Photo Credit: Nick Laham/Getty images for NASCAR
NASCAR’s oldest track will finally light up the night.
On Wednesday Afternoon, track officials announced Martinsville Speedway will add lights for the 2017 NASCAR season.
Construction on the new lighting project will begin the day after the Oct. 30 Sprint Cup Series chase race at the historic 0.526 mile oval.
Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway, said the lights would be used as an “insurance policy” in case a race is delayed or finishes late in the afternoon. Jeff Gordon won last year’s fall race at the track as darkness threatened the finish of the race.
“If we would have had one more delay, we wouldn’t have finished that race,” said Campbell, who estimated the project will cost $5 million and added it would be paid for by International Speedway Corp., which owns the track. “It’s important and critical we get those races finished.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was present during the announcement and applauds the move.
“I think it’s great for the racetrack, and it opens up a ton of possibility for the track itself,” he said. “Martinsville is one of the very best short tracks in the country. It’s awesome, and it’s been a long time coming.
“I would say I would love to have a night race here any day of the week. Short-track racing is what this sport was born on.”
With Martinsville adding lights, tracks that host Sprint Cup races that don’t have lights are Dover International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen International and Sonoma Raceway.
