RIDGEWAY, Va. – As NASCAR continues to celebrate its 75th anniversary season, it returns to the oldest track still on the circuit: the historic Martinsville Speedway this weekend. Even better, it’s the only track that predates the sports’ inception back in 1948.
“For us to celebrate the 75th last year, and now we’re celebrating the 75th for NASCAR and the things you’ll see this year that the whole team has created will really be spectacular especially for the fans,” said Martinsville Speedway track president Clay Campbell.
He said NASCAR has leaned on he and his staff at the Paperclip and vice versa when it comes to sustainability--keeping the fan experience top notch.
“If you look at NASCAR now versus what it was years ago, you have so many different departments and we’re all tied together. This is a NASCAR track so we have media, communications, we have brand and all different types of groups that all work towards the same goals.”
While fans enjoy updated amenities each year, drivers make sure they bring top notch racing to the track. That includes unique moments like the daring “Hail Melon” move Ross Chastain did last fall at Martinsville Speedway.
“That’s what we say, ‘Only at Martinsville’. So only at Martinsville will you only see something like that or ever see something like that. Only at Martinsville do you get a grandfather clock for winning a race. Only in Martinsville do you get a fantastic Martinsville Speedway hotdog so on and on and on--it’s what we are,” Campbell said. “The way I look at it is when we sell a ticket, it’s not just a piece a paper or something you scan and go through the gate. It’s a memory.”
More of those memories will be made this weekend starting on Friday night with the Craftsman Truck Series running the Long John Silver’s 200. Saturday Night the Xfinity Series will run the Call811BeforeYouDig.com. 250 and the weekend wraps up Sunday when the Cup Series runs the NOCO 400 at 3 p.m.