When Martinsville Speedway first openedNASCAR was just an idea. When NASCAR was formedMartinsville Speedway was a charter membera membership that endures after more than 60 years.
In factthe historic Virginia half-mile oval is the only track that was on the schedule in the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season that still hosts the series today.
Without a great deal of capitalbut a passion for stock car racingH. Clay Earles carved Martinsville Speedway out of the Henry County clay in 1947. He opened for business on July 4 of that year with just 750 seats but a crowd of over 6,000 fans.
A year later NASCAR was formed and in 1949 Martinsville hosted the sixth race in the series that eventually became the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
At just over a half-mile in lengthMartinsville Speedway is the shortest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Seriesbut it’s one of the biggest when it comes to action.
The track has two 800-foot straightaways hooked together by shorttight and almost flat turns with just 11 degrees of banking. The demanding layout consistently produces some of the wildest racing each season.
The facility has grown enormously since Red Byron won the inaugural eventbut other than being paved in 1955the track configuration remains the same. But just about everything else has changed.
Today over 60,000 seats reach skyward from the edge of the racing surfacetopped by VIP Suites and a state-of-the-art press box. Teams have one of the best garages in the sport in which to service their cars. There is a top-flight care center at one end of the infield and a modern media center in the middle of the infield.
A few years ago a pedestrian tunnel was added beneath the fourth turn. Outside of the fourth turn is a largepaved area for the sports' many displays and souvenir rigs.
The constantconsistent improvements at Martinsville Speedway are a part of Earles’ original philosophy which is carried on today by his grandsonW. Clay Campbellwho has been the track’s president since 1988.
“The secret to success in our business is giving the customer what he wants,” Earles said before his death in 2000. “When a man plunks down his moneyhe deserves the best. You try to make him comfortablegive 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 goodthey’ll keep coming back.”
Martinsville Speedway was purchased by International Speedway Corporation in 2004but Earles’ philosophy continues.
"Martinsville Speedway is constantly growing and we expect to continue that trend for many years to come," said Campbellwho remained as the track's president after the facility was purchased by International Speedway Corporation in 2004. "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 Sprint Cup racing for more than half a century and we plan to continue that for generations of race fans in the future.
"My grandfather often said that Martinsville Speedway is a work in progressthat it would never be finished. We all still believe that…we will always be working to make it better for the fans.”
Visit www.martinsvillespeedway.com to learn more.
