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Race fans routinely pack their bags when preparing to make the trip to Darlington for the Dodge Avenger 500 weekend. One South Carolina elementary school, however, took the green flag early and packed its suitcase several months in advance.

Doby's Mill Elementary School students in Lugoff, SC, recently completed a school-wide project on the 46 counties in South Carolina, and displayed the unique attributes of each one in individual suitcases.

All of the research and writing on the project was done by the students, who went the extra mile - or, in Darlington's case, the extra 500 miles - to ensure that each county was colorfully represented. The project was spearheaded by Kathy Cohen Brand, curriculum coach at DMES.

The 2007 Dodge Avenger 500 weekend will include practice and qualifying for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series on Friday, May 11, followed by the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 NASCAR Busch Series race under the lights that evening. Denny Hamlin is the defending champion.

On Saturday, May 12, Darlington will host Cup Series racing for the 58th consecutive season as Greg Biffle attempts to join the short list of drivers to win three events in a row at NASCAR's most historic venue. The 2007 Dodge Avenger 500 will be run under the lights in its entirety.