[TH Spangler]

Anyone going to Martinsville Sunday? IM not a huge NASCAR fan but I'm thinking about going, weather looks great. I enjoy the show they put on and the speed on that little track is unreal.

[BJWilliams]

I think a friend of mine is going...his family has season passes there

[jbock13]

Anyone going to Martinsville Sunday? IM not a huge NASCAR fan but I'm thinking about going, weather looks great. I enjoy the show they put on and the speed on that little track is unreal.

Take an umbrella. Not for the rain but rather all the drunks throwing up on you.

Went one years ago. Never again will I ever go to any NASCAR event.

[LUconn]

I went to a race in Charlotte back in '04. It's the only one I've ever been to or even completely watched and it was awesome. My friend had ear protection that doubled as a radio listening in on the pit radios. It was pretty sweet.

[coastalalum]

Anyone going to Martinsville Sunday?

i'll be there, but then again i'm in martinsville every day!!

if you happen to see a group parking cars for the martinsville high school booster club, gimme a shout!

[bradyfan]

I don't go anymore either. Used to go every race when my Dad had box seats & a pit pass. After he got rid of it, I went with a friend and sat on the backstretch, that was the last time I ever cared for Nascar. I don't even mind alcohol that much but that was way over the top.

[ATrain]

After going to the Indy 500, I don't think I could sit through a race at Martinsville.

[Sly Fox]

The fact that Martinsville still has stop shows how far NASCAR still has to go in developing its sport.

And LUconn, I covered one of the races in Charlotte in '94 when I was working in Corpus Christi and I flew over to do a series of stories on the Labonte brothers. It is the only Cup race I have attended outside of Texas and it happened to be when you were there. Small world.

[LUminary]

Martinsville is a indeed a great place to watch a race, although I don't think the famous hot dogs are as great as advertised.

[TH Spangler]

Can't disagree with any of you .... Martinsville is a neat little track though. Restrictor plate or short track racing are the only two I would pay to see, the rest look boring.

Any sporting event that takes time out to honor our military and opens with a prayer in the name of Jesus can't be all bad

Yes, a lot of drunks ... but I solved that problem ... last race I went to I bought $75 tickets and I found myself surrounded by local business leaders, non of them drinking. The drunks must stick with the cheap seats?

My little nephew (10 yrs old) is a Jeff Gordon fan ...... and I'd rather take him to a NASCAR event than a monster truck round up ...... but I do get a kick out of Grave Digger

And believe it or not, my sister loves going ... so the three of us will be in turn 1. coastalalum we'll keep an eye out for the Martinsville High School booster club ... you guys pray for us!

[jbock13]

I know this is several years ago but I think Bristol has a special nonalcohol section.

[coastalalum]

The fact that Martinsville still has stop shows how far NASCAR still has to go in developing its sport.

spoken like another texan....bruton smith.

martinsville is the oldest track on the circuit. it's the only track that remains from nascar's very first season. it aint going anywhere! now i am surprised that we have been able to keep 2 dates on the schedule. i am no race fan, actually i couldn't care less about racing, but i've been to about half of the tracks on the circuit (my best man worked for rusty wallace). that being said, short track racing knocks the socks off of these other places. for my money, if i'm gonna sit and watch cars go round and round all day, i wanna see them beat and bang on each other. and i wanna be able to see the whole track. that's martinsville.

**it's been 5 or 6 years since i've been to an actual race, but there was a family section there then and there was no alcohol sold at the speedway.

[adam42381]

The fact that Martinsville still has stop shows how far NASCAR still has to go in developing its sport.

It holds more fans than some current NFL stadiums, so there's that.

[TH Spangler]

The fact that Martinsville still has stop shows how far NASCAR still has to go in developing its sport.

It holds more fans than some current NFL stadiums, so there's that.

There will be at least 75,000 there Sunday ...... "Drunks and NFL football", reminds me of the last Carolina Panther game I saw, I was stuck in the upper deck and the frat boys poured beer on everyone and then a few passed out in the aisles. I don't think I saw two sober people in my section. Not to mention I was so far from the field I couldn't see the numbers on the player's jerseys. Sly, I saw a couple of Cowboy games in the old Texas stadium, never had those problems down there. Club level or HDTV at home for me and Panther games from now on.

I'll be proudly wearing my Flames cap Sunday!

[01LUGrad]

If you are going, wave at the guy flying the F18 during the fly-over. He is a good friend of mine (who has a WAY cooler job than me)!

[bigsmooth]

The fact that Martinsville still has stop shows how far NASCAR still has to go in developing its sport.

spoken like another texan....bruton smith.

martinsville is the oldest track on the circuit. it's the only track that remains from nascar's very first season. it aint going anywhere! now i am surprised that we have been able to keep 2 dates on the schedule. i am no race fan, actually i couldn't care less about racing, but i've been to about half of the tracks on the circuit (my best man worked for rusty wallace). that being said, short track racing knocks the socks off of these other places. for my money, if i'm gonna sit and watch cars go round and round all day, i wanna see them beat and bang on each other. and i wanna be able to see the whole track. that's martinsville.

