TRACK FOUNDER'S DREAM CONTINUES TO GROW

When H. Clay Earles crawled through the briars and brambles to take a look at the site where he planned to build his new race track, he thought he was on the verge of a successful venture.

But when he swung open the gates to Martinsville Speedway on September 7, 1947, even he didn't have a clue just how successful his endeavor would be.

A total of 6,013 folks paid to jam into the track for that first Sunday afternoon show and watched as Red Byron raced to victory on the dusty dirt track.  Byron earned $500 out of a $2,000 purse for winning Martinsville Speedway's inaugural race.

In the fall of 2000, more than 86,000 race fans poured into Martinsville Speedway for the Old Dominion 500 Nextel Cup race.  Along with millions of TV viewers, they watched Tony Stewart roll to victory on the smooth 0.526-mile asphalt and concrete track.  He took home more than $125,000 for the win from a purse that topped $2.1 million.

"My grandfather's dream has kept growing and growing," said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell, Earles' grandson.  "He had a vision and used a lot of hard work and honesty to reach that dream to keep it growing.  He instilled that dream in all of us who worked around him."

Earles died on November 16, 1999 at the age of 86, but Martinsville Speedway continues to flourish.  Again in 2001, the Speedway will host two NASCAR Nextel Cup races, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, a NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour race and a NASCAR Late Model Stock race. 

For the first time, in 2001, FOX and NBC will broadcast the two Nextel Cup races, meaning a huge increase in viewership. 

"Racing from Martinsville Speedway will be reaching so many more homes than ever before," said Campbell.  "But it's more than just racing and the Speedway.  It will get our area out in front of a much greater national audience than ever before."

The Speedway continues making improvements for the fans.  For example, all of the concrete bleachers have recently been covered with aluminum bench seats, just like the ones in the high-rise grandstands at the track.

Since the day he first began planning the construction of Martinsville Speedway, fan comfort was of utmost importance to Earles.

"We like to see a man bring his wife and children to our events and be comfortable," Earles said a few years before his death.  "Racing appeals to all ages and many of our most avid fans are young folks and ladies."

"The secret to success in our business is giving the customer what he wants," he said.  "When a man plunks down his money, he deserves the best.  You try to make him comfortable, give him a great show and make sure he gets his money's worth."

Some changes for the competitors were also completed in early 2001.  The pit road was widened by 10 feet to help make pit stops easier.

"We felt like a wider pit road would make it easier for the drivers to get on and off of pit road and that would help make our races even better," said Campbell.

While Earles' vision has been enjoyed by race fans for more than 50 years, it has also been a boom to the region's economy.  The two annual Nextel Cup weekends have an impact of about $60 million on the Martinsville area.  And beyond those two weekends, the continuous growth at the track has kept pumping money into the economy.  The track's seating capacity has doubled in the past 10 years and during that time 25 suites have been constructed.  Almost all of that work has been done by contractors from the region.

The track has also developed a solid Web presence over the past six years, boasting one of racing's top Web sites.  Fans can keep up with what's happening at Martinsville Speedway or take a look at the track's colorful history by going to www.martinsvillespeedway.com on the Web.

Martinsville & Henry County Chamber of Commerce P. O. Box 709 Martinsville, Virginia 24114	276-632-6401 Toll-Free: 866-632-3378 Email
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