish the table, then it will be time to get the track up there and see what I need to do next.

:wave:


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Nice progress!!! AND, if you don't like the track, and wind up sending it to me because Nuther doesn't have room for it, 
you'll have a heck of a buffet table. :thumbsup:


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

NTxSlotCars said:


> Nice progress!!! AND, if you don't like the track, and wind up sending it to me because Nuther doesn't have room for it,
> you'll have a heck of a buffet table. :thumbsup:


Pass up the chance to have a pool table??... Not likely. Minnisoda 'Nuther


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Amazing job there.

Thats gonna be a freaking blast!!!!

Are sponge tires better for the little drifting your looking for? Opposed to sillycone? And I asume you'll be running the faster cars?


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## rideinstile (Dec 26, 2007)

WOW you're good at this. Thanks for the ideas. I've found that if you buy pine boards that are like a 1x2, buy them in a bundle of 10, they stay straight, then don't open them up until you are ready for all of them. I have to do something better for our table, you're giving me ideas!!! Thanks.


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

That's gonna be a nice track, banked on both ends, Oh yea!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: The tighter spacing will make it interesting on the passing game. Wish I was closer!!! RM


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Hilltop Raceway said:


> That's gonna be a nice track, banked on both ends, Oh yea!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: The tighter spacing will make it interesting on the passing game. Wish I was closer!!! RM


Me 2. You know, I just couldn't sleep last night. I love oval racing, and I kept thinking about the different challenges this track would present. The different radiuseses, the tight lanes, and long straights. Man, I bet this is gonna be one great track to race on!!! What a well thought out design Doba!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: 

Road trip!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## coach61 (Sep 6, 2004)

NTxSlotCars said:


> Nice progress!!! AND, if you don't like the track, and wind up sending it to me because Nuther doesn't have room for it,
> you'll have a heck of a buffet table. :thumbsup:


No send it here, Rich lives to close to Dallas and it will just get stolen on him...


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## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

Good looking track Doba. It's also, an oval , my favorite type of racing .

As usual it appears your doing an excellent job attending to all nessessary details.

Good luck and enjoy !

Gonzo:thumbsup:


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Thanks for all the kind words guys -- I've never had anything but sectional track so this whole deal is new for me. Thankfully some of the table stuff I can still use from prior experience!

I made some more progress today - was going to get the two additional 2" x 4"s I needed yesterday but we got hit by a small snowstorm, so I just laid low. I was able to get the wood today and finished my third section for the table

Everything lined up pretty good first time by, so I did not need to use the adjusting screws to set the table height - measure twice, cut once was the motto with the height of the legs. I used a pair of clamps on either side of the table to snug two sections together at a time so I could run some carriage bolts thru them and tie the tabletop together:









All this stuff is 1/2" - I didn't measure the carriage bolts themselves but they are long enough to go thru the 1" x 2"s with enough thread hanging out the end to snug a bolt up to.









Up until now I've been using a pair of cordless drills for setting pilot holes and driving in screws. To bore a hole across two wood frames, however, requires the extra power & torque of a standard drill. I got this B&D drill when I was maybe 10, from my Dad for Christmas one year, and masked & painted the blue section a short time thereafter because I thought it would look cooler than the grey paint that was on there. :tongue:









More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

There is enough room between the pool table and legs to fit the drill and get the hole made for the carriage bolts. Washers on each side keep things from countersinking into the frame. Bonus points for setting all the heads the same direction - lol. If I had an extra set of hands, or wanted to figure out a way to do it by contorting myself under the tabletop while propping it up with some scrap wood , I could put a third carriage bolt at the middle of the table frames. With everything lined up so well so far, however, that seems like overkill so I am going to skip it, for now anyway.









With everything attached to itself now, I could finally put away the hand & power tools and get the track up on the table top. True to the design that Todd at TKO came up with, the track fits perfectly on the 12' long table with maybe a 1/4" to spare on either end. This is how the track looks just laid out flat on the table - Once the pieces of track are attached, the banks will pull up:









More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

This is the tight end of the egg-shaped oval, with the Tyco spacing. This end should wind up at 23 degrees of bank if the measurements are right.