**it's been 5 or 6 years since i've been to an actual race, but there was a family section there then and there was no alcohol sold at the speedway.

Agreed coastal alum! IMO NASCAR has tried very hard to go away from it's roots. If the circuit wants to make changes reduce the road course races to one each.

[Purple Haize]

http://americaisraelracing.com/sponsorship

Is this car sponsored by BYD?

[TH Spangler]

Well the action on the track was wild today .... the race had an absolutely crazy finish. You'll have to watch it on ESPN, I'm sure they will show it 1000 times. The VT Highty Tighties took care of the national anthem and 01LUGrad your buddy's F-18 was great ..... I saw them circling in the distance before the flyover.

Had good seats in a good section, but unfortunately jbock13 you were right, we had to put up with the town drunk beside us. If that doesn't make you think twice nothing will? On the subject of sports and alcohol consumption, I have a friend that's into horse racing and she tells me that the Kentucky Derby makes NASCAR look like child's play. NASCAR should seriously consider a policy prohibiting fans from bringing it in. They should do like other sports and require people to buy it from an event vendor at $7 a cup, that would slow them down some. I believe they would pick up two new fans for every one they lost.

Have you seen the new Google NASCAR?

[youtube]

[/youtube]

[jbock13]

Yeah TH Spangler, it's sad. It would be fun if it weren't for the stupid ignorant people. How many fights did you witness in the parking lots?

But I really lost my fandom of NASCAR over the stupid "car of tomorrow". NASCAR is American. I don't have anything against Formula 1, but let Formula 1 be Formula 1.

I will say this, while Martinsville isn't the ideal racing spot, the 2 races they host every year is the only thing that keeps the local economy from falling to pieces. Unemployment is already hovering around 15% as it is there, imagine if NASCAR left, it'd be even worse.

[Purple Haize]

I'll disagree over the drinking. That's why the majority of fans come. Now if they had 'family sections' where you could control alcohol that is good.
I do agree about the Car of Tomorrow. Watch old NASCAR clips, you know where the cars actually LOOKED like the cars you could buy. That's what made people so brand loyal. Now it's just not the same.

[TH Spangler]

Purple next year I think they are going to address the car issue some. The Chevrolet body will look exactly like a Camaro, Dodge like a Charger, Ford like a Mustang and I think the Toyota will be a redesigned Camery. The manufacturers have been working on street designs that work for NASCAR. But in the end they are still 800 hp go-carts warped in a tin skin.

The over-the-top drinking at pro sports has been a concern for several years. I read where the NFL has taken steps to reel it in some ... but only baby steps? Cleveland, Oakland, & San Fran games were becoming dangerous . I go to NHL, Hurricane games in Raleigh and it's not a problem. But a large cup cost $7. That seems to solve it ... and it's an indoor event.

None of you said anything about the Google car? April fools

[Purple Haize]

TH back when I was involved more in depthly with Sport I knew a lot more about this type of thing. I remember saying that NASCAR is killing the golden goose by dropping too many 'Traditional' tacks andby racing a product that people can not correlate to what they drive. I agree 100% that what is on the inside is far from what you can buy on a lot , BUT it's who drives and what's on the outside that counts to fans. Glad too see they are going to address this. Maybe they should have taken notes!

[bigsmooth]

TH, most tracks have family friendly sections and its a shame martinsville doesnt. drinking will always be a part of NASCAR events or any sport for that matter, but indeed a shame that you had to put up with it. I have been to at least a dozen tracks and its hit or miss on encountering an idiot. the car of tomorrow's premise was good, but it has taken away from some good racing. as far as horce racing the infield at the preakness is a free for all in regards to drinking and topless women. sitting in the grandstands is a bit different and way more civilized.

[PAmedic]

as far as horce racing the infield at the preakness is a free for all in regards to drinking and topless women.

hmmm, where would the entrances to the infield be? Just out of curiosity...


EDIT: I know, SMOOTHIE - "Dude, you're an idiot".

There- saved you the trouble of typing that.

[Schfourteenteen]

All this complaining about beer blah blah blah. Inebriated fans make Nascar stories so much more enjoyable. They never cause trouble with you, and fights give everyone a nive entertainment break during a 140-lap green flag snoozer.

When my friends and I get together and chat about a race we went to 10 years ago, the most memorable part of the trip isn't who won or who lost. It's the old woman at Dover who had 8 beers dumped on her from the grandstands to the stairs she was walking down, or the lady at Martinsville who would dance next to her husband while rubbing a paperclip and seductively whispering "Yeah Tony, bring it Tony" every time #20 passed a car.

Take your kids and enjoy the atmosphere.