Martinsville Speedway A Stop On Historic Garden Week Tour
MARTINSVILLE, VA (April 15, 2008) – The bright colors of race cars will give way
to the softer shades of spring flowers when Martinsville Speedway hosts a stop
on the Historic Garden Week tour on April 23.
The 75th Virginia Historic Garden Week is the oldest and largest statewide house
and garden tour event in the nation.
Sponsored by The Garden Study Club and the Martinsville Garden Club, this year’s
tour for Martinsville and Henry County is titled “From Ridgeway to Raceway,” and
includes sites around Ridgeway in the Southern end of Henry County. Although
named “Martinsville Speedway,” the track is actually in Ridgeway.
“We are honored that we were chosen to be on this years Historic Garden Week
tour,” said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell. “I know it’s not a
traditional Garden Tour stop, but I think everyone will appreciate and enjoy
their visit here. The tours are always tied to historic places and we certainly
have a lot of history here at Martinsville Speedway.”
Earlier this year, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources deemed
Martinsville Speedway a site of historical significance and placed a historic
marker at the entrance to the track.
Visitors taking the Garden Club Tour of the track will be treated to a guided
tour of the race track by members of the Patrick Henry Community College
Motorsports Association. Campbell will have his eloquently, but comfortably
outfitted motor coach open for visitors to tour.
Those with advance lunch reservations will dine in the track’s Presidential
Suite, located 14 stories above the race track.
Martinsville Speedway is one of several stops on the Historic Garden Week tour
in Martinsville and Henry County on April 23. Other tour locations include the
Greenhouse and Horticulture Program at Magna Vista High School; 199 Beckford
Way, located in the Farmingdale neighborhood; 75 Derbyshire Lane, located in the
Farmingdale neighborhood; and 480 Owsley Drive, located in the Farmingdale
neighborhood.
Full ticket price for the Martinsville and Henry County tour is $15. Single-site
ticket for the Speedway is $10. All other single-site tickets are $5. Tickets
may be purchased on tour day at any of the sites open for the tour.
Tickets for the luncheon in the President’s Suite at Martinsville Speedway are
$12 and are available by advance reservation only. Reservations may be made by
calling 276.638.6006 or 276.638.1030.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
Statistics Prove Martinsville Speedway Center Of Racing Excitement
MARTINSVILLE, VA (April 3 2008) – Fans know Martinsville Speedway is an exciting
place to watch a race. Now they have statistics to back them up.
There were 1,992 passes in Sunday’s Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville
Speedway. That’s a 57 percent increase from last year when there were 1,148
passes on the tight half-mile oval.
There were 23 green flag passes for the lead Sunday, a statistic that accounts
for lead changes all round the track. That number ties the track record for
green flag passes for the lead, set in 2005, and almost doubles the 12 green
flag passes for a year ago.
There were also 20 official lead changes among eight drivers. All three, green
flag passes, green flag passes for the lead and official lead changes, are tops
among short-track events this season.
“This was a really good Martinsville race,” said seven-time Martinsville winner
Jeff Gordon, who finished second Sunday. “There were a lot of different passes
and action and lead changes and that’s why so many fans stuck around for so
long.”
There were also 18 caution periods, the result of the tight, exciting racing
fans have come to expect at Martinsville Speedway. Twenty different drivers were
involved in crashes, spins and such, and six were in more than one. But 41 of
the 43 cars that started the race were still running at the end.
“When you come to a race at Martinsville, you know there is always going to be
some action somewhere, if not for the lead than further back in the top 10 or
back a little further,” said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell.
“There’s always a pass being made somewhere. And the great thing about it is you
are right on top of the action at Martinsville. You can look right into the car
and see what’s going on. You aren’t that close most places.”
“I think we saw today that you can pass on the inside, you can pass on the
outside, you can race on the outside,” said Tony Stewart. “Sometimes the groove
where you want to be is on the outside.”
The many restarts offered proof that both lanes could be used effectively.
“It was interesting to see the restarts,” said Campbell. “I noticed that for
many laps they remained side-by-side and in many cases the outside line was the
fastest. That’s something very few tracks can offer. It looked like a half-mile
version of Talladega.”
