MARTINSVILLE, Va. (July 28, 2010) – Martinsville Speedway’s all-you-can-eat special was so popular last spring, that not only is it being brought back for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 this fall, it is being expanded.
All-you-can-eat specials will be offered in two grandstands, the Clay Earles Tower and the backstretch seating, for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on October 24.For $65, fans can get a seat in the Clay Earles Tower, rows 15-52, and an all-you-can-eat wristband that is good from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on race day. The price for a child 12 and under is $20.For just $35, fans can get a backstretch ticket and an all you can eat wristband.
The Clay Earles Tower overlooks the second turn at Martinsville Speedway, with a panoramic view of the track. The seats are also right above the top dozen or so pit stalls, so fans will have a great view of the top teams’ pit stops. Items included on the all-you-can eat menu are: The Famous Martinsville Speedway Hot Dog®, hamburgers, potato chips and canned Pepsi products.
The all-you-can-eat items will be served from a concession tent close to the Clay Earles Tower and the backstretch, just above the second turn. Both all-you-can-eat specials can be ordered by calling 877.RACE.TIX.
Tickets for the entire TUMS Relief 500 weekend are now on sale. Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 begin at $25 and range to $77. Tickets to the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on October 23 are $30 in advance, with children 12 and under admitted free. Tickets for Farm Bureau Pole Day, which features practice and qualifying for both the Kroger 200 and the TUMS Fast Relief 500, are $15, children 12 and under admitted free.
Tickets for all events may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com online.
Martinsville Speedway All-You-Can-Eat Program For TUMS Fast Relief 500 is a post from: Awesome Race Fans
You guys and gals know I love bringing you contest where you can win something. Here is a cool contest that should be a lot of fun.
BC and Goody’s Online “Pick A Powder” Contest Kicks Off Starring Trace Adkins and Richard Petty Humorous Collection Of Short Videos Showing Them In Each Other’s World Is At The Heart Of The Campaign Along With A Charity Tie
Parsippany, NJ (June 30, 2010) – Known just as much for their talents as they are for wearing their signature cowboy hats, country music superstar Trace Adkins, and racing legend and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, have begun a humorous “rivalry” of one-upsmanship about who experiences the toughest pain.
BC Powder and Goody’s Headache Powders, the brands Adkins and Petty represent, are going head-to-head in an online contest with their respective spokespeople leading the charge. The BC and Goody’s “Pick A Powder” campaign plays off the fierce and generational loyalty users have to either Goody’s or BC. Both Adkins and Petty will try to get their fans around the country to pick their team to support: Team Richard for Goody’s and Team Trace for BC on www.pickapowder.com. The man who gets the most fans to join his team will get to see the other “perform” LIVE at the Goody’s 500 in Martinsville, Va. next spring. The campaign also features a charity component with a donation being made to the Wounded Warrior Project on behalf of Adkins and BC, and Victory Junction Camp for seriously ill children on behalf of Petty and Goody’s.
Through the series of spoofs, jabs, challenges and contests, Adkins and Petty boldly take on new experiences in each other’s profession that sometimes work and sometimes don’t. The funny moments have been captured on film and will be posted to www.pickapowder.com. For example, you’ll be able to watch 6-foot-6 Trace get in and try to get out of Richard’s Petty’s car, and you’ll be able to hear Richard sing Karaoke. Fans of either or both men will be brought into the fold to help decide which brand is the favorite among powders users and which one of the two men truly suffers from the toughest pain.
Starting June 30, fans will be able to go to www.pickapowder.com and choose Team Richard or Team Trace. After fans register with a team they can vote daily. Fans and supporters will be able to participate in various contests and win prizes, including an all expense paid VIP trip for four to The Goody’s 500 at Martinsville Speedway (race tickets, air and hotel) for the Team Richard winner, and an all-expense paid VIP trip for four to a Trace Adkins concert stop (concert tickets, air and hotel) in early 2011 (location TBD) for the Team Trace winner. Winners will be announced in early October.
