Three things to watch in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

Darlington Raceway’s return to Labor Day Weekend for its traditional Bojangles’ Southern 500 race date — for the first time since 2003 — has sparked a throwback weekend complete with retro paint schemes, logos and food.

But that’s just one of the story lines in what’s shaping up to be a busy weekend in South Carolina. Here’s a look at three things to watch at Darlington:

LOW DOWNFORCE RULES PACKAGE

Two months ago, the race at previously boring Kentucky Speedway was transformed into a thrilling showcase of the best entertainment NASCAR has to offer. That was credited in large part to the low downforce aerodynamic rules package, which was being used for the first time with the Gen 6 car.

That package gets another shot to prove itself on Sunday night at difficult Darlington, which is known as a legendary track but also one that poses a challenge for passing. With a softer tire built by Goodyear specifically for this race and a surface that has aged considerably since NASCAR’s last visit (May 2014), all the circumstances are in place for a great race.

If the race is better than last year’s edition or is anywhere near as entertaining as Kentucky, the low downforce package will likely become a staple on NASCAR’s intermediate tracks next season. That would be the drivers’ dream, since they’re the ones who pushed officials to go in this direction.

But if Darlington is a stinker for some reason and drivers find it’s still difficult to pass, that would be a cause for concern in the industry. It would give everyone pause and force NASCAR to scramble in hopes of finding something that works for 2016.

In that case, there’s a lot riding on how Darlington looks on Sunday night.

CHASE FOR THE SPRINT CUP PICTURE

For drivers currently on the outside of Chase playoff position, Darlington is the equivalent of a football team trailing by a touchdown and facing third-and-long with less than a minute to go in the game. It’s not Hail Mary time just yet — that’s next week at Richmond International Raceway — but it’s getting pretty close.

This year is unusual in that the Chase picture doesn’t contain much points racing for the last spots. Clint Bowyer, who currently occupies the final of 16 positions, has a comfortable 35-point lead over Aric Almirola. That’s unlikely to disappear in two races.

That means drivers like Kasey Kahne (currently 37 points out of 16th) will likely have to win at either Darlington or Richmond to make the Chase — certainly no easy task.

Meanwhile, some drivers without a win will likely clinch a Chase spot at Darlington. That includes Jamie McMurray, who will be in the Chase for the first time in his career. Another driver to watch is Kyle Busch, who only needs to gain a few points on 31st place to clinch a top-30 spot and be able to use his four wins to seal a playoff bid.

THROWBACK BROADCAST

It’s not just the 32 cars with throwback paint schemes and the cheap food offerings which will get attention on Darlington’s retro weekend.

NBC’s telecast will have a distinctive 1970s feel, complete with old-school graphics, music, bell-bottom pants worn by announcers — as well as the broadcasters themselves.

At one point in the race, legendary announcers Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett will join Dale Jarrett in the broadcast booth and call the race, temporarily replacing the usual trio of Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte.

PHOTOS: NASCAR Darlington Retro Paint Schemes