MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The back road to Martinsville dips and turns through the woods. There are a few houses on each side. Then, suddenly, there are cars parked along the side of the road. We’re close to the track?
After parking, the walk continues down the road. A sign with “17” stands in the middle of a field that’s used as a makeshift parking lot. We take a right into the field.
Up a short hill, the grandstands appear.
If you’ve never been to Martinsville and wonder if the descriptions of it’s rural location are hyperbole, they’re not. The track basically sits in a bowl, with hills and trees all around. Houses too. And the train tracks, which run along the backstretch and separate the track from the helipad, which is essentially a flat spot of land where helicopters shuttling drivers and VIPs take off and land.
Sunday was my first time at Martinsville, and I also have a confession to make. It was my first Sprint Cup Series race as a fan. I started covering Sprint Cup races as an 18-year-old but never had been to one as a fan. Previously, if I’d been at a Cup race, I’d been there to work. This time was different.
And man, was it fun. Martinsville Speedway won’t ever be mistaken for a state-of-the-art facility, nor should it be. The houses behind the frontstretch wouldn’t tolerate any newfangled and modern construction.
Before finding our seats in turn one, we explored the infield and it’s evident that the track and NASCAR have years of practice in organizing all of the haulers in the middle. Not an inch of space goes unused and when we walked up the steps from the pedestrian tunnel in turn four, we were greeted by the mammoth front grill of BK Racing’s No. 83 hauler. If the parking brake was turned off and the cab started a slow crawl, well, it wasn’t going anywhere.
We also found this thing just hanging out behind a tent next door to the media center.
There are two things television doesn’t capture accurately about the track. First is the size of the pit boxes. When you’re standing in them, you wonder if you could lay down with your entire body inside the stall. How does a car fit?
Second, the turns aren’t nearly as flat as they look. The pit crews in the turns are stationed considerably lower than the outside walls. The track is still flat, especially in NASCAR terms. But if you had a giant parking lot at your disposal, you’re not simply creating a paperclip-shaped track with orange cones and calling it a Martinsville replica.
We made sure to order hot dogs — one, in my case — from the infield concession stand. Leonard Wood was two lines over, which made the experience about as authentic as possible. It is a bit unnerving, however, to see this sign. The thought of engine additives to give the Martinsville dogs their bright red color is enough to make someone squeamish head to the bathroom.
Our seats were stationed six rows from the top in turn one. We could see the entire track and watching the field stomp on the brakes as they headed towards us for 500 laps was riveting. The incident that ruined Chase Elliott’s day was right in front of us and there was absolutely nothing he could have done outside of installing illegal brakes on his car. He was about the seventh car behind someone who had almost come to a complete stop in the middle of the corner..
Though Martinsville is the slowest track on the circuit, the sense of speed still prevails, possibly because of the 20-second laps. Especially as the field gets strung out, there’s non-stop action in front of you.
And watching Brad Keselowski attack Denny Hamlin over the last 10 laps was great in person too. Keselowski had plenty of chances to use his front bumper as a weapon and didn’t. With a little more gas in the middle of one of the final corners, Hamlin’s car could have been crumpled up against the wall.
Sunday was a perfect example of why more short tracks should be on the schedule. Not only was the racing great, but the experience was too, from the intimacy of the infield to the cramped concourses, retro bathrooms and, of course, the trains passing by the backstretch during the race.
Is it a glamorous experience? Hell no. But that’s not the appeal of Martinsville. If you think NASCAR isn’t as authentic as it was 25 years ago and you haven’t been to the paperclip, start making your travel arrangements now. Your thoughts will be a lot different when you’re walking back to your car.
- - - - - - -
Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1ExXCqB
