Coming Thursday: Darlington retrospective, paint scheme unveil

Fifteen years ago this week, Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch staged a late-race duel for the ages at Darlington Raceway. Their battle of fenders and wills produced a narrow finish that still holds the record for closest in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history — .002 seconds.

To remember that classic event’s place in stock-car history, NASCAR.com will celebrate Thursday with a full complement of stories, videos and photos from that day. Craven and Busch were reunited to talk about their epic two-lap dash to the finish, and they have joined a cast of principal voices in a longform retelling of the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400.

Stay tuned for additional content from our commemoration in advance of the March 16 anniversary — including the official unveil of Busch’s No. 41 Ford for Darlington exclusively on NASCAR.com.