Memories at Martinsville
By Rick Kavanagh
On a recent trip to North Carolina, to
attend the “Chase-Race” at the oldest and smallest oval on
the NASCAR circuit, my wife Michelle and I decided to take a
few side trips before the race. With the continuing down
turn in the economy, we decided to visit the latest home of
the Gilette-Evernham-Petty merger at Statesville, North
Carolina.
The short drive to the Statesville
Airport area lead us to a three building complex that Ray
Evernham had organized with Bill Elliott to launch the
re-born Dodge assault on NASCAR back in 2001. Today,
Richard Petty Motorsports houses the Dodge Chargers of Kasey
Kahne #9, Elliott Sadler #19, Reed Sorenson #43 and A.J.
Almendinger #44. While these C.O.T. race cars are Dodge
Chargers in decals only, they still represent the latest
race car technology that NASCAR’s cloning rules allow. No
doubt, the beauty of these race cars lies within the
beautiful workmanship and over 880 hp. under the hood.
Having seen the cars and toured the race shop, we decided to
make our way to our accommodations at Greensboro, touring
the beautiful countryside and indulging in some great North
Carolina barbeque.
Saturday morning started out raining and
cloudy, but we could live with this day being wet, since the
big race at Martinsville was scheduled for Sunday. As we
headed down Old Randleman road, we were meandering not only
through beautiful countryside, but heading towards Randleman
North Carolina to take in the NASCAR festival in its
downtown. Randleman is one of those “mill hill” towns that
just happens to be the home for the Richard Petty Museum and
Victory Junction Gang Camp. While the rain put a damper on
the festival, there were still bands playing Country –
Gospel tunes, while we spotted a display of vintage race
cars parked in the local gas station, just like we
experienced as kids in the 50’s. With the rain showers
continuing to dampen the day, but not our spirits we decided
to head a short distance up the road to Level Cross. As we
pulled in to Petty Enterprises, now called “Petty’s Garage”
the Richard Petty Fan Club was hosting an open house and we
quickly made our way under cover, in a complex of buildings
that goes back to 1949, the infancy of NASCAR stock car
racing.
While having visited the modern complex
at Statesville, we now felt that we were surrounded in a
time capsule, rarely opened to the public. On this day the
bright red painted floors and while shop’s walls were home
of many of Petty Enterprises race cars, on the left side,
while on the right side were some of Richard’s personal car
collection. We were surrounded by racing history from the
famed STP race cars up to last season’s 50th anniversary
Dodge Charger C.O.T., as we took in the history and were
able to visit with members of the fan club, and while
Richard signed autographs and Linda visited with everyone.
A charity motorcycle ride was dampened by
the rain showers but the catered barbeque was excellent as
we dined within the same walls that once fabricated the
Plymouths, Dodges and even Pontiacs that took both Lee and
Richard Petty as well as Kyle and Adam to decades of NASCAR
wins.
After lunch, Michelle and I had a chance
to walk around the rest of the Petty compound. While the
Petty Garage is no longer producing race cars, its workers
are restoring them as well as building hot rods. Next to
the shop sits the family home of Lee and Elizabeth Petty,
where Richard and his brother Maurice grew up but the real
treasure was a walk behind the shop where we spotted a
couple of gems. There back in the weeds, was a white 1950
Dodge coupe and a 1948 Chrysler discarded but not forgotten,
as a reminder of the beginnings of Lee Petty’s career, with
a simple #42 painted on the door. Also on the edge of the
driveway was one of the old Petty Enterprises work horses, a
cab over Dodge tractor, that used to haul the famed #43
Dodge Chargers to the races back in the 1970’s. It sat
there complete hopefully awaiting restoration by the crew at
Petty’s Garage, in fact I hoped that the old white Dodge
would be restored to the condition as it would have been
raced by Lee Petty back in 1949-1950, simpler race cars in
simpler times.
With our visit complete, we made our way
back to Greensboro, where we would take the short drive to
Ridgeway, Virginia, on the North Carolina border to attend
Sunday’s “Tum Fast Relief 500” at Martinsville Speedway.
While most NASCAR fans of the modern era rave about the
short track at Bristol, nothing can compare to the history
and simple fan friendly country atmosphere at the oldest
track on the circuit.
Back in 1948 H. Clay Earles built a
simple half mile dirt track in the rolling countryside
outside Martinsville, Virginia. Many of the pioneers of the
sport, Lee Petty, Red Byron, Curtis Turner, the Flock
brothers, Fonty and Tim, Herb Thomas, and Buck Baker started
their careers winning races on the half mile dirt oval that
paved the way for the next generation where Richard Petty
would set victory records, at 15, and Dale Earnhardt at 6,
with the likes of Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip
posting victories on their way to their championships.
Today’s racers, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie
Johnson have dominated recent victories, for Hendrick
Motorsports at Martinsville. Martinsville Speedway was also
known for its modified classics where pioneers such as Rome
N.Y’s multiple modified champion Richie Evans, as well as
Western N.Y. driver Jerry Cook would battle competitor’s Ray
Hendrik in the famed winged #11 from Virginia and Geoff
Bodine from Chemung N.Y. in #99.
The point is that while many of the huge
complexes on the NASCAR circuit dazzle the fans with their
modern amenities, nothing compares to the history at
Martinsville Speedway, where NASCAR’s first champion raced
there on dirt, in a stock Oldsmobile in 1948 to last year’s
winner Jimmy Johnson’s Chevrolet in 2008. Both won in those
years, while on their way to respective championships.
On this race day during a ceremony, where
those of us in the grandstands would act as Grand Marshals.
From “Gentlement start your engines” to the waving of the
green flags, which were provided to all, it was a first for
a NASCAR race. For 500 laps it was a hotly contested race,
but Virginia native Denny Hamlin prevailed in front of his
home crowd.
It was a weekend to remember where not
only did we attend a NASCAR race, but we felt immersed in
racing history from Level Cross to Statesville to
Martinsville, it tied together all eras of NASCAR racing in
the South.
Martinsville Speedway stands as a
monument, still on the NASCAR circuit, as a survivor in the
sport of stock car racing in the south, while other tracks
such as nearby Rockingham and North Wilksboro have fallen
off the schedule.
Let’s hope that NASCAR and the France
Family keep short track racing on this historic half mile
oval. There is nothing like door to door, bumper to bumper
short track racing. While we have just completed our 58th
consecutive season on dirt at Merrittville Speedway,& are
planning ahead for the 2010 season with the addition of the
World of Outlaws Late –Model series on June 17,2010. I can
appreciate the history and tradition of 61 consecutive
seasons at this now paved oval, known as Martinsville
Speedway. Merrittville Speedway &Martinsville Speedway have
a common thread that binds them,&that is a tradition with
roots in racing’s past ,while planning for the future.
Race On!
Rick Kavanagh