This is the other end of the track - the wide part - and should be at 25 degrees if all goes according to plan. The lanes have Tomy spacing on this end, so this should be a fast, treacherous section of road, just like the real 1:1 Darlington Raceway. 









The bits on the table top in this last pic are the pins that will join the track sections together, and the screws that held the track in place inside the shipping crate. The screws will be used to secure the track to the table and wedges that will form the track suports. I will have to call Todd or e-mail him and find out how these pins work, how they are to be installed, etc. so I don't jag this part of the project up.

You might have noticed the white lock wire for all the lanes - this was my call. I didn't want lane colors as when we race ovals we just refer to Lane 1, Lane 2, etc. from the inside out. I would have liked grey wire to match the surface but TKO didn't have grey, so Todd suggested white. The white looks good and blends in pretty well.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Oh, and the TM saw the new table and said, "So . . . We're not moving anytime soon, _are we_?"

lmao *NOPE! :lol:*

She's a keeper. :thumbsup:


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*it's 'dobavision...*

Where's the landscape dude?


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

tjd241 said:


> Where's the landscape dude?


In due time - I have some AFX grandstands for this, plus I want to do a press box outside turn one. And maybe a Lego garage. Depends how broke I wanna be - lol. :tongue:


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## txronharris (Jun 1, 2005)

Speachless..........Wishin' you lived near Dallas. Incredibly cool project. Can't wait to see more pics!


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*Nice...*

Looking good there Doba...
I am sure it will be a blast to run on.
It kind of (sorta) reminds me of a track a friend of mine used to have.
And that was loads of fun to run on...
TKO has top notch products, I know it will be great when it is up and running.
Scott


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Sweet!!!!! I can't wait to see it all buttoned up!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## tjet geo (Aug 31, 2009)

*Darlington*

doba

I have the same track but have not started it yet. will be interested to see your progress. Have been helping a friend on his road course TKO and a TKO 4 lane figure eight. Am getting antsy to start on mine.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Man......... I wish, I wish, I wish.........


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Well I talked to Todd today and he explained how the little clips hold the track together . . . pretty ingenius actually.

I had to brighten this pic and adjust the contrast a lot to try and show the clips - they are like a C-shaped pin that you push into a slot next to the power rails. A small screwdriver works well for this and was recommended. Basically you pound them down with the open end of the C facing upward and they bridge the current from one rail to the next:









Pinning the track took around 45 minutes or so, but it was going quicker and easier the further I went. When I got to the last section, it was time to pull the sections together and watch the banks rise up. Having no helper handy at the time, I ended up clamping the opposite straightaway to the edge of the table, using a couple clean shop rags as a buffer between the clamp and track surface / rails:









On the other straightaway, pounding the pins in while holding the track up was NOT going to work as a one-man job, so I took a couple pieces of scrap wood and set to work. I screwed one section of the track to a flat board, lined up the other straightaway and screwed it into place next (I used the screws that held the track in place in the shipping container). Next, I used a small block of wood underneath to get a little bank to make the final pin-setting go smoothly:









More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

So here is the banking on the small end of the oval, with the Tyco lane spacing:









And here is the banking on the big end of the oval with the Tomy lane spacing:









So here is the overall view of how things are shaping up right now:









Next, I have to get some wood for the bank supports and take some measurements for that. Todd had some good tips for doing that also. I just had to throw a few AFX grandstands on the table and take a few notes before I stopped for tonight:









Hope to get the bank supports done this weekend and see about a power supply.


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## slotnewbie69 (Dec 3, 2008)

:thumbsup:wow.its really coming together nice!:thumbsup:


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

What a great track!!!! Man it looks great. ROAD TRIP>>>> Darlington, Wisconsin.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

:woohoo: The banks worked!!!! Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!! :woohoo:


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

1976Cordoba said:


>




You gonna like them banks!!! I know I likes it!!! I'll take a banked track any day...RM


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

That is cool! :thumbsup:


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

WOW very cool... Twice now on our pilgrimages to Disney World we have planned a stop off I-95 in/near Darlington just to sightsee. I remember reading about the end of the oval being pinched to preserve the pond. Very cool track you have, it's awesome the way the banks are working out...