The NASCAR Sprint Cup stars will hit the historic Martinsville half-mile on
October 17-19 for the Tums QuikPak 500 and the Kroger 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series race.
Tickets for both the Tums QuikPak 500 on Sunday, October 19 and the Kroger 200
on Saturday, October 18 are on sale and may be purchased by calling
1.877.RACE.TIX or online at
www.martinsvillespeedway.com.
Tickets prices for the Tums QuicPak 500 range from $42 to $80.
Tickets for the Kroger 200 are $37 in advance, $42 on race day. Children ages
6-12 are $5 and those under six are admitted free.
The Tums QuikPak 500 weekend kicks off on October 17 with Carilion clinic Pole
Day with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
Setzer Grabs Emotional Truck Series Victory In Kroger 250
MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 29, 2008) – Dennis Setzer made his fifth trip to victory
lane at Martinsville Speedway Saturday afternoon, but it was by far his most
special visit.
Setzer led the final 126 laps Saturday afternoon to capture the Kroger 250
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. It was his third Craftsman Truck Series win
at the historic Martinsville oval, but his first since joining BHR-VA, the team
founded by the late Bobby Hamilton.
“This win right here is for Bobby Hamilton – ONLY,” Setzer’s crew chief Marcus
Richmond shouted immediately after the race. “He is the man.”
Hamilton died early in 2007 after a year-long battle with cancer. His widow,
Lori, kept the team going, and early this year took on several partners, moved
the team to Virginia and renamed it BHR-VA.
“I have so much respect for Lori Hamilton. Nobody knows how hard she has worked
to keep this team going,” said Setzer. “She moved the team to Virginia, really
spent a lot of time with the new partners getting this thing up and going and
it’s starting to pay some dividends for us now.
“I’m so proud of the job Marcus Richmond did today, the job this whole team did.
They put a great truck under me.”
Setzer was able to move to the front, though, after starting 10th, and once he
got the lead, he was in control. The win was his fifth at Martinsville, three in
the Craftsman Truck Series and two in Late Model Stock cars.
“I love racing on short tracks where you get to use a lot of brakes,” said
Setzer, who picked up $55,025 for the win. “And I love racing here at
Martinsville Speedway.”
Setzer took the lead with 126 laps remaining and was never really challenged
again, despite a rash of caution flags down the stretch. It was Setzer’s 18th
Craftsman Truck Series victory and his first win of the 2008 season.
Matt Crafton finished second, his best career finish, followed by former
Martinsville winner Rick Crawford, Ken Schrader and Eric Darnell.
Action revs back up at Martinsville Speedway at 2 p.m. today with the running of
the Goody’s Cool Orange 500.
Tickets remain for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 with prices ranging from $42 to
$80.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
Gordon Records Seventh Pole Win At Martinsville Speedway
MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 28, 2008) – Jeff Gordon continued his mastery of
Martinsville Speedway Friday afternoon, winning the pole for Sunday’s Goody’s
Cool Orange 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
It was Gordon’s seventh pole win at Martinsville, matching his seven race
victories on the historic half-mile track. The pole win left him one short of
Darrell Waltrip’s record eight poles
Gordon turned in a near-perfect lap of 19.666 seconds (96.288 mph) around the
.526-mile track in a Chevrolet to win the pole. Denny Hamlin, driving a Toyota,
captured the outside pole with a lap of 19.775 seconds (95.757 mph).
“We’ve been close to poles, we’ve won poles here, but rarely have we put a whole
lap together at both ends of the race track the we way we did today,” said
Gordon after capturing his 65th career pole. “It impressed me, I’ll be honest,
to run that type of a lap. It tells you the great job the crew did today.”
Hamlin was obviously pleased with his qualifying effort, but felt it could have
been better.
“It was a good lap for us. I missed my marks on my first lap and that typically
was about one-tenth faster than what our second laps were,” said Hamlin. “I felt
like we were good. It was just a little driver error there and had to kind of
regroup in that second lap and kind of pull something at least salvageable
together and it was good enough for where we ended up. It just tells us we have
a car that is that versatile is going to be good for us on Sunday.”
Rookie Aric Almirola surprised the field by nailing down the third starting spot
in Sunday’s race, followed by David Ragan, and Jamie McMurray.
