Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway ran its first NASCAR race on July 4, 1948. In 1949, Martinsville ran the sixth race in the series that eventually became the Cup Series.
Martinsville Speedway opened in 1947 with 750 seats and has grown continuously over the years. But other than being paved in 1955, the track configuration has not changed since Red Byron won the inaugural event.
The speedway is located three miles south of Martinsville, Va., and is the only original NASCAR-sanctioned track still running Cup Series events.
Richard Petty remains the track's leading winner with 15 victories.
The speedway's founder, the late H. Clay Earles, and track president, W. Clay Campbell, have always insisted on beautification. "We like to think of our track as a family type facility," Earles said. "We like to see a man bring his wife and children to our events and be comfortable."
Campbell became track president in 1988, and since that time the speedway has more than doubled its seating capacity. Under Campbell's leadership, the track has constructed 25 corporate suites, a chalet village for hospitality entertainment, high-rise grandstands and twice as much free parking.
Some of the other improvements in the past several years include a new entrance for race-day traffic off the U.S. 58 Bypass, all pits are now on one pit road, an overhead walkway from the grandstand to the parking area, an infield media center, new scoreboard, infield tunnel and competitors' garage.