Richard Petty Trace Adkins Contest is a post from: Awesome Race Fans
I was amazed tonight to look up and realize this is our 70th edition of “Ask The Insiders Wednesday.” It’s crazy to think we’ve done this many all ready! If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Ric:
We received some lug nuts (from BMS Fire/Rescue) that were painted yellow, but the tips had different colors on them, was told they came from different drivers. We later were discussing why the lug nuts are painted yellow. The reasons that were thrown out (Starting with darn sure): Easy to spot for the tire changer, the yellow sticks out on pit floor to make sure you cleaned them all after a pit stop, there is a special coating on/in the paint to help with putting on / taking off the lugs.
The paint is strictly to make the lugnuts easier to see for the tire changers. Lugs from the manufacturers are usually yellow, but you will often see them painted pink, white, or other bright colors. Each tire changer has his own preferences. – T.C.
2. From djones:
I am totally fascinated how the haulers are parked in the infield, most recently at Martinsville. Is there a certain order in which they are parked? Is it first come first serve? And the big question is, how do they park them in there so perfectly? Thank you TC & Journo.
The haulers are parked based off owners points. As far as them being parked perfectly it’s a combination of skill and help. These guys are all, for the most part, very skilled and experienced truck drivers so parking in tight quarters is not a problem. They also help each other out when things are particularly tight. – Journo
3. From Dale:
When do the Mustangs debut?
They’ll make their debut with all the other Nationwide COT’s at Daytona in July. – Journo
4. From Walt:
Who pays for Sunoco gas? Also what do the teams do after practice back at the hotels without getting anybody in trouble.
As part of Sunoco’s deal with NASCAR, the fuel is provided at no charge to the teams for race weekends. As for the crew’s activities away from the track, there really is no end to what teams do. Some guys get the chance to get out and attend other sporting events, while some just hang out at the hotels. And knowing that NASCAR has a strict substance abuse policy, along with the fear of losing one’s job goes a long way in making sure guys don’t get too crazy on the road. We aren’t on vacation on the weekends, we go to the track to work. – T.C.
5. From Sue:
The 14 car went backwards yet again at Phoenix. What’s going on?
At Phoenix a lot of teams struggled with the changing conditions throughout the day – Tony was among them. He led 15 laps early on, but they just couldn’t find the magic late in the race. Sometimes this happens and you have to deal with it . Fortunately the team is having a pretty good season and Tony is ninth in the points right now. I would expect him to continue to be competitive as the season progresses – wins will come if that’s what you’re wondering. – Journo
6. From Pat:
When Denny Hamlin got out of the car this weekend he talked about how there is more braking at Phoenix than most tracks due to running a gear that doesn’t slow the car down as much. Are they running a high gear or a low gear? What other tracks gear like Phoenix? Which tracks are the cars geared to slow without as much brake?
They are running a higher gear then some other tracks. Gearing is all about getting the maximum amount of power and torque out of the engine for the conditions. At short tracks, you use a lower gear gear for better acceleration off the corners. Lower gears allow for better torque, but mean lower top speeds. Lower top speeds don’t matter at a track like Martinsville, because the track isn’t big enough to run really fast. At big tracks, like Daytona, teams use a very high gear. The cars have less acceleration, but much higher top speeds. Since the drivers don’t get off the throttle and brake in the corners, acceleration isn’t as important. That’s why it takes almost two laps to get the cars to full speed. – T.C.
And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!
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With rain on the schedule we headed out to the track a little early. The roads were kind of empty which was real good. There was some reports of some rain showers but they were suppose to clear up by race time. All the talk is about how much of the race we are going to get in as there is a major storm heading towards Martinsville. Hopefully it will hold up until we get the race in.
We unpacked the car and headed towards the press box to set up out laptops and then headed down to the race trailers to get some crowd shots and drop by the tweet up for a bit and meet some people we have been following on Twitter for a while.
