Out and About
I live two miles from Martinsville Speedway, which is the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit. The track is a half-mile long, in the shape of a “paperclip.” Fans have voted Martinsville as their favorite track primarily because 360 degree seating puts them within a few hundred yards of all the action. Driving by recently, I decided to stop and make a few photos.
We are fortunate to live just two miles from the oldest NASCAR track: Martinsville Speedway. Racing began here in 1948 and the “paperclip” shaped track is the shortest (half-mile). A large percentage of fans consider racing here to be some of the best. This was especially true during the Fall 2015 NSACAR Sprint Cup race last Sunday, won by one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers, Jeff Gordon. It was his ninth win at Martinsville, and his 93rd career win during his storied career. This latest victory locked him into the “final four” drivers racing for the 2015 Sprint Championship later this month. I’ve been to most all the races here since 2002 and love it. While fans often see photos of the race itself and associated activities, few ever see it like I can, living so close … after the race.
We live just two miles from NASCAR’s iconic race track, Martinsville Speedway — it’s oldest track, with two races annually, spring and fall. In two weeks the stands you see below will be packed with screaming fans, pulling for their favorite driver. Living as close to the track as we do, I often stop by to make some photos when the mood hits, as it did recently. My intent was to show the “stands” with the nice patterns they make to the camera eye, especially from underneath the great steel metalwork. I also got a candid shot of a track worker, painting along the wall, making the place look perfect, before crashing cars shortly ruin it all. But, that’s just racing!
