MARTINSVILLE -- THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY!

Well, we have returned safe and sound from an absolutely gorgeous weekend in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  It was a perfect weather weekend and the fall colors on the mountains were positively electric!  What a perfect time of year to visit this area of our country.  We feel so fortunate to live close enough to be able to take in this spectacle provided to us courtesy of Mother Nature!

There were lots of things I consider GOOD about the weekend.  VERY GOOD, in fact.  At the top of the Good List would of course be the race itself.  Probably the best race of the year so far.  Not a single fan left the track disappointed!

Also GOOD for us was the interesting side trip we took to a little town about two hours north of Martinsville called Lexington.  It is the home of Virginia Military Institute and Washington & Lee University.  It is also the location of Stonewall Jackson's home and gravesite.  The town is a very cool college town, complete with small boutiques and neat little restaurants.  There are also two craft breweries that we just had to check out also!  We brought home several different beers to share with our boys.  I also bought something I have never seen before - a growler of iced coffee tapped over nitro.  It is amazingly delicious, and my girls are going to love it!

Along with all the good, there was also some BAD.  And, sadly, I can't say that I was surprised at what I found to be BAD.  It was the behavior of some of the fans.  I know bad behavior is becoming prevalent in our society as a whole, but c'mon!  Booing the UNC Marching Band when they were introduced to perform the National Anthem?!?!  Because why - you are a Duke fan?  Shame on you!

And then there are those who think that the "no smoking" signs apply to everyone except them.  And those people are usually sitting in front of me.  This weekend was no exception.  Young guys who ran out of money because of all the beer they bought so they bummed cigarettes from others around them.  Really?!

And, lastly, the BAD behavior of those fans who find satisfaction is standing and giving the finger to a driver who is beating their driver.  Newsflash -- HE CAN'T SEE YOU!  But the little kids sitting around you certainly can.  Or the fan who thought he was funny when, after the race, Brad Keselowski was passing by in his golfcart and he had to shout out "You suck!"  Some people are just idiots.

And lastly, the UGLY.  And the UGLY AWARD goes to the Virginia police who hid themselves along Route 581, where the speed limit goes from 70 on a two-lane highway to 55 on a three-lane highway (WHY?!?!?!) and then ticketed every out-of-state driver they saw because they knew it was an easy score.  Thanks.  I feel better now.

How about you?  What were your GOOD, BAD & UGLY moments at Martinsville?

NASCAR - THE TIE THAT BINDS

Here is the thing about Nascar fans - they are everywhere.  You probably just don't know it!  For whatever reason, many people won't admit that they are a fan of the sport.  Maybe it is because of the image most people have of stereotypical race fan - toothless, uneducated, beer drinking hillbilly - you get the idea.  But once you break the ice with that first awkward comment ... "we follow Nascar" or some such other 'bait' statement ... they come out of the woodwork!

We had this very thing happen to us this past weekend while we were fall camping.  On our nightly walk to check out all the gorgeous motorcoaches at the campground, we stopped to chat with a couple who was sitting by their campfire.  About ten minutes into the conversation Hubby said something about a campground we had been to for a race weekend.  Well .... two hours later (!) we finished our walk, but not before they invited us to their campsite to watch the race on their outdoor TV the next evening.  It was a chilly autumn night, but we had a blast with these crazy new friends from New Jersey.

And this very kind of thing happens everywhere we go.  A casual comment made in passing, hanging our track flag banner from the RV, playing the Nascar station from our Sirius XM outdoor speakers.  All of these have brought so many fun and interesting people into our lives.  We have stayed in touch with some, gotten pointers on where to stay and where to park from others.  At Bristol last year we tailgated with a rowdy bunch from California and we still laugh when we tell those stories!

It's another reason why this Nascar Wife loves going to races.  They are about so much more than the race, although that would be reason enough.  We meet the NICEST people and make the best memories!!

As for that crazy couple from New Jersey .... we told them they should come to Martinsville with us next weekend.  So they are!!  Someone should probably warn the track we are coming!

GEARING UP FOR MARTINSVILLE

We began our Nascar season with a trip to Martinsville this spring.  And yes, it snowed the morning of the Cup race!  We drove to the track from our campground with snow covering the side of the interstate!  But we were prepared with layers upon layers of warm clothes, and despite the raging winds that had our bleacher seats humming, we enjoyed a great day of racing!

The track at Martinsville is one of my favorites.  It is referred to as "The Paperclip" because of its shape - long straightaways and sharp corners.  The difference with this track from the others we go to is that this one is flat.  No high banked corners to shoot out of.  Just like a regular road, only with really sharp corners.  As a result the cars do not race at as high a rate of speed as they do at other tracks.  But there is a lot of strategy and braking and bumping, so there is a lot of action!  Here is how the track is documented at the Hall of Fame --

 

I really love going to this track.  I'm not sure exactly why, but this will be our third trip in two years and I can't wait! 

 

We will take the RV, but we do not camp at the track.  As a general rule we don't camp at a track until we have the chance to check it out in person.  We stay at a campground in Natural Bridge, Virginia, and drive the 1+ hours to the track on race day.  It is all interstate driving and it is easy to do.  We park at the track grass lots - they are free - and there is always plenty of room.  It is very hilly so I would not recommend doing this if you have any issues with footing or walking on uneven surfaces.  There are lots of parking areas along the main highway where you can pay to park if you prefer.  But there really is no reason for us to do that.

 

Now, about the area.  On our drive in to the track we passed one abandoned commercial building after another.  It was apparently once a booming area, but no longer.  Evidently the main industry was once a Hanes factory, but those jobs went to China.  And the rest is history.  It appears to me that if Martinsville ever loses the Nascar races there would be no more Martinsville.  So even more reason for America-loving Nascar fans to do their patriotic duty and go to the race at Martinsville!

 

And for that very reason I would not recommend planning to camp at the track until you check it out for yourself.  We were actually advised by a Nascar insider not to camp anywhere in Martinsville except at the track where they provide security.  Apparently the town is not the safest place to be after dark. I have no first-hand knowledge, but I pass this on to you merely as a matter of information. 

 

This track is quaint.  This race is old-school.  And this Nascar Wife is going!

 

 

(We'll talk about those Martinsville hot dogs next time!)