--rick


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Today I started to tackle the supports for the banking. I began by making wedges the width of the track, angled for the banking, but this wasn't working out. Since the bank is in an oval shape, the angle is like a bowl shape instead of a flat shape. So I decided to hack most of the wedge away and just use the last inch or two to anchor the top of the bank, while putting the screw at the bottom of the banking right into the table top to anchor the bottom. This is how it ended up looking:









You can see I have a pilot hole drilled into the wedge and have traced the wedge onto the table top. I have taken a pencil line straight from the middle of the wedge over to the edge of the table and measured it with a square - then I slid the square between the table top and the bottom brace so I can locate my wedge below the table:









View from underneath, the corner of the square is where I need my pilot hole to come up from the bottom:









When you are doing these crazy work-arounds you can't help but feel like you are doing ******* rocket science - lol. :tongue:

More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

The taller wedges went in no problem in this fashion and it ended up looking like this:









The smaller wedges at the transition from bank to flat were too short to put a screw in from each direction, so here I am setting a little Elmer's glue to the table top so I can glue the wedge down after putting the top screw in:









A shop rag, a brick and an overnight of drying time should have these little wedges all set:









Here is how it is looking right now - I think I am going to add a wedge between the large wedges to help support the bank a little more. There is no hole in the track surface for that, so I will slide these in place and screw them in from the bottom. There is just such a wide area between the wedges, I think I want a little bit more support there. I am also thinking I will add a wee bit of felt between the track and wedges for a bit of sound deadening, along with maybe a little bubble wrap under the banks and between the wedges before I button up the back side after painting the table top.









I'll finish up the little end tomorrow in the same fashion, and paint the walls so I can start thinking of how I will install them.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I really need to log this whole thread into my memory banks!!! ******* engineering, my @zz! You want to see *******, check out how some things get done around here!! :lol: 

I agree with the extra support between the big blocks. It may not be an issue now, but down the road things could get a little saggy. Awesome engineering, Doba, and it's always educational to see the way you do stuff. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Looking good 'Doba. Looking forward to seeing the finished track.

Todd


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

ready to race? (sigh).....


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## Tsooko (Oct 15, 2009)

Wow!!!:thumbsup: Nice oval. I love oval track racing.
Hope you can do some racing video when you are done!
:woohoo:

Cheers Ted

If you're going to be a Bear...then be a Grizzly!


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Things are going pretty well so far, and while the paint on the track walls was drying, I had some time to tend to the slots. This oval is in four pieces (two turns, two straights), so there are four seams. In talking to Todd at TKO, he mentioned that when installing the track pins that sometimes they end up squeezing the guide pin slot a little due to slight variations in manufacturing tolerances. He said he had one batch of pins in particular that did this, and it looks like I got some of them.

In this pic, look at the guide pin slot, at the seam between track pieces. You can see how the pin has pushed the material around the slot inward. The fix for this is to sand away the part that is squeezed, and the tool for this is the TM's emory board, or disposable nail file, if you will:









A few real good swipes thru the slot at the seams grinds away enough material to widen the slot back up. Try to stay close to the seams and match the width of the slot as best as you can. And be nice and buy the TM a package of new emory boards when you are done . . . they are less than $2 at WallyMart for the Revlon ones, which I am told are a better brand. Anyway, here is how it looks after a little sanding:









I decided to go with the Winston-era red & white look on my walls, so it was a matter of masking and painting the red onto the white walls that TKO shipped with the track. I went with Testors gloss red because as everyone who has ever used it knows, it never seems to dry out even when it is dry, so that makes it a good choice for going on bendy-plastic walls. TKO cut a groove into the edge of the track, which can be seen in the pic, and the walls slot into place with no gluing necessary. I decided to start my run of walls in opposite directions 10-inches from my sensors / start finish line. This will leave me with a 20" piece of wall on which to decorate the track name later on:









More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

After tapping the first part of the wall into the slot, I took a square and got a depth measurement for the top of the wall down to the track surface:









I then transferred that measurement to a little piece of scrap wood left over from cutting banking wedges. I cut it to size to use as a quick-glance guide to see that I have the walls down into the slot deep enough. Note: I kept the piece pretty short since this track is banked - if you place it across the rise you will get an incorrect reading.









