TV Schedule May 6-8

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She goes by many names - the Lady in Black and Too Tough to Tame. But whichever your favorite is, one thing's for sure: there's no track like Darlington. The Sprint Cup and Nationwide series converge on the South Carolina track for its annual NASCAR weekend. For many fans, the Southern 500 is one of the most anticipated races of the year.

The 1.366-mile speedway is arguably the most difficult track on the NASCAR circuit, as well as one of the oldest, hosting its first race in 1950. Its aging asphalt was repaved in 2008, but that hasn't changed the track's tough character.

Darlington has 25-degree banking in turns 1 and 2, 23 degrees in turns 3 and 4, and six degrees on its frontstretch and backstretch. Its distinctive egg shape presents a challenge for teams. Handling is often an issue here, as crews try to make adjustments to account for both ends of the track. Drivers can reach speeds of up to 190 mph coming off the corners, but must navigate straightaways that are only as wide as those of a short track. As a result, expect to see plenty of "Darlington stripes" - black lines that remain on the right sides of the racecars after they scrape the wall.

Who will successfully woo the Lady in Black this weekend? Can Denny Hamlin repeat last year's sweep of both series? The defending Southern 500 winner is coming off a second-place finish at Richmond as well as a Nationwide win there last week.

Get ready for racing under the lights: the Royal Purple 200 Nationwide race will be Friday and the Southern 500 Sprint Cup race will be Saturday.

Last year's race winners:

SPRINT CUP
Denny Hamlin

NATIONWIDE
Denny Hamlin

The following is a handy guide to track events and TV coverage this weekend at Darlington (All programs are in Eastern Time. Events without a channel listed will not be televised):

Friday, May 6:
8:30 a.m. NNS Practice
11:30 a.m. NSCS Practice, SPEED
1:30 p.m. NASCAR Live, SPEED
2 p.m. NSCS Final Practice, SPEED
3 p.m. NASCAR Live, SPEED
3:30 p.m. NNS Pole Qualifying, ESPN2
4:30 p.m. NASCAR Live, SPEED
4:30 p.m. NASCAR Now, ESPN2
5 p.m. NSCS Pole Qualifying, SPEED
7 p.m. NNS Countdown, ESPN2
7:30 p.m. NNS: Royal Purple 200, ESPN2
10 p.m. Trackside at Darlington, SPEED. Guests: Juan Pablo Montoya and Paul Menard.
11 p.m. NASCAR Hall of Fame Biography: David Pearson, SPEED

Saturday, May 7:
11 a.m. Trackside at Darlington, SPEED
12 noon NASCAR Now, ESPN2
2 :30 p.m. NASCAR Hall of Fame Biography: David Pearson, SPEED
3:30 p.m. NASCAR Performance, SPEED
4 p.m. The 10, SPEED
5 p.m. NASCAR RaceDay, SPEED
7 p.m. NSCS Pre-Race Show, FOX
7:30 p.m. NSCS: SHOWTIME Southern 500, FOX

Sunday, May 8:
8 p.m. NASCAR Victory Lane, SPEED (reruns at 12 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday)