ROANOKE, VA :: Tuesday night’s annual media event ahead of the MDCU 300, sponsored by the Martinsville DuPont Credit Union, had a different feel. With every news channel and media outlet in the region on hand at the Center in the Square in Roanoke, Virginia, it was clear that the atmosphere this year is even more electric heading in to Sunday’s race.
The MDCU 300 is the biggest race of the year for Late Model Stock Car racing and with Martinsville DuPont Credit Union (MDCU) on board, it’s only getting bigger. Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said the Martinsville DuPont Credit Union has taken the race to a new level.
“We’re really excited with the Martinsville DuPont Credit Union,” Campbell told RACE22.com on Tuesday night. “Their involvement has taken this race to another level. The excitement from the drivers and fans, like you say, this is Cup-level what we’re seeing going in to this weekend so we’re excited about it. It should be the best race we’ve ever had here.”
Lori Cauley, Assistant Vice President of Marketing for the Martinsville DuPont Credit Union, said she was humbled to hear Campbell’s praise of their sponsorship and involvement entering this year’s big dance.
“I have to say I was very humbled and flattered to hear him say that,” Cauley said. “We like to think that we were going to bring something to the table that would help this race be even bigger than it already is and it is the premier Late Model Stock Car race. We’re not trying to pretend like we made it that but we are here to help try to enhance that so, to hear Clay say that we are doing that, it just really makes us so happy because a happy Clay is a happy MDCU.”
Cauley said the Martinsville DuPont Credit Union has been excited about the response they’ve gotten and the interest generated leading up to the MDCU 300.
“It’s been very exciting,” she explained. “We really did not know what to expect coming in to this because this is a race that so many locals are familiar with but, boy, they are so excited that we’re on board. They’re so excited to have a sponsor that is 100 percent committed to this event and to trying to enhance it to the maximum amount possible. We’ve just gotten a wonderful response from the community. We’ve seen a tremendous response on our Facebook page. We could not have asked for more. And the speedway, they’re phenomenal to work with.”
Along with his excitement about the track’s partnership with the Martinsville DuPont Credit Union, Campbell is enthusiastic about Sunday’s race and feels this race will be the best race ever.
“Hopefully we’ll finish the race before it gets dark,” Campbell remarked. “We tweaked the schedule a little bit so hopefully that won’t be an issue. This is the biggest race for the competitors and it’s the most exciting race for the fans. You can’t get any better than that to have both of them so, you know, it just doesn’t get any better than that. The fans can look forward to some great races – the qualifying races, the last chance race and then the big one. It’s always such a great race.”
Campbell also talked about how the race itself was different from other Late Model Stock Car races. One thing that’s different about the MDCU 300 is that a competition caution comes out with 10 laps to go generating a 10-lap shootout to determine the winner. The rule, which has been a staple in the race since its inception, was scrutinized last year after the mandatory competition caution interrupted a thrilling battle for the lead between Lee Pulliam, Dillon Bassett and Matt Waltz.
“I think, with this race being of the stature that it is, $25,000-to-win, these guys are used to running for $2,500 on a weekly basis. To pay $25,000-to-win, $1,000-to-start, it’s not your typical race,” Campbell stated. “We wanted to do something to make it exciting for the fans. We put that competition caution in with 10 to go and it’s been a staple of this event. We don’t see any reason to change it but this is not your typical race. With that kind of payout, I feel like we can do something like that and drivers understand it. They know what it’s like if they’re in front or in the back of it. It’s there to stay.”
The other thing that is there to stay is the Martinsville DuPont Credit Union. Cauley said the agreement to sponsor the MDCU 300 is a multi-year agreement.
“When we entered in to this sponsorship of the race earlier this year, it was a multi-year agreement so you’ll be seeing more for the MDCU 300,” Cauley commented.
Tuesday night’s media event was, in itself, one way the race has been taken to a whole new level. The event had previously been held in Danville, Virginia. This year, held in the heart of Downtown Roanoke, the formalities and the pageantry was apparent as the bright city lights of the ‘Star City’ shined upon the rooftop building as multiple news outlets and every television news station from the nation’s 67th largest television market interviewed the race’s contenders and dreamers.
Matt Bowling, Scott Lancaster, Bryan Reedy, Peyton Sellers, Dennis Holdren and Michael McGuire were all on hand. Fans who had won contest on the Martinsville DuPont Credit Union’s Facebook page were also on hand. Those fans received a prize pack which included race tickets. Debbie Fretwell won the grand prize drawing on Tuesday night which included VIP passes for the race and will have the honor and privilege of waving the green flag for Sunday’s race.
Sunday’s MDCU 300 promises to be bigger and better than ever before but the promise and the principle will remain the same for drivers who make the feature, survive the attrition, race hard and go fast. At the end of the race, only one driver will be taking home a Ridgeway Grandfather Clock and a $25,000 check.
The 2014 MDCU 300 will be the 45th Late Model Stock Car race held at one of NASCAR’s most historic venues. The front row for the 200-lap feature event will be set on Saturday, October 4th during the European-style qualifying session. That qualifying session will also set the field for the four heat races which will begin at high noon on Sunday, October 5th. The three 25-lap heat races and a 25-lap “last chance” race, with 10 drivers advancing from each qualifying race, will set the rest of the 42-car field for Sunday’s 200-lap, $25,000-to-win MDCU 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