As I went around tapping the walls down into place, I found that other bits of scrap wood and wedges helped give me something to hammer down on in spots that were elevated and where there were no banking supports. Oh, and another thing, adding paint to the walls slightly increased the width of the wall. That, plus the angle of the banking slightly squeezing the slot, meant that I had to use a couple more of the TM's emory boards to slightly sand and enlarge the wall slot just as I did at the track seams.









I ordered the power supply today, it will be here on Monday, and the "electrics guy" in the local basement leagues will be here tomorrow to see about soldering in the power taps. I have some more walls painted and drying for installation in a day or two, but right now it is starting to look like something a little bit closer to race-able:


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

:woohoo: I love forward progress!!!!! Shaping up nicely!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*uuhhhh....*

Building inspector stop by and slap a cease and desist order on ya?... Didya run outta cinderblocks and emory boards?? Lego on strike?


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Forward progress temporarily interrupted yesterday & today, although I got more wall work done. Power supply gets delivered Monday and my go-to guy for electrical stuff is getting started on the wiring this weekend. A week from now I could be up and running.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

:woohoo: Don't forget to film the blessed event!!! :woohoo:


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## shocker36 (Jul 5, 2008)

That is slick


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

The weekend has come and gone, and we all know you had Sunday and Monday off.
We even gave you a few days to post. Now, the lines are all lit up with folks wanting to see the progress on the new track somewhere in the Wisconsin caverns. 

How's it going Doba?


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

NTxSlotCars said:


> . . . How's it going Doba?


I got the power supply in, and my electrics guy is building the wiring. I hope to have it wired this week or maybe next week.

I have a race on the road course next Thursday so I have been wasting time cleaning the cave a little bit instead of working on the oval.

There are some Winston decals coming from feePay that I hope I can cut up and use on the walls, which are all done now except for the nameplate wall.

I have to get some foam or something to create an infield and pit road, and I have got some pics downloaded of the press center at the 1:1 Darlington so I can start up the Lego design team again.

Oh, and I reserved my tickets for the Southern 500 TODAY. :thumbsup:


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Looking for Winston Cup items for the track, I came across this auction:

Banner

I like this dude's approach to selling stuff - lmao :lol:


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

OK Here's a quick update with a few pics . . . not much happening the last week or so besides cleaning the cave a little in prep for a race on the road course this upcoming Thursday.

I wanted to add some Winston signage to the track in keeping with the mid-1980s Darlington vibe I am going for. I spotted these fender decals / bumper stickers on feePay and after my best eyeball guess as to size of the part I wanted, I decided to go ahead and pull the trigger on the auction and get some to do a little spearmint'ing.

Decals

To my delight, when they arrived the size was darn near spot-on perfect, so I went to work with the scissors, a hobby knife and a straightedge removing the Winston section of the decal:










When I painted my walls, I went with 6" long alternating red / white stripes. I had thought about 4" stripes to add more sections overall, but eventually opted for the 6" size since that was a little more realistic to the scale judging from the pics I had referenced. Had I gone with 4" this would NOT have worked out at all - As it was it ended up perfect in both length and height. I always say I'd rather be lucky than good anyday:










I put four of these up - one at the entrance and exit of the four turns. This is how it looks from across the table exiting turn 2 on the tight end of the track:









Now I want to do something similar for the name plate wall at the start / finish stripe, using an old style font. I think a trip to the local vinyl sign place is the only way I am going to pull that off, however.

Till next time! :wave:


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Bitchen!!!!


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

1976Cordoba said:


>


I'm liking this!!! RM


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## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

Good eye for detail as always. Great job Doba.

