RIDGEWAY, VA :: We all dream. You know the cliques growing up we all wanted to be a firefighter, policeman, a pro football player, all the things that looked cool that we dreamed of. Every kid has that vision. It’s what pushes us to have goals in life. Some have simple goals, then some want to become legendary. Each year in the Fall at Martinsville Speedway that dream comes true for some lucky Late Model Stock Car driver.
Races come and go. Championships come and go. All have great meaning but nothing really compares to being center stage of the biggest Late Model Stock Car race in the country at one of the most historic tracks in the world. Most drivers are regular working people which makes it all that more special. To simply have the same trophy and to have a win at the same track where the winningest driver’s names are Petty and Hendrick is pretty special.
You look through the field and you see all different kind of characters with different agendas. You have the guys that will be front runners that have top notch equipment. You have the guys that run part time just to have fun but make sure whatever race they run, Martinsville will be that one if not any other. Then you have the guys that simply want to make the main event, to them that is like winning the lottery.
Every category that a driver is in, is just as important as the next. The guy that finishes 23rd is just as important as the winner because he helped make the premiere race in America a success. Martinsville is the only race that there are no losers, the only ones that lose are the ones that didn’t try. To turn a single lap around the famous paperclip can make any drivers day, as soon as you do you join an elite club that other weekly racers envy.
To me each Fall it’s like stepping into Lambeau Field, Fenway Park or Churchill Downs, even though I’ve been there 100 times for other events. It’s because once a year it is “our” racetrack, for one weekend a year we ARE the Cup series, we ARE F1, we ARE the best fans on the globe. It doesn’t get any better than this. This is the epitome of what the term “short track racing” really is and what we all love.
Whether your a driver, crew, fan, employee, official or vendor you should cherish this weekend. It’s all that is right with racing in a very messed up racing world. Tracks are hurting, car counts are dwindling and fans are few and far between from what they used to be. But for one weekend a year, the racing world is perfect without a worry one. Make the most of what we have and give thanks to Martinsville for ultimately keeping local racing alive in the big picture of things. We will all leave with legendary memories, but only one will leave……..Legendary. It is that special.