First place we passed by was the Home Depot stage were they were interviewing Marcos Ambrose who was discussing the differences with racing in the United States and Australia. Marcos says the biggest thing he learned in the US was that there were a million ways to cook a cheeseburger. It was a very fun interview, he is really a funny guy.
Next we went past the Sprint Experience where Miss Sprint Cup was having a contest using Twitter where the first three people that showed her the contest tweet would win something special. People were coming from all over to show her the tweet. This contest was very fun to watch as people were running up with their phone in their hands.
We took a few crowd shots of the people waiting inline to get autographs from some of the Legendary drivers. Harry Gant had a huge line and he was very good with waving to the crowd as he signed autographs. We then went up to all the merchandise haulers where as usual Dale Earnhardt Jr had the biggest line. It was very strange to see a hauler for Danica Patrick even though she isn’t racing here but it is good for NASCAR. Her trailer had a big line also which is good to see.
Then it was off to the Tweet up where we met a few people that we have been following. Sprint came by and gave away a few passes for Sprint Fanview for the race. Kyle Busch’s fiance Samantha also dropped by and gave some fans a few Kyle Busch die-cast cars. That was cool, she is very nice and chatted with us all for a while
We went back inside to get some heat and some hot coffee as the temperature started to take its toll on us. The fans are starting to come into the track with blankets and ponchos in tow. These fans are some of the most dedicated in all of sports.
This Morning at Martinsville Speedway is a post from: Awesome Race Fans
We started out a little late this morning but we finally got to the track. The drive down from South Boston took a little longer then we expected. As we were walking to get our media credentials we passed by them starting filming NASCAR Raceday and everyone was yelling for Kyle Petty and he gave them a nice hello salute. We settled in and got our media passes and headed for the press box. Everyone at the track was very helpful, we even got a ride from our new friend Gunner. The trucks were already on the track for practice and the sun was shining.
After finding our way to the press box we settled in for a minute and then headed down to the infield media center where the cup drivers were being interviewed. This seemed to be the place to be as the room was packed with media. We stayed for a little while and then ventured out to the garage area. We took what seemed like a million pictures as the drivers were getting out of their cars. We almost walked right into Tony Stewart as we were both a little overwhelmed with all the action in the garage area.
We started to feel some rain drops so we headed back to the infield media center as Greg Biffle was being interviewed. He talked about getting some speed up in the car and he sounded happy with the way the car is performing so far. He also talked about how critical it is for the team to communicate to work together and how they have been so much better as of late. Next up was Paul Menard who talked about his good relationship with his crew chief Slugger Labbe and how they have been working real good together lately.
We left the media center and went back out to get some more photos before the rain started to fall since it looked like it was coming as the sky was getting darker. They were lining up the cars for pre-qualifying inspection and the rain started to come down a little heavier. We escaped to the press box as we are waiting for the rain to stop so we can get qualifying underway. And with that the rains have canceled qualifying, we will line up based on owners points.
Friday Afternoon at Martinsville is a post from: Awesome Race Fans
Well this week NASCAR heads from one short track to another. We had a very clean race at Bristol but I have a feeling enough feelings were hurt that we will have some action on the track. Could this be the week Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards have a run in. Will Mark Martin get even with Greg Biffle for last weeks wreck, ok we know that won’t happen but you never know.
This week an old friend comes back to stay, we are talking about the spoiler. The rear wing was blamed for a lot of thing especially the cars going airborne. I am not 100% convinced that it was the cause of it all but it did seem to play a big part. To me it looks like the rear of the car is too high to match up with the cars bumper behind it, guess we will have to see once we get back to a super speedway. I like the spoiler on the cars so its a welcome return.
There are many legendary drivers heading down to Martinsville this week, you can see your favorite drivers like Harry Gant, Buddy Baker, Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett, Junior Johnson, Bobby Allison and Donnie Allison. They will be around for an autograph session at 5pm on Saturday evening in the display area. They will also be around for autographs on Sunday morning.