Gonzo


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## basement racer (Jan 22, 2010)

Once again doba' you show that you are MASTER of detail.Thats why i check on your progress on a regular basis.A regular slot car encyclopedi 
Racer


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Wow, Doba!!! This track is really shaping up!!!
Takes me back. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Wow - great looking track. I admire your patience. I would be racing before that thing got screwed down!

Jim


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Man it's looking good. I can't believe you haven't raced yet though.

I did go and buy 6 of those decals though. Super cool.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Really diggin the scenery Doba! Got any more 85 Nascars to keep Bill company?










I sure miss my oval. Note the paint on the wall. Im sure you'll have plenty of stripes on your wall!

Rich :thumbsup:


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## rideinstile (Dec 26, 2007)

I can't wait to see what he does with Lego's on this track, the other track is awsome!!!


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

NTxSlotCars said:


> I sure miss my oval. Note the paint on the wall. Im sure you'll have plenty of stripes on your wall!
> 
> Rich :thumbsup:


Stripes on a wall is a natural occurance Rich...A few of these may be yours...RM


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

OK so I got to the wiring phase thanks to my friend Larry who is invaluable when it comes to stuff like this. :thumbsup:

He builds the controller stations from project boxes he gets at Radio Shack prior to the wiring session. He gets them to me, and I install the boxes -- then we schedule a day for him to come over and today was that day.

Honestly, I know that electrical stuff is easy - however I still don't Get It. Something about it puts up a mental road block for me, so I will always defer to someone who knows what they are doing. In that vein, I will not post many comments to the following pics and will instead largely just let the pics show the process.

###




























More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

The covers with the wide, rectangular holes will act as controller holders.



























This is how it ends up looking -- I had to use a box knife to open up the hole a bit more to accomodate the controller but you get the idea.









More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

I had TKO route slots for the power taps next to the rails. The taps are stripped wire, fed up from below the table. Up top, they get snipped down for size and pressed alongside the rail (a slight bend before pressing them in insures a tight fit and good contact).









Tap wires from below:









Marked for our lane colors (unique to our area).









Larry dumpster dives for scrap wire from work, so quite a few of the strands here are not used at all. Still, when I see something like this I am glad to have someone who knows what they are doing working on this!









More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Taps wired into power source with controller also wired in at this point, I believe.









Other side of table, power supply and controller wiring.









Wires from both side of the table converge here at the end. The two bare wires will get the red & black drop line to the power supply.









And here's a shot of the taps snipped to size and press-fit into the slot:









More in a minute.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

After some final checking for current and connections at the taps / controllers / brakes / etc. we put power to the track and it worked perfectly -- good power all around, brake switches work -- _N I C E_ !

The AFX Bill Elliott clone got the honors of being the first car to try the new track. After a couple tweaks of the rail height at the seam coming out of turn two, the car was running great around the track.

Up in the high lane, we ticked the wall a few times and picked up our first Darlington Stripe (more like a spot, but you know what I mean):









I think Bill dragged a little Winston red across the white section to get his stripe -- the first of many to come I am sure. :thumbsup:









And here's a couple of short vids:

[ame]http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee75/1976Cordoba/DarlingtonHORaceway/?action=view&current=DSCN1843.flv[/ame]

[ame]http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee75/1976Cordoba/DarlingtonHORaceway/?action=view&current=DSCN1842.flv[/ame]


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Great work Larry!!! :thumbsup:
That last video is the bomb Doba. Can't wait to see a race on it, all sceniced out.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

:woohoo::woohoo: Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is gonna be freakin' awesome with scenery!!! :woohoo::woohoo:

SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Rolls (Jan 1, 2010)

'Tis a thing of beauty, it is! The combo of that gentle bank and your Winston crash wall are here straight from heaven.

Beautiful work!!!


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

I like that track, especially the banks!!!! That wall will be multi colored after a few races!!! Thanks for the videos...RM


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*Looks okay...*

Too bad it's not smoother though. Oh well... Maybe on the next one eh 'doba?


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

Very Nice 'Doba :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Looks like I wasn't the only one who spent the weekend running wires 

Bob B.


