DARLINGTON, S.C. — Throwback paint schemes on racecars and retro logos and signs welcomed NASCAR fans when they arrived at Darlington Raceway this weekend for the Southern 500 Sprint Cup race. The marketing campaign was designed to make one of the most storied tracks on the circuit look like the early 1970s all over again.

Fans were more than happy to complete the picture, much to NASCAR’s dismay. The Confederate flags they raised on RVs across the infield and outside the track dotted the sky above Darlington on Friday morning, as they have for decades here. The Southern 500, after all, was long known for playing “Dixie” as its anthem and used to feature a character named Johnny Reb — a man dressed as a Confederate soldier who stood atop the winning car with a rebel flag.

As those Confederate flags waved once more Friday, NASCAR faced its recurring quandary: How could a sport so closely associated with its Southern roots broaden its appeal nationally without alienating that base?

“I’d say we’re always looking to make sure we’re satisfying our core fans and our long-term fan at the same time as we are growing to a new audience,” Jim Cassidy, NASCAR’s senior vice president for racing operations, said Thursday during a telephone interview. “It’s a balance.”

And Darlington Raceway, as much as any track on the circuit, epitomizes the struggle NASCAR has faced in trying to find that balance with an event that holds a special place in racing history.

The Southern 500 was first held at Darlington on Labor Day weekend in 1950. For 53 years, it was an iconic stop on the schedule, revered by some as much or more than the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 among the most important races of the year. That was until 2004, when NASCAR changed the schedule to give the Labor Day weekend date to its sister track in Fontana, California, in the coveted Los Angeles market.

NASCAR finally gave Darlington back its Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend this year. It was hard to gauge enthusiasm going into the weekend; the race was not a sellout at the 58,000-seat track.

“I think our great race fans in South Carolina support this racetrack,” said the track president, Chip Wile. “Certainly, we want to make a big splash in our return to Labor Day weekend, and I think we’ll do that.”

But officials are determined not to make a scene at the same time with Confederate flags in clear view during the race broadcast. After all, the NASCAR chairman, Brian France, had declared that Confederate flags were no longer welcome at tracks after a mass shooting at a church in Charleston in June. When the series shifted to Daytona in July, track officials came up with an exchange program. They offered American flags to replace the Confederate flags there.

Wile said the same program would be in place at Darlington as well. That’s not exactly what happened on Friday, though, as track workers asked fans to take down their flags. The reason given: They blocked sight lines across the track.

Fans were not buying it.

Brian Myers, 40, of Ridgeville, South Carolina, came to Darlington in a blue-painted school bus with a sign on front that said, “Ridgeville Rednecks.” He was asked to take his flag down, too. He wasn’t happy about it, though.

“There’s a lot of newer, younger people coming to the races now, not the old school,” Myers said. “They’ve got to keep everybody happy. So they’re in a tough spot. I understand that. But they shouldn’t ask us to take our flags down.”

In Saturday’s racing:

Hamlin wins Xfinity race: DARLINGTON, S.C. — Denny Hamlin won the Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway, where he denied Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Suarez his first career victory. Hamlin passed Suarez with three laps remaining for his third Xfinity Series win of the season.

Keselowski wins 1st pole of season: DARLINGTON, S.C. — Brad Keselowski won the pole for today’s race at Darlington Raceway, where he will start up front for the first time all season. Keselowski turned a lap at 178.874 mph to earn his first pole of the season. The Team Penske driver put his Ford in the top starting spot five times last year.

Hamilton takes 7th straight pole: MONZA, Italy — Lewis Hamilton extended his recent stranglehold on pole position in Formula One, while Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel gave Ferrari fans something to cheer about at their home Italian Grand Prix by qualifying second and third.