Martinsville Still brings the Excitement
31.12.69
This Sunday was no different. Many will say that there were too many cautions and too many drivers who didn’t check their tempers at the door, but no one could ever say it was boring. That’s never the case at Martinsville. This race day was no different. There were drivers putting a fender on an opponent and driving past, there were donuts on doors and wrecks, but no one could say it was boring, because it wasn’t, unlike a lot of races these days.
Years ago, and I’ve mentioned this before, it was always Bristol that packed the fans in because of the good, close racing that that track formerly offered. For some reason, someone decided that making the track more like the mile and a half tracks favored by its parent company would provide a better show. It hasn’t. All the while, Martinsville remains Martinsville. It really hasn’t changed in those 47 years since I first saw it. Sure, the physical plant is much better. Where once there were concrete bleachers along the backstretch and a covered grandstand on the front stretch, we now find towers on both ends of the track. The track now features a full food court on the front stretch and even a tunnel to get into the infield. Improvements, for sure, but some things have not changed.
Source: SpeedwayMedia.com (press release)