Martinsville Speedway



Address: PO Box 3311
         Martinsville
         VA 24115-3311
         USA

Phone Number: 540-956-3151
Distance: .526 miles
Banking: 12 degrees

Where To Stay

Motels:-

Dutch Inn, 633 Virginia Ave, Collinsville 24078. Tel: 703 647-3721. Fax: 703 647-4857.

Econo Lodge, 800 S.Virginia Ave, Collinsville 24078. Tel: 703 647-3941. Fax: 703 647-1106.

Innkeeper, US 220 (Rte 2), Martinsville. Tel: 703 666-6835.

Martinsville - A Brief History

H. Clay Earles built and opened Martinsville Speedway in 1947 and still runs the unique short track as it celebrates its 47th anniversary during the 1994 racing season. When Earles opened the track, NASCAR had not yet been formed. Today, Martinsville Speedway, located 3 mi. south of Martinsville, Va. near the North Carolina border, is one of NASCAR's deepest roots. The .526-mile asphalt speedway, built as a dirt track and paved in 1955, has grown from a dusty, rough-hewn operation into one of the most beautiful and modern racing facilities in existence. It has been called the "Augusta National" of race tracks and the "family race track." Along with North Wilkesboro (N.C) Speedway, which ran its first race in May of 1947, Martinsville is one of two original NASCAR-sanctioned tracks still running Winston Cup events. Earles, now Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the speedway, spans racing's rough and tumble birth to its current mega buck attraction. Today, Martinsville Speedway covers over 200 acres, seats over 56,000 and Earles has turned it into a multi-million dollar facility. It has 800-foot straights, short, tight turns banked at only 12 degrees and has been called "two drag strips with short turns." The track has six corporate suites, a chalet village for tent entertainment, a 115-seat press box, high-rise grandstands, free parking, and a fully-staffed medical Infield Care Center. With the improvements continuing to change the face of the plant each year, the facility has evolved from a nightmare to a dream. But the track itself and the battles that go on there are little different from 1947 when Red Byron won the first race. Martinsville is a driver's track where exchanging paint is commonplace and no car completes 500 laps without body damage. But, with its long straightaways and short, tight turns, such is expected.