We live about two miles from Martinsville Speedway, which plays host to several NASCAR races annually. The track celebrates its 60th Anniversary this year, and has grown from a simple dirt oval to one of the most popular tracks on the circuit. The races this past weekend were great, and of course I attended both the Craftsman Truck race on Saturday, and the NASCAR Subway 500 on Sunday. However, what struck me the most about where we live in relation to the track was yesterday morning around 7AM when I was out walking our dog. It was cool, in the low 40's, with a clear sky. The crispness of the early morning was transformed by the low, rumbling sound of high-power engines being revved up, in preparation for the Subway 500 race that afternoon. Blending in with the roar of the cars you could faintly hear announcements over the track's public address system, letting drivers and pit crews know the latest times for events of the day. As I completed my walk, I could hardly wait to get to the track for what would be a long, but exceptionally exciting day of slam-banging, fender-rubbin, short-track racin.
When I walked our dog this morning, the day after the race, you could hear the leaves falling, it was so quiet. Flashing back to yesterday brought back memories of Dale Junior bumping Juan Montoya out the the way, Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon trading places within the top five most of the way, and old time racers such as Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliot still showing their short track stuff alongside the much younger field. Brakes failed, engines blew, transmissions went out, and cars bumped and banged throughout. I suppose there are those who say half-mile short track racing is not as exciting as going nearly 200 MPH over a mile or two long banked track. But, at Martinsville, you can see it all, smell the rubber and hot oil close up, and be completely surrounded by screaming, die-hard fans showing their loyal support to their favorite driver. And what's even more special for me, is that I live close by.