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Man oh man! Looks great!

I njeed a friend to come and wire mine up too!!

Is he busy?? :dude:


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## basement racer (Jan 22, 2010)

*Yee Haw !!!*

:thumbsup: MAN I LIKE FAST :dude:This one is going to give racers & marshalls whiplash Looks great,break out the LEGOS lets get started...
B.Racer


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Keeping up with the cars, will better than any tennis/ping pong match...RM


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Darlington HO Raceway hosted its first night of ARA stock car racing on Thursday, so here are a few pics:

Makeshift timing light for opening night until I can build a bridge or something for LED.









We do single car qualifying in lane 2 - this is my friend Ev taking the green flag for his 3-lap attempt.









He spun his #24 car out going into turn one on the final lap, but he still timed in 5th out of 7 racers on this day. Metal body, stock HP7 chassis & tires - time was 3.197 seconds.









These are the feature cars - The #19 won the 100-lap main event, with #14 second, #18 third and #88 fourth. I was running the 88 but just didn't have the horses up on the high side to keep up with the 19.









We all had a blast - the sweeping turns and varying sizes, and lane spacing, made for some good competition. Cost about a $1,000 to do, but I would do again if I had the space.

(hmmmm - maybe a little Martinsville would fit where the bar is right now . . . - better not I'll end up in divorce court! - lol)


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Boy oy boy you guys look like you had a blast!!

Figures the 88 finished last. He can't get his act together.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Joe65SkylarkGS said:


> Boy oy boy you guys look like you had a blast!!
> 
> Figures the 88 finished last. He can't get his act together.


Actually, the 17, 24 & 5 all finished behind the 88 . . . maybe I need to switch to 48 - lmao. :thumbsup:


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Videos of the second metal car heat race:

[ame]http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee75/1976Cordoba/DarlingtonHORaceway/?action=view&current=DSCN1849.flv[/ame]

[ame]http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee75/1976Cordoba/DarlingtonHORaceway/?action=view&current=DSCN1850.flv[/ame]


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

HP7 Nostalgia car heat racing:

[ame]http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee75/1976Cordoba/DarlingtonHORaceway/?action=view&current=DSCN1852.flv[/ame]

[ame]http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee75/1976Cordoba/DarlingtonHORaceway/?action=view&current=DSCN1853.flv[/ame]

[ame]http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee75/1976Cordoba/DarlingtonHORaceway/?action=view&current=DSCN1854.flv[/ame]


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Last 10 laps er so of the metal body main event:

[ame]http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee75/1976Cordoba/DarlingtonHORaceway/?action=view&current=Darlington-HMCS-Main.flv[/ame]

Track will look better next time with some scenery, but at least it's up & running!


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## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

Fantastic build . Your on par Doba.

Gonzo


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## Tsooko (Oct 15, 2009)

Too cool!!!:thumbsup:
Thanks for sharing. I gotta have one. 
How long are your straight's?

Cheers Ted


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

That track is gonna look soooooo freaking cool when you get the scenery done!!! You got a great crew there to run with too, so there's no doubt that track will get tons of use!!!!!! Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## RiderZ (Feb 19, 2007)

*!!!*

I would never ever-ever-ever come up out of that basement!!!!!
Too Cool Doba.:thumbsup:


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

Wonderfull track ! I like also your indy speedway, and the club racing vids you put on youtube , by the way.

On the last page of the topic, you're speaking about metal bodies ? Do you have any infos on that, it looks interesting. I like to run my cars without magnet, and never tried the diecast solution...

another thing, on my system (firefox +linux) the photobucket vids seems to not work correctly, I don't know why...



thanks !


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## swflyboy (Jun 11, 2009)

Nice job Doba-just need some scenery, and it will almost look like the real thing!:thumbsup:


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Sweet! Looks like fun. Well done 'Doba

Todd


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Wow, oval racing doesnt get any better! Got the Tshirt, just need to get there somehow.


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Fantastic!!! Thanks for the videos!!! RM


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

Top Shelf 'Doba... Looking forward to when the grass seed takes hold. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## slotnewbie69 (Dec 3, 2008)

wow doba great job!looks like you boys are havin a blast!sounds super smooth!


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Wow you guys are having a blast!!!:thumbsup:

Looks like you have a case or two on those walls huh??

Do you have any pictures of your race space? Looks like you have a couple of cars there.:freak:


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## basement racer (Jan 22, 2010)

*We Demand More !!!*

ok 'doba,give it up :dude:
B Racer


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Hey!! Legos take time. Each little brick is examined for perfect color, and consistency, before being lovingly stacked... one at a time..... :jest::lol:


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Hey, couple a major wrecks there!!!


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Hey Doba,
Any news on the big track?


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Nope - No new, er, news. - lol

Still getting pit lane diorama stuff as I can swing it. Once I have that I can start planning the infield out and the Cup garages and stuff.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Southern 500 vacation starts tomorrow . . . I will come back gung-ho to begin building again on Darlington HO Raceway! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

You lucky dog!! Have a safe trip, have a great time, hope it's a great race, and the weather stays clear for the whole trip!!!! My fingers are crossed for you Doba!! :thumbsup:


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## mahorsc (Mar 26, 2008)

1976Cordoba said:


> Southern 500 vacation starts tomorrow . . . I will come back gung-ho to begin building again on Darlington HO Raceway! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


your only going to be 100 miles from me how long are you going to be in the area you could always stop by and do a little racin of your own
let me know or call me 
816-255-6532
kevin


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Hows the track coming Doba? Still collecting scenery?
Any reference pics from your Darlington trip?

I know this is going to be awesome.


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

NTxSlotCars said:


> Hows the track coming Doba? I know this is going to be awesome.


bump... What Rich said... Our nation turns it lonely eye to you.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Yeah have been sort of in a holding pattern right now, collecting pit dioramas and letting some ideas simmer around . . . track buildings, garage area, grandstands, press building, etc. I'll post up some more pics when something actually get done


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

Doba,

Sometimes I kinda get stuck in the HOHT Customs section or get in a short holding pattern over the General Discusion threads but, tonight I just read every post on this thread, checked out those Way Cool vidios & just dropped my jaw to the floor! Awesum, Awesum, Awesum!!!

I need to get over to track layouts more often....zoom, zoom baby!

Bob...Doba your track ROCKS MAN!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:...zilla


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## SFC_Allen (Aug 19, 2007)

1976Cordoba said:


> Darlington HO Raceway hosted its first night of ARA stock car racing on Thursday, so here are a few pics:
> 
> Makeshift timing light for opening night until I can build a bridge or something for LED.
> 
> ...


Who makes these COT bodies or are these all metal also? Love the track Earle


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

bobhch said:


> Doba,
> 
> Sometimes I kinda get stuck in the HOHT Customs section or get in a short holding pattern over the General Discusion threads but, tonight I just read every post on this thread, checked out those Way Cool vidios & just dropped my jaw to the floor! Awesum, Awesum, Awesum!!!
> 
> ...


Thanks Bobzilla :thumbsup:


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

SFC_Allen said:


> Who makes these COT bodies or are these all metal also? Love the track Earle


 
These COTs are also diecast metal -- They are Winner's Circle brand sold at WalMart, Target, etc. for about $5. They fit long wheelbase Tyco perfectly, just need to hog the rear fenders a bit for clearance.

We run them with Tyco HP7 chassis and they are a blast. :thumbsup: Give it a try you might like it - just another way to enjoy the hobby.


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## SFC_Allen (Aug 19, 2007)

Thanks I have a few might have to try that.  Earle


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

> We run them with Tyco HP7 chassis and they are a blast. Give it a try you might like it - just another way to enjoy the hobby.



I have to try that with magnet less tyco 440x2 chassis to see what happens :thumbsup:

does the motors overheat/burn after a racing evening ?


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

demether said:


> . . . does the motors overheat/burn after a racing evening ?


NO - the HP7 can motor is a real champ.


