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."
