Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 17, 1995 TAG: 9509180127
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
``We've had just about everything NASCAR has run,'' said Clay Campbell, the track's president. ``It seems that it has been a difficult match. But there's a tremendous amount of interest in this SuperTruck race.''
The Saturday race at Martinsville, which has featured Late Model Stocks, All-Pro stocks, Modifieds and other series, now is the domain of the NASCAR SuperTruck series, at least for 1995. Judging from the fan interest the trucks have generated, NASCAR'S newest series may have found a permanent home.
Campbell is expecting one of the track's largest crowds ever for a support race Saturday when the trucks roll as part of the 40th annual Goody's 500 Winston Cup race weekend.
``People who have never been out to the speedway are talking about coming to see the truck race,'' Campbell said. ``We've already sold more advance tickets for the trucks than we had [in the stands] with the Late Models last year,'' he said. ``But you're kind of comparing apples to oranges. With the trucks, you're reaching a much wider audience. You're not just reaching for the local fan and those already in town for the Winston Cup race.''
The Sept.7 SuperTruck race in Richmond, which was the first time the trucks ran in conjuction with the Winston Cup series, certainly didn't do anything to hurt ticket sales at Martinsville.
Winston Cup stars Geoff Bodine and Terry Labonte took over at the front and raced side by side on the final lap before Labonte won by inches.
Bodine has a long history of success at Martinsville dating to his Modified days. He has won in three divisions, and it is one of his favorite places to race.
That clearly is one reason why Martinsville will be the place where the next generation of the Bodine family makes its racing debut.
Barry Bodine, 17, the younger of Geoff's two sons, has entered Saturday's truck race.
``I think it's great,''' he said. ``I mean, I'll be running against [my father], it will be my first race and I'll be out here with all those stars. I think it's going to be pretty fun.''
Barry Bodine ran 150 to 200 laps at Martinsville on Wednesday in a test session, and ``this is the most he's ever run in a truck or car in his entire life,'' his father said.
Forty-one trucks are entered in the Martinsville race, and they'll be battling for 32 starting positions during pole qualifying at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
The truck race is at 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets, all general admission, are $20, with children 12 and younger admitted free with a paying adult.
Improvements at the speedway for this race include a new scoring pylon to replace the old scoreboard in the third and fourth turns, where a new grandstand will be built.
The most obvious change is the addition of warmup lanes that cut through the grassy areas inside the turns.
``We've added a low lane for drivers to use instead of going out on the race track directly from the pits,'' Campbell said. ``It looks just like the one at Indianapolis. All the drivers who tested here said they really liked it.''
The Goody's 500, which has 43 entries, starts at 12:40 p.m. Sunday. Pole qualifying starts at 3 p.m. Friday. There still are reserved seats for sale at $35 each and, as usual, 8,000 unreserved seats on the backstretch go on sale for $30 each ($5 for children ages 6-12) at 7:30 a.m. on race day.
For ticket information, call (540) 956-3151.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB