Several times a year, NASCAR fans flock to Martinsville, Virginia and the internationally renowned Martinsville Speedway. Founded in 1947 by the late H. Clay Earles, the Martinsville Speedway is only track that has hosted NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races every year since its inception. For drivers and fans alike, Martinsville Speedway offers some of the best racing in the country. The History H. Clay Earle, the founder of Martinsville Speedway, was passionate about stock car racing and created the track in 1947. When Earles first opened Martinsville Speedway, it was a simple dirt track which accommodated 750 patrons; however, more than six thousand fans would crowd the Speedway to watch the growing pastime of racing. And in the early days of the Martinsville track, NASCAR was merely an idea. The first race featured modified stock cars and the legendary driver and World War II veteran Red Byron took the $ 500.00 purse. By the next year, Martinsville held its first NASCAR sanctioned event with great names like Fonty Flock, Bill France, Herb Thomas, Buck Baker, Pee Wee Martin, and Bill Blair were in contention. France created NASCAR, Thomas and Flock made history by taking the prizes at Martinsville. Flock won in 1948, while Thomas won in both 1950 and 1952. Once NASCAR created its “strictly stock division, the long relationship between Martinsville and NASCAR was cemented. At that race, on September 25, 1949, Red Byron took the win, while a Lee Petty came in second. By 1950, Martinsville began running at least two NASCAR races per year. It remains the only track that still hosts NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events to this day and now can accommodate over 60,000 fans. Generally fans get to see the Goodys Fast Pain Relief 500 in March and the Tums Fast Relief 500 in the Fall. The track was paved in 1955 and events 500 lap events were first held in 1956. Racing legends such as Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Jeff Gordon have set records and “wowed” fans at this azalea adorned track. The Specifications Lying in the beautiful rural regions of Henry County, Virginia, the Martinsville Speedway is affectionately referred to as the “Perfect Paperclip” for good reason. The track which is .526 miles (.847 kilometers) in length is one of NASCAR’s shortest and is shaped like a large paperclip. Its two straight-aways are 800 feet in length and its four turns Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society