Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, built in 1947. It is also the only racetrack that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
The track is often referred to as paper clip-shaped and is banked only 12° in the turns. The combination of long straightaways and flat, narrow turns makes hard braking going into turns and smooth acceleration exiting turns a must. Martinsville's surface is unique, as it is paved with a combination of asphalt (straightaways) and concrete (corners). The track was paved in 1955 and in 1956 it hosted its first 500 lap event. By the 1970s, a combination of high-traction slick tires and high speed were putting excessive wear on the asphalt surface. In 1976 the turns were repaved with concrete (a rare concept in the 1970s).
Until 1999, Martinsville was notorious for having two pit roads. The backstretch pit road was generally avoided because if a team had to pit there during a caution period, any car pitting on the front stretch had the advantage of pitting first and not having to adhere to pace car speed upon exiting their pit road. This was rectified when pit road was reconfigured to extend from the entrance of turn 3 to the exit of turn 2. This move allowed for a garage to be built inside the track, and leaves Bristol as the only active NASCAR track with two pit roads.
The track is often referred to as paper clip-shaped and is banked only 12° in the turns. The combination of long straightaways and flat, narrow turns makes hard braking going into turns and smooth acceleration exiting turns a must. Martinsville's surface is unique, as it is paved with a combination of asphalt (straightaways) and concrete (corners). The track was paved in 1955 and in 1956 it hosted its first 500 lap event. By the 1970s, a combination of high-traction slick tires and high speed were putting excessive wear on the asphalt surface. In 1976 the turns were repaved with concrete (a rare concept in the 1970s).
Until 1999, Martinsville was notorious for having two pit roads. The backstretch pit road was generally avoided because if a team had to pit there during a caution period, any car pitting on the front stretch had the advantage of pitting first and not having to adhere to pace car speed upon exiting their pit road. This was rectified when pit road was reconfigured to extend from the entrance of turn 3 to the exit of turn 2. This move allowed for a garage to be built inside the track, and leaves Bristol as the only active NASCAR track with two pit roads.
NASCAR Events
Sprint Cup Series - Races: STP Gas Booster 500, Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 Nationwide Series - None Camping World Truck Series - Races: Kroger 250, Kroger 200 |
Track Records
Qualifying: Denny Hamlin, October 25, 2013, 19.013 sec. (99.595 mph) Race: Jeff Gordon, September 22, 1996' 3 hrs. 11 min. 54 sec. (82.223 mph) Most Wins: 15 Richard Petty Most Top 5s: 30 Richard Petty Most Top 10s: 37 Richard Petty Most Starts: 67 Richard Petty Most Poles: 8 Darrell Waltrip Most Laps Completed: 27891 Richard Petty Most Laps Led: 3784 Cale Yarborough Best Avg. Start: 3.1 Fonty Flock Best Avg. Finish: 3.8 Dick Hutcherson Best Avg. Finish among active drivers: Jimmie Johnson |
2014 Race Dates
March 30 STP Gas Booster 500
October 26 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500
March 30 STP Gas Booster 500
October 26 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500