Rounding out the top 10 were Kasey Kahne in seventh, Ken Schrader in seventh,
Kyle Busch in eighth, Tony Stewart in ninth and Jimmie Johnson in 10th.
Tickets for both the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on Sunday and the Kroger 250 on
Saturday can be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX, online at
www.martinsvillespeedway.com
or at the Martinsville Speedway ticket office.
Ticket prices for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 range from $42 to $80. Tickets for
the Kroger 250 are $37 in advance, $42 on race day. Kroger 250 tickets for
children ages 6 to 12 are $5.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
March 27, 2008
GOODY’S COOL ORANGE 500 NEWS AND NOTES
COACH BEAMER TO GRAND MARSHAL
Virginia Tech Head Football Coach Frank Beamer, one of college football’s most
revered coaches, has accepted Grand Marshal duties for the upcoming Goody’s Cool
Orange 500 race at Martinsville Speedway, March 30. The Hillsville, Va native is
an avid NASCAR fan that has waved the green flag at racing events but has never
said the famous words “Gentleman start your engines”. Beamer’s Hokies won the
ACC championship and finished ninth in the country last year. He was the
national coach of the year in 1999 and is ranked third in wins among all active
Division I coaches. With team colors of maroon and orange, and having competed
in this past season’s Orange Bowl, Beamer is the perfect fit for the Goody’s
Cool Orange 500, a race named after the newest flavor of Goody’s headache
powder.
JEFF HAMMOND TO WAVE THE GREEN FLAG
To celebrate Jeff Hammond’s long history at Martinsville Speedway, it is only
fitting he gets to wave the green flag for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. Hammond
has been named as Honorary Starter for the upcoming Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at
Martinsville Speedway. As a jackman, Hammond stood in Martinsville’s victory
lane four times with driver Cale Yarborough. Once promoted to crew chief for
Darrell Waltrip, Hammond found victory lane 10 more times at Martinsville, four
of which were Goody’s 500 events (1984, 1987, 1988, 1989). Hammond secured a
total of 43 wins as a crew chief. NASCAR fans now enjoy Hammond’s commentary
during FOX and SPEED television broadcasts.
DOUG AGEE AWARDS
Doug Agee, a pioneer of racing promotions, will be on hand to present the Doug
Agee Award at the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. The Goody’s Headache Powders brand
created the award to be given to a person or persons who most embodies the value
and spirit of Doug Agee and is presented annually at Martinsville Speedway – a
track as deeply rooted in NASCAR as Goody’s 31-year tenure in racing. Agee
invented the fan favorite Goody’s Headache of the Race promotion with MRN Radio
and brought Goody’s to NASCAR. He also started what is now a lifetime
relationship with Richard Petty.
VIRGINIA TECH’S HIGHTY-TIGHTIES PREFORM
To celebrate Goody’s new flavor, Goody’s Cool Orange will have a Virginia Tech
flavor with both Head Football Coach Frank Beamer as grand marshal and the
Highty-Tighties performance. The world-renowned Regimental Band of the Virginia
Tech Corps of Cadets, better known as the Highty-Tighties, will perform at the
Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Always a crowd favorite, the
Highty-Tighties will entertain the race fans during pre-race ceremonies and also
perform the national anthem. The military marching band carry traditions dating
back 125 years with performances at presidential inaugurals since President
Eisenhower.
FAN PARTICIPATION
Goody’s will be giving away Goody’s Cool Orange towels to race fans entering the
grandstands at Martinsville Speedway for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race the
Goody’s Cool Orange 500. Fans will be encouraged to wave the orange-colored
towels during the start and end of the race. The stands will look like a sea of
orange celebrating Goody’s long time relationship with both the race fan and the
Martinsville Speedway. Goody’s has been a strong supporter of Martinsville
Speedway since the first Goody’s 500 in 1983.
-30-
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
Fans Still Have Chance To Buy Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Tickets
MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 27, 2008) – The Goody’s Cool Orange 500 weekend is just
about here, but fans still have time to purchase tickets for all three days of
action.
Hospitality packages with appearances on Sunday with appearances by Jeff Gordon,
Tony Stewart or Kasey Kahne also remain available to fans.
Tickets remain in many areas of the track’s grandstands for Sunday’s Goody’s
Cool Orange 500, ranging in ticket prices from $42 to $80.
Families can take advantage of the Spring Family Special for the Goody’s Cool
Orange 500 with adult backstretch tickets priced at $42 and $47 and tickets for
children 12 and under just $10.
Martinsville Speedway proudly offers special pricing for members of the United
States Armed Forces. Under the special Military Offer, military members can
purchase a seat in either the Clay Earles Tower or the South Annex for $50, with
children tickets in those areas just $10. The Military Offer is also in place
for the Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on March 29. The special
offers adult general admission tickets to the Kroger 250 for $30 while tickets
for children 6-12 are $5 and children under six are free.
Gordon, Stewart and Kahne will headline three separate fan zones prior to the
Goody’s Cool Orange 500. Gordon will be in the Pepsi Fan Zone, Stewart will be
in the Goody’s Cool Orange Fan Zone and Kahne in the Bud Fan Zone.
Each driver will make an appearance in his respective fan zone for an emceed
question and answer session.
The price for each fan zone is $99. The price includes a ticket to the fan zone,
continental breakfast and lunch buffet, Pepsi products and four beer coupons per
adult, track tram tour rides from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Martinsville Speedway
souvenirs and door prizes.
The $99 price does not include a ticket to the Goody’s Cool Orange 500.
Each of the three fan zones will open at 8 a.m.
Tickets for both the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on Sunday, the Kroger 250, on
Saturday, and hospitality passes are on sale and can be purchased by calling
1.877.RACE.TIX or online at
www.martinsvillespeedway.com.
Ticket prices for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 range from $42 to $80. Tickets for
the Kroger 250 are $37 in advance, $42 on race day. Kroger 250 tickets for
children ages 6 to 12 are $5.
The Goody’s Cool Orange 500 weekend kicks off on March 28 with Carilion Clinic
Pole Day with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
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Activity Revving Up At Martinsville Speedway As Goody’s Cool
Orange 500, Kroger 250 Weekend Draws Close
MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 23, 2008) – The first on-track action for the Goody’s
Cool Orange 500 weekend at Martinsville Speedway is still five days away, but
the speedway is already teeming with activity.
The speedway’s campground opened on Saturday morning and by Sunday afternoon
more than 300 campsites were filled with fans from as close as a few miles from
the track and as far away as Canada.
Workers began scurrying back and forth around the facility a week ago, making
sure everything is in place for the more than 60,000 fans that will invade
Martinsville and Henry County Sunday, March 30. The paced picked up over the
weekend.
“There are a lot of folks from a lot of different companies in here the last
several days making sure everything is just right for race weekend,” said
Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell. “We plan for these events months
in advance, but so much of the work can only be done the last few days.”
New NASCAR Sprint Cup banners and signs are in place around the facility,
replacing the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup versions that were used the past few years
before the series’ name change in the offseason. Sign painters are still busy
putting the final brush strokes on wall signage around the racing surface. The
huge white hospitality tents have been set.
The pace will pick up as the week goes on with souvenir vendors, exhibitors,
more campers claiming open spots in the campground and finally, the teams
rolling into town.
“It’s always an exciting week. It’s like watching a city coming together in a
week,” said Campbell. “And by Friday when the first car goes on the track, it’s
all together.”
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams get a jump start on the weekend on
Thursday when the teams roll their big rigs into the infield at 11 a.m. At 5
p.m. Thursday, the NASCAR Sprint Cup haulers will slowly move around the track
to claim their spots in the infield.
The first on-track action will be at 11 a.m. on Friday when the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series drivers begin practice for Saturday’s Kroger 250. The Cup cars will
roll out for their first practice session at noon on Friday preparing for the
Goody’s Cool Orange 500.
.Good seats remain for all three days of activity, Carilion Clinic Pole Day on
Friday, the Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday and the
Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on Sunday.
Tickets may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or online at
www.martinsvillespeedway.com.
Ticket prices for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 range from $42 to $80
Tickets for the Kroger 250 are $37 in advance, $42 on race day. Kroger 250
tickets for children ages 6 to 12 are $5.
The Goody’s Cool Orange 500 weekend kicks off on March 28 with Carilion Clinic
Pole Day with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying. Tickets are $15 for adults,
children 6 to 12 $5 and children under 6 free.
The campground is also open, with good camping locations available. Campers can
call 877.RACE.TIX for camping information or visit the campground.
Martinsville Speedway’s ticket office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
Young McDowell Faces Challenging Debut At Martinsville Speedway
MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 21, 2008) – It’s been a busy week for Michael McDowell.
He’s been jumping all around the Southeast, doing a media event here, a test
session there and phone calls everywhere.
It’s probably a good thing it’s been a hectic week for the young driver from
Arizona. It kept his mind off the week he’s got in front of him.
The 24-year-old McDowell will be making his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start
at Martinsville Speedway in the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on March 30. And to add
to the pressure, McDowell is essentially replacing 1999 Sprint Cup champion Dale
Jarrett.
McDowell has spent a lot of time the past few months explaining that he will be
driving the 00 Aaron’s Toyota beginning with Martinsville and David Reutimann
will move to the No. 44 UPS Toyota. “I’m gonna hop into the double zero and
David into the 44,” he has said many times in interviews. But he knows he is
filling the void at Michael Waltrip Racing left by Jarrett’s retirement from the
UPS Toyota.
“I don’t think anybody can take Dale Jarrett’s place and I’m definitely not
going to attach my name to that,” McDowell said recently. “I’m excited about
getting this chance. It’s a great opportunity. It’s just a good feeling knowing
you have got a ride and knowing you’re going to be racing in the Sprint Cup
Series is unbelievable.”
Waltrip ran across McDowell almost by accident. He was following the progress of
a couple of other developmental drivers on the same ARCA ReMax Series team as
McDowell. He was so impressed he wound up not just signing McDowell, but putting
him in a Sprint Cup car, replacing the ultra-successful Jarrett.
It was hard not to be impressed by McDowell the past couple of years. He won
four ARCA ReMax Series races in 2007, was second in the season-long point
standings, was the circuit’s rookie of the year and led more laps than any other
driver. He also captured nine pole positions in 2007.
He finished fifth in his first career ARCA ReMax start in 2006 at Talladega
Superspeedway.
Although only 24, McDowell had a solid career in sports cars before making the
jump to stock cars.
McDowell has seen success on race tracks of all shapes and sizes, but amazingly
is relieved that his Sprint Cup Series career will start on Martinsville’s
difficult half-mile.
“I now it’s a long race and one of the toughest races on the calendar,” McDowell
said of next Sunday’s Goody’s Cool Orange 500. “But I’m excited about it. It’s
an awesome place with lots of history. I really enjoy short-track racing. It
puts the driver back in the equation a little more than some of the larger
tracks. I’m looking forward to that.
“But it’s a tough race. There are a lot of laps, a lot of hard laps. To make you
debut at Martinsville is tough.”
McDowell got a jump start on his Martinsville career when he drove for Darrell
Waltrip’s team in last fall’s Kroger 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at
Martinsville. His goal was to finish the race without incident and get plenty of
good seat time. He accomplished most of his goals until he was caught up in a
wild wreck with about 15 laps to go.
The big thing McDowell took away from that race last fall was that he really
needed to be in good physical condition for a 500-lapper on the tight oval. He’s
spent lots of long hours since then in the gym.
“I’ve done a lot of training to make sure I’m in shape for 500 laps,” he said.
And he’s done a lot of listening to his teammates and car owner while waiting
for his first day behind the wheel.
“I’m in the best situation I could be in as a rookie driver because I’ve had
Dale Jarrett and Michael Waltrip to lean on, not only as a team owner, but as a
fellow driver. And I’ve got David Reutimann who just was a rookie, so he knows
exactly what I’m going through.
“You can’t put words to it. You watch the races. You grow up watching your
heroes drive and now you’re racing with them. I can’t put words to what that
feels like until Martinsville. It’s gonna be a fun ride. I’ve got a job to do,
I’ve got to put my helmet on good and try not to let it consume me, but enjoy it
at the same time.”
Tickets for both the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on Sunday, March 30, and the Kroger
250, on Saturday, March 29, are on sale and can be purchased by calling
1.877.RACE.TIX or online at
www.martinsvillespeedway.com. Ticket prices for the Goody’s Cool
Orange 500 range from $42 to $80.
Tickets for the Kroger 250 are $37 in advance, $42 on race day. Kroger 250
tickets for children ages 6 to 12 are $5.
The Goody’s Cool Orange 500 weekend kicks off on March 28 with Carilion Clinic
Pole Day with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying.
Martinsville Speedway’s ticket office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Saturday.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
Newman Comes To Martinsville To Race, But Finds Time To Fish
MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 20, 2008) – A few years ago, Ryan Newman hopped into his
pickup truck after practice at Martinsville Speedway and went looking for a
place to fish. He didn’t have a boat; he didn’t even have a map.
But the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver has a passion for bass fishing and bass
fishermen can always find a fishing-hole. It was no different for Newman, the
winner of this year’s Daytona 500 who is eighth in Sprint Cup points headed into
the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 30.
About 15 miles northwest of the historic short track, Newman stumbled across
Philpott Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundment. It was love at first
sight that turned into a long-term relationship.
“I was just driving around looking for a lake so I could go fishing and luckily
I found it,” said Newman.
On that first trip he didn’t have his own boat. So he stood around a put-in ramp
and hitched a ride with another fisherman. “He didn’t even know who I was at
first,” said Newman. “But we had a good trip.”
Newman hitched rides on the lake a couple of more times, but for the last two or
three years has been bringing his own boat to Martinsville Speedway and heading
out to Philpott after practice or qualifying.
“It (Philpott) is a real difficult lake to fish,” said Newman, whose career
catch was a 10-pound, 6-ounce largemouth bass in Atlanta. “It’s really deep and
it has really clear water. I haven’t had good luck there, but I have caught some
fish – just not a lot. It’s a tough lake to fish.”
Newman’s had a little better luck on track at Martinsville Speedway than at
Philpott. He’s had five top-five finishes in 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at
Martinsville and has finished out of the top 15 only twice. He also has a
Martinsville pole win to his credit.
He came awfully close to picking up his first Martinsville win last fall. In
fisherman terms, it was sort of like the one that got away.
Newman got around perennial Martinsville favorite Jeff Gordon with a dozen or so
laps remaining and had a bead on eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson when a
caution came out with just a lap to go, handing Johnson the win. When the
caution flew, Newman had pulled almost even with Johnson.
“Certainly there was some disappointment,” Newman said of the second-place
finish to Johnson. “If I could have run that last lap, I might have won, but
we’ll never know.”
Tickets for both the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on Sunday, March 30, and the Kroger
250, on Saturday, March 29, are on sale and can be purchased by calling
1.877.RACE.TIX or online at
www.martinsvillespeedway.com. Ticket prices for the Goody’s Cool
Orange 500 range from $42 to $77.
Tickets for the Kroger 250 are $37 in advance, $42 on race day. Kroger 250
tickets for children ages 6 to 12 are $5.
The Goody’s Cool Orange 500 weekend kicks off on March 28 with Carilion Clinic
Pole Day with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying.
Martinsville Speedway’s ticket office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Saturday.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
Who Is Hot Headed Into Goody’s Cool Orange 500 At Martinsville?
MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 17, 2008) – With the first Sprint Cup short-track stop
of the season in the books, who has the hot hand headed into the second, the
Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway?
The natural pick would be the winner of Sunday’s race at Bristol, Jeff Burton,
and it would certainly be a good pick. Burton, born and reared in nearby South
Boston, has a NASCAR Sprint Cup win on the difficult .526-mile oval, along with
nine top five and 13 top-10 finishes.
The absolute king of active drivers at Martinsville is Jeff Gordon, and even
though he’s presently mired back in 14th in the points, he has to be a favorite
headed into the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. His Martinsville stats are staggering.
He has seven wins, 18 top five and 24 top 10 finishes along with six pole wins.
He’s led 22 of the 30 races he’s run at Martinsville for a total of 2,466 laps
led.
His teammate Jimmie Johnson, also off to a sluggish 2008 start, has ruled
Martinsville the past couple of years. He has won the last three Martinsville
races, has a total of four Martinsville wins and has led half of the 12 races
he’s run on the half-mile track.
