It’s that time again. That time when the sky turns a brilliant shade of red, yellow, and orange. That time when we reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. That time of year when the world becomes a smaller place, and we find ourselves wanting to spend more time with the people we love. That time of year when we wonder if we’ll ever find happiness again.
This year will be no different, and for this reason, we’ve decided to do something special.
This year, we’re going to take you on a tour of the most iconic American sporting venues, sharing with you the stories behind the stages and showing you what it means to be a Vermonter at heart.
The destination for this tour is quite remarkable. It’s a place called, you guessed it, Martinsville, Virginia. If you’ve never been there, you might not know what it is, but you’ll certainly know the place. If you’ve ever watched a race at Martinsville, then you probably know what I’m talking about.
You see, Martinsville is the site of the annual Cup race, which is the oldest continuous sports event in the country. If you think that the Indianapolis 500 is the Super Bowl of road racing, then you’ll understand what I mean when I say that the Martinsville Cup is the Super Bowl of NASCAR racing. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world descend on the tiny town of Martinsville to witness one of the great American sporting events. It’s quite an experience, to say the least.
This year is special because not only is it the 125th anniversary of the race, but on the day of the anniversary, we will be going behind the scenes of one of NASCAR‘s most historic and storied events to give you an intimate glimpse of what it means to be a Vermonter at heart.
The First Cup Race
The first Cup race was held on November 7, 1907, and it was a great success. Over 200,000 people came out to see the first ever Cup race, which was a whopping 40% of the town’s population. The spectators paid $3 each to get in, and the organizers made a whopping $60,000 in a single day. This was a lot of money in those days, and considering the relatively small population of Martinsville, it’s easy to understand how the town made a killing on that one day alone.
Though the first Cup race was a great success, it wasn’t until the next year that the races became an annual event. In 1908, the organizers decided to have an event each fall to commemorate the occasion and to make some money off the influx of visitors. Naturally, they chose a Saturday because that’s when the sun is at its peak, and the weather is perfect for holding an outdoor event.
The 1909 race was even more successful than the previous one, drawing over 250,000 attendees and raising $75,000 in total for the benefit of the local school system. The success of these races inspired the creation of the National League, which eventually led to the formation of the All-American Football Conference and the National Football League.
One of the great things about the 1909 race was the fact that it was held on a Saturday. Prior to that, the Cup had only been held on Sundays because the track was closed on Saturdays. Once the races moved to a Saturday, they never looked back. As a result, the entire town works hard to make sure that every Saturday night is filled with fun and excitement as we await the next NASCAR Cup race at Martinsville.
Changing Race Dates
The problem is that due to COVID-19 safety measures and limitations on public gatherings, the NASCAR Cup had to be shifted from its regular June date to the fall. This was a huge blow to the fans who had already bought their tickets and been planning their travel for months. Though the races are held at the end of September, few cities and towns are truly ready for a race in late September, when the weather is frightful and the crowds are small.
To make matters worse, in 1921, the races were moved to a Sunday, and this was met with great resistance from the fans. Though the final season of the original Cup was in 1926, the next year saw another name change, this time to the NASCAR Grand National. Ever since, the name has remained unchanged and is referred to as the NASCAR Cup.
The Changing Face Of NASCAR
Now, let’s fast forward to the present day and take a quick glance at how NASCAR has changed in the last century.
In 1907, the first Cup race was won by Jimmy Manley. Since then, the trophy has gone to numerous famous names such as Richard Petty, David Pearson, Jimmie Johnson, and more recently, Chase Carey. In fact, of the last 19 NASCAR Cup trophies, 17 of them have been won by either Richard Petty or Jimmie Johnson.
In the last decade alone, we’ve seen NASCAR change from a regional sport to one that is truly international, with fans spanning across the globe. The game itself has also evolved, with more emphasis on data analysis and strategy rather than just pure speed.
Though these are just a few of the changes that NASCAR has seen over the past century, it’s quite remarkable how much it has evolved and adapted to fit the needs of a changing society.
One of the most recognizable and iconic figures in NASCAR is a man named Bill France. In 1919, France started the Bill France Motor Company, and the company grew rapidly, eventually becoming the Bill France Grand National Car Company. It was then that the name NASCAR was born, and the company became immensely successful, sponsoring numerous championship events and car races across the country. Though the company has had its ups and downs over the years, it has never ceased to exist, and it continues to this day, still sponsoring numerous events and car races across the United States.
When the time came to honor Bill France for his services to NASCAR, a group of racers decided to do something special. On October 2, 1963, the racers met at the Bill France Auto Museum in Charlotte to paint a huge mural on the back of a truck. The mural, which took eight days to complete, honored five legendary decades of NASCAR, from the inaugural race in 1907 through the 1950s.
The participants in this event would go on to form the Core Four, the names Richard Petty, Frank Petty, Bill France, and Curtis Turner. Since then, the group has been referred to as the “Original” Core Four, and the name has stuck.
Martinsville In Popular Culture
Though the name may not ring a bell, you’ve almost certainly heard of Martinsville. It’s that little town in Virginia that is home to one of the great American events, the NASCAR Cup. It’s one of those places that you have to visit at least once in your life. If you’re a fan of NASCAR, then you know exactly what I mean.
Since the early days, Martinsville has appeared in numerous films and television shows. Here are just a few of the movies and shows that have featured Martinsville.
In the 1932 film, His Majesty, King George, George Clooney stars as George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama, who is desperately trying to win the support of the Ku Klux Klan in his bid for the presidency. At one point, the governor visits Martinsville to speak with a group of KKK members, and though he manages to secure their support, he doesn’t end up winning the election.
In the 1955 movie, Thunderball, Matt Helm, played by the legendary Lee Marvin, is a spy working for the CIA. In one scene, Helm goes undercover as a chauffeur to get information on a Soviet spy ring. On the way to the airport, Helm picks up a hitchhiker named Grace, played by the actress Jayne Mansfield. When she learns that he’s a spy, she turns on him and threatens to destroy his identity. However, as the saying goes, “A Mansfield won’t hurt.” The scene ends with a playful fight between Helm and Mansfield, during which they realize that they’re actually friends and end up having dinner together. This was a rare moment of levity during a tense geopolitical situation.
In the 1961-62 television season, the town was featured in an episode of the television series, The Rebel. Here, the residents of Martinsville are portrayed by actors with the last name of Mason. Though they are all Caucasian, the scene of the opening credits shows a family of Masons marching with torches, while singing a hymn. This is a subtle nod to the town’s African American community, which at the time, made up nearly 30% of the population.