This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup tour hits the little town of Martinsville, Va. for the TUMS Fast Relief 500; just as the series has been doing for 61 years.
On September 25, 1949 Red Byron drove Raymond Parks ’49 Oldsmobile to the $1,500 payday in the first strictly stock (forefunner to the Sprint Cup Series) race at Martinsville Speedway, a half-mile dirt track at the time.

It was one of Byron’s two victories that season – the other at the beach course in Daytona – when he was crowned the first NASCAR Champion.
In fact, if you look at the 1949 season very few things from it exist today. The France family still operates NASCAR, there is a Petty team in competition and Martinsville Speedway continues to host races. Beyond that virtually everything in NASCAR has changed since the inaugural season.

That’s what makes this weekend’s 500-mile at Martinsville so special. For 61 year drivers striving for the ultimate championship have had to deal with the tight little half-mile speedway. Some have had success there, like Byron and reigning Champion Jimmie Johnson.  Others have survived it on the way to the crown.

With the current 10-race Chase format the little track looms large not because of who is good there, but more for those who struggle there.

Last year Carl Edwards was embroiled in a championship battle with Jimmie Johnson. He knew his average finish of 18 at Martinsville was no match Johnson’s 5.3. Edwards in possibly his gutsiest performance of the Chase ran at the front all day and finished third – behind race-winner Johnson.

The finish kept Edwards on Johnson’s heels in the point battle.

Martinsville is a tight race track and things happen quickly. In an instant a driver can be two or three laps down never to see the front again. One miscue is magnified because everything happens so quickly at the track.

While Johnson has looked strong during the Chase and Martinsville is the team’s best track; it’s still a challenge to get out of town in-tact for the remainder of the championship run. While Talladega may be the “wildcard” race, Martinsville can certainly turn things around.

The great three-way championship battle in 1992 saw Bill Elliott with a commanding lead in the over Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki. Martsinsville was a big day for eventual Champion Kulwicki. A fifth-place run helped Kulwicki shave a bunch of points off from Allison who finished 16th and Elliott who finished a disappointing 30th.

With the great history of NASCAR celebrated recently with the announcement of the Hall of Fame, it’s appropriate that the track that remains from the original season has such a prominent place in the Chase.
Sixty-one years ago the championship battle rolled through Martinsville, Va. and it continues to do so on Sunday.