Johnson’s average finish of 6.2 leads all active drivers, just head of Gordon at
7.2.
Tony Stewart, who led the most laps at Bristol Sunday, has been equally
impressive at Martinsville. He has two Martinsville wins to his credit along
with six top five and 10 top-10 finishes and three poles. He has led a total of
1,193 laps at Martinsville.
NASCAR Sprint Cup points lead Kyle Busch has fared well at Martinsville in his
short career. In six races here, he has three top five and four top-10 finishes.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., fifth in NASCAR Sprint Cup points headed into the Goody’s
Cool Orange 500, has been solid at Martinsville with seven top fives in 16
starts. He has led in six of those starts for 612 laps.
Tickets for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 and Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series race, on Saturday, March 29, are on sale and can be purchased by calling
1.877.RACE.TIX or online at
www.martinsvillespeedway.com . Ticket prices for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500
range from $42 to $77.
Tickets for the Kroger 250 are $37 in advance, $42 on race day. Kroger 250
tickets for children ages 6 to 12 are $5.
The Goody’s Cool Orange 500 weekend kicks off on March 28 with Carilion Clinic
Pole Day with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying.
Martinsville Speedway’s ticket office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Saturday.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
March 13, 2008
Jon Wood Has Solid Test For Kroger 250 At Martinsville Speedway
MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 13, 2008) – Jon Wood knows all about running well at
Martinsville Speedway. He also knows how tough the historic half-mile track can
be on drivers and equipment and that’s why he tried not to be too excited
Thursday afternoon.
Nearing the end of a two-day NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series test at Martinsville
on Thursday, Wood’s name had consistently been near the top of the speed chart.
He finished Wednesday’s day-long test in preparation for the March 29th Kroger
250 with the fifth fastest speed of the day. He hovered in that same area all
day Thursday.
“The past couple of days have been pretty good,” said Wood. “I could be a lot
more frustrated right now than I am. Actually I’m pretty optimistic.”
Wood, a third generation member of the storied Wood Brothers Race Team, has a
Martinsville truck win to his credit, taking the checkered flag in the 2003
Kroger 200. But he’s struggled at times, too, at the track that is less than 25
miles from his birthplace.
“Actually Martinsville is unique in that you never go away in the middle of the
road,” said the 26-year-old Wood. “You either hate it or can’t wait to get back
and I’ve been on either side of that fence.
Wood probably rolled up more than 400 laps in his two-day test, and when he
wasn’t on the track, he was huddled with crew members, working hard to get his
Ford faster.
“You work harder here in testing than any other track because there is no
comfort zone,” said Wood. “You can’t ease up. Before lunch you can be in the top
five and an hour into the afternoon you’re not in the top 15.”
Wood will come into the Kroger 250 on March 29th 24th in the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series points, but that’s not indicative of the season he’s experienced.
In the season-opener at Daytona, he started 34th, was up to eighth by lap six,
but wound up getting caught up in someone else’s wreck. He struggled at Las
Vegas, but finished 10th at Atlanta last week after a pit gamble failed.
Even though he knows not to get too excited about his successful Martinsville
test, he says it’s hard not to feel good coming to Martinsville.
“The win I had here helps me in the mental area. I can go to bed at night saying
I’ve won on one of the toughest tracks there is,” said Wood. “Nothing can
describe the feeling I have coming to Martinsville. I’m always anxious to get
here. When I walk through the tunnel, I may not be the most admired sports
figure, but at Martinsville, everybody knows me. It gives me a good, hometown
feeling.”
Tickets for both the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on Sunday, March 30, the Kroger
250, on Saturday, March 29, and hospitality passes are on sale and can be
purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or online at
www.martinsvillespeedway.com.
Ticket prices for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 range from $42 to $77. Tickets for
the Kroger 250 are $37 in advance, $42 on race day. Kroger 250 tickets for
children ages 6 to 12 are $5.
The Goody’s Cool Orange 500 weekend kicks off on March 28 with Carilion Clinic
Pole Day with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying.
Mike Smith
Director, Public Relations
Martinsville Speedway
276.956.7232 (w)
276.226.0495 (c)
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