This will be my first time at Martinsville and I am pretty excited. I am looking forward to trying one of those famous Martinsville Speedway hot dogs everyone is talking about. Maybe I can sucker Rutledge into a hot dog eating contest lol. That would be fun.
We arrive early Friday morning and will be around until after the media center closes on Sunday night. You can contact us through Twitter if you like if you want to meet up say Hi.
Heading To Martinsville is a post from: Awesome Race Fans
When the Cup Series heads to Bristol this weekend, it marks the fifth race on the 2010 schedule. It will be the final race that the top 35 in the owners standings from 2009 will have a guaranteed starting spot. The following weekend at Martinsville, the 2010 owners points will decide who is in and who is out. Bristol will be crucial for those who are floating right around that 35th spot in the standings.
Those who are on the outside looking in right now include Kevin Conway, Boris Said, Robby Gordon, and Max Papis. A good run at Bristol for any of these drivers could mean the difference between racing and going home at Martinsville and beyond. For Said, Gordon, and Papis who all have limited sponsorship, the idea of not having a guaranteed starting spot could drastically affect the health of their race teams and their ability to continue competing.
The drivers who are in currently, but are dangerously close to being out, include Mike Bliss, Travis Kvapil, Brad Keselowski, David Gilliland, Sam Hornish, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, and Marcos Ambrose. A bad finish at Bristol, combined with some good runs by the competition, could knock any of these drivers out of the top 35 and that vital guaranteed starting position.
Two drivers who stand to benefit following Bristol are Mike Bliss and Scott Speed. Speed is very solidly in the top 35 (currently 12th) after a difficult 2009 season left him having to race his way in to the first five of 2010. But his team has rose to the occasion this season, and their performance has improved markedly. Bliss currently sits in the final guaranteed spot in 35th, which, if he could keep it would be a huge boost to his Tommy Baldwin Racing team. This team continues to run severely underfunded, but a locked in spot in every race could help this team secure more sponsorship.
Bristol is always an exciting race anyway, filled with drama from start to finish. And this season’s spring stop in Thunder Valley will be no different. But if the usual story lines don’t grab you, take a look down the leaderboard a ways. You will definitely find a tension filled race for many teams./
I know it’s a little early to start talking about the potential changes to the 2011 schedule, but why not? With California in our rear-view mirror and Atlanta now right in front of us, this season’s schedule presents us with two potential casualties for next year.
The ongoing saga of Kentucky Speedway looks to finally be coming to a close. After years of litigation and rulings in NASCAR’s favor, the former owners of the race track just had the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit turn down their request to reconsider the case. With that, the United States Supreme Court remains their last option for appeal. The court receives nearly 10,000 petitions to hear cases every year and selects generally fewer than 100 of those cases. That staggering number means this last ditch effort is a long shot.
Even still the group of former owners is fragmented (one side wanting to continue, the other not wanting to continue), so the process could continue. If that happens Kentucky Speedway will likely have to wait one more season, as NASCAR has held to not giving a race to the track so long as they are tied up in the court system.
Should this thing come to a close though, Bruton Smith and the rest of the folks at Speedway Motorsports are going to have a tough decision to make: which track loses its date?
From the get go it’s fair to assume Bristol, Las Vegas, Infineon, Charlotte and Texas probably won’t lost their dates. Smith has said in the past New Hampshire wouldn’t lose a date, but who knows. The other viable and perhaps most likely candidate is Atlanta. There was a lot of talk about this last year and I think it remains on top of the heap.
Not too far away from Kentucky is Kansas Speedway owned by the International Speedway Corporation. The track along with Penn Gaming is planning on building a hotel and casino on-site. Last week they gained approval for the project (and a gaming license) from the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. Now that the project is moving forward, ISC has to make the same decision SMI does: who loses that second date?
In January ISC’s Chief Operating Officer Roger VanDerSnick told USA Today the financial fortunes of Auto Club Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Michigan International Speedway would all be evaluated as they try to decided where Kansas’s second date would come from. In other words, they’re the most vulnerable. Martinsville, Richmond, Talladega and Daytona all also have two dates.