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

I've got a couple of nice nascar bodies of the same brand, I need to try something with my magnet less tyco 440x2 widepans :thumbsup:












I took a look, I need to bend a little the body, and put thinner tires on the front (or afx wheels), and it should work :thumbsup:

Perhaps I 'll be able to add a interior tray too.


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

I saw the Darlington last night! It's coming along very nicely!


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Did you sneak any pics?


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

I'll try tomorrow night at the races.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

You lucky dog. Have fun.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Hey D,

Any pics?


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

NTxSlotCars said:


> Hey D,
> 
> Any pics?


Yeah I should shoot some again. I finished my Winston Cup garage a few weeks ago.


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

What!!! No pics???


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*Unk, Unk,ungah bungah...*



Hilltop Raceway said:


> What!!! No pics???


Yeah What!!!

Even a Caveman could take some pictures...DOH 

Bob...me build, me race, me no take pics...zilla


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

OK here are a few updates:

I finally got around to finishing up the 'nameplate' section of the frontstretch wall. This is the part I kept plain white near the start/finish line where I intended to try and copy the old-school style Darlington Raceway font that was used in the 70s & 80s.

Here is a research pic I used from an old 1976 Darlington program:








I wanted to copy that 'blocky' sort of font effect like you see on the bottom & top of the "W" and "A". The girl I spoke to at the graphics place I used mentioned that it has a "Western" style look to it, so maybe that was what she ended up using.
Also, it is kind of hard to see it, but the leading "D" and "R" in *D*arlington *R*aceway were oversized and also, interestingly, contained a Confederate flag. You can kind of see it in this pic if you look close:








From a 1981 Darlington program I was able to confirm that the leading letters were done in black with the rest of the name done in Winston red:









So, what I decided to do was to copy the font if possible, follow the black/red lettering scheme, but instead use a separate Confederate flag at the start/finish stripe between the name. Here is how it ended up:

















Overall, I am pleased as can be with this look. It cost a few bucks but I think it is worth it -- it is a close copy but still nearly spot-on. I have to hand it to the girl that did this: she absolutely NAILED that font.

Since the last update, I also finished a set of scales for the cars to go across, made with Legos:









And I also built a 32-car flat-roof garage which was sort of typical back 'in the day' for NASCAR tracks. I stuck with white bricks with a Winston red stripe:









I have enough pit dioramas now to start work on the pit roads. Darlington has two, one on the frontstretch and one on the backstretch. With the space I have, I can 12 on each straightaway, with a gap in the middle to access the garage area. Sorry for all the clutter in the pics, but things are far from being firmed up:


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Wow!!!!!


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

very nice Doba. and you are right, the font is dead on. good job.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Sooo glad to see Lil Darlington getting done!! Start finish line looks 100% perfect to me! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Great looking stuff!!! Sign turned out real good!!! Liking that garage and scales!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: You know somebody at Legos???  RM


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Good Gosh, this is looking incredible!!!!! A real scale Nascar track!!!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

(I rarely use the triple thumbsup)


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

A little tighter view:









I agree with Rich - :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: lol


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## mahorsc (Mar 26, 2008)

i cant wait to get it to SC where it belongs


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## Rolls (Jan 1, 2010)

'doba, you knocked that one clear outta the park! It looks perfect!! Very impressive and very unique. Love it!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## SpiderRPM (Nov 2, 2011)

Really nice setup, man. Very clean.
The work on the actual track itself is just outstanding. 
No hackjobbery in sight. :thumbsup:


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

New house - Got it set up again finally! It's been over 4 years:


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## Black Oxxpurple (Jul 3, 2011)

Looking good Mr Doba, Might need a step stool for better camera shots of you though.


Rob


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## Super Coupe (Feb 16, 2010)

Looks good Some bleachers for the fans and it's go time.
>Tom<


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Well worth the wait!! Glad you finally have the space for it!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Dushkwoneshe (Apr 27, 2012)

.
Super, 'Doba... Eager to see the infield take shape...

John
.


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## Ovalhead (Nov 20, 2010)

Top 10 oval !! Good to see the ole lady back up and running.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Great to see the track back up. Let's do this!!!


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