Martinsville Speedway
N 36° 38.125 W 079° 51.254
17S E 602432 N 4055040
One of the Oldest Tracks still Active on the NASCAR Cup Circuit
Waymark Code: WM277C
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/16/2007
Views: 70
Track History
Martinsville Speedway's 2004 season is the track's 57th year of operation and is its 56rd year as a NASCAR-sanctioned facility.
NASCAR was formed in 1948 and Martinsville Speedway ran its first NASCAR race on July 4th of that year. In 1949, Martinsville ran the sixth race in the series that eventually became the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Circuit.
At slightly more than half a mile, Martinsville Speedway is the shortest track on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Circuit, but it's one of the biggest when it comes to action. It has 800-foot straights, turns banked at only 12 degrees and has been called "two drag strips with a turnaround on each end." The demanding layout consistently produces some of the wildest fender scrubbing, push and shove racing on the tour.
Martinsville Speedway opened in 1947 with 750 seats and has grown continuously over the years. But, other than being paved in 1955, the track configuration has not changed since Red Byron won the inaugural event. Martinsville Speedway, located three miles south of Martinsville, Va., is the only original NASCAR-sanctioned track still running NEXTEL Cup events.
Richard Petty, now a car owner, remains the track's leading winner with 15 victories.
The speedway's founder, the late H. Clay Earles and track President W. Clay Campbell have always insisted on beautification, excellent concessions and attended rest rooms at the track. "We like to think of our track as a family-type facility," Earles said. "We like to see a man bring his wife and children to our events and be comfortable. Racing appeals to all ages and many of our most avid fans are young folks and ladies."
Since he first built the track, Earles' promoting philosophy has been simple and effective--take good care of the fans and the competitors.
"The secret to success in our business is giving the customer what he wants," Earles said. 'When a man plunks down his money, he deserves the best. You try to make him comfortable, give him a great show and make sure he gets his money's worth. And we've always tried to do just that.
"Your customers are your greatest assets. And that will never change. You actually sell the customer a memory as much as a race. If their memories are good, they'll keep coming back," Earles said.
Campbell became track President in 1988 and, since that time, the speedway has more than doubled its seating capacity. Under Campbell's leadership, the track has constructed 25 corporate suites, a chalet village for hospitality entertainment, high-rise grandstands, and twice as much free parking. Some of the other improvements, in the past several years, include a new entrance for race day traffic off the U.S. 58 Bypass, all pits are now on one pit road, an overhead walkway from the grandstand to the parking area, an infield media center, new scoreboard, infield tunnel, competitors' garage and many other changes that add to the functionality of the facility.
"Martinsville Speedway is constantly growing and we expect to continue that trend for many years to come," Campbell said. "We review our facility and the operation of it after each race and look for ways to improve. Martinsville Speedway has been a showplace for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing for more than half a century and we plan to continue that for generations of race fans in the future."
Type of Track: Oval Paved
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