The specter of Martinsville losing it’s second date has been on the minds of everyone since Darlington lost its venerable Southern 500. I suspect though with NASCAR’s attempt to recapture the past, this move would not be their brightest. I picture fan revolt, the likes NASCAR has never seen.
So with that who should lose its date? Phoenix still does pretty well and certainly provides compelling racing. Michigan, though the racing isn’t always the greatest, does a great job packing the stands – that was quite evident last year. That leaves us with California, which has lackluster racing, ratings and attendance.
Despite Gillian Zucker’s best efforts at propagating the great things about her track, it just isn’t resonating. Check out NASCAR.com writer Joe Menzer’s take on California and Zucker’s “optimistic” attendance figures.
We still have time for time for things to change and NASCAR is a ways from creating the 2011 schedule, but changes could very well be upon us. With that said what do you think? Should Kentucky and Kansas get dates? Where should they come from?
As we near the end of the season, and what some are already predicting could be a fourth straight championship for Jimmie Johnson, it seems the negative feelings toward driver 48 are growing. Some have even hinted that Johnson’s dominance is to blame for the decline in ratings and attendance recently. The argument is that when one team dominates, it makes the races less interesting to watch. But instead of blaming Johnson and his team for being too good, why aren’t you blaming your favorite driver and team for not being good enough?
I agree that it can suck when one team seems to win everything. But when my favorite college football team isn’t doing well while another is, that doesn’t make me watch less football. The same can be said about my other favorite teams. I’m still going to tune in each week, go to games when I can, and support my team. I don’t understand why the same can’t be said about racing.
We’ve been asked before by fans what exactly the 48 team does differently then everyone else. I think we may even have at least one of those for tomorrow’s “Ask The Insiders Wednesday.” The answer is, that I have no idea. If I did, I’d probably be a rich man. Whatever it is though, it’s working, and you can’t blame Chad Knaus and his guys for doing it right. And instead of getting angry and calling Knaus a cheater, why can’t we take a step back and realize how amazing this run has been? What if Johnson really is that good?
And while we are on the subject of Chad Knaus, how come we hear so often that people want NASCAR to give the teams more freedom in being creative with the cars, yet you get angry when somebody like Knaus pushes the envelope? It is the responsiblity of these teams to push the tolerances to the limit, because that is what it’s going to take to be successful in this age of NASCAR. Like they saying goes, don’t hate the player, hate the game.
You are going to call me a NASCAR homer for saying this, but I don’t care, I’m going to say it anyway. NASCAR is not playing favorites with the 48. As many are starting to get turned off by it, it doesn’t suit NASCAR’s interests to give them some sort of advantage over everyone else. They would be better suited to give Mark Martin or Juan Pablo Montoya the edge, because those would be bigger stories. The black helicopters have been winterized and stored away for the season.
I will agree that some of the debris cautions can be very suspicious, but if NASCAR is really throwing them to affect the race, they are trying to close the fields up for better racing; not to benefit one driver or another. Even Johnson has been the victim of these cautions.
With the Cup Series headed to Martinsville this weekend (one of Johnson’s best tracks) it would appear that his hold on the points lead could grow even further. But as quickly as Johnson has moved to the top, he could just as easily fall. I would caution you in writing off guys like Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, and maybe even a resurgence from JPM. The season is far from over, and if a points lead after five races meant you’d win the championship, the year would be over. But it’s not. We’ve still got five more races to go. Anything can happen. Don’t forget that races are played out on the track, not in statistics or on paper. And ease up off the venom for Jimmie.
Now it’s your turn. Are you becoming turned off by Johnson’ dominance? How come? Do you think one team dominating hurts the sport? Would you feel the same way if it was your favorite driver who was kicking ass? What if it were somebody like Kyle Busch dominating? The floor belongs to you, don’t forget to play nice!