Martinsville Speedway

Everyone acknowledges that Martinsville has developed into one of the most attractive and well-equipped venues on the NASCAR circuit. Martinsville is one of the few traditional short tracks left on the NEXTEL Cup circuit.

A narrow .526-mile oval designed in the shape of a paper clip, Martinsville Speedway is a demanding short track that invariably takes its toll on equipment. Unwary drivers can wear out their brakes in a hurry as they enter the 12-degree-banked turns from straights that are absolutely flat. Because the straights are a mere 800 feet long, handling and the ability to accelerate off the corners without spinning the tires are of paramount importance here.

Opened in 1947, and owned and operated by W. Clay Campbell, Martinsville Speeedway held its first race in NASCAR's foremost series in May of 1956, when Buck Baker took the checkered flag in the Virginia 500 en route to the first of his two Winston Cup championships. Located on the south side of town near Highway 220, the speedway can provide grandstand seating for 91,000 fans.

Tony Stewart set the qualifying record of 95.371 mph in September of 2000, when he won the pole for the NAPA 500. Throughout the years, however, no driver was as dominant at Martinsville as Richard Petty, who picked up 15 of his record 200 victories at the half-mile track. Another short track expert, Darrell Waltrip, won 15 times at Martinsville, which annually hosts a pair of NEXTEL Cup races, in April and October. Rusty Wallace leads active drivers with six Martinsville wins, tied for third all-time with Cale Yarborough and the late Dale Earnhardt.

The town of Martinsville is located in in Henry County, central Virginia, 20 miles west of Danville and about 40 miles north of Greensboro, North Carolina.

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