Martinsville Speedway

This aerial panorama of the Martinsville Speedway was taken by James Blakeway during a scheduled NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Located on 250 acres in southern Virginia, Martinsville Speedway is long on tradition, although it's the shortest track in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Circuit at just over one-half mile. Robert "Red" Bryon won the first race at Martinsville in 1947. He also won the first race held at Martinsville of NASCAR's "Strictly Stock" division in 1949, which is now the NASCAR Nextel Cup Circuit. The track remained a dirt track until 1955 and its layout produces some of the wildest racing on tour with its 12-degree turns and 800-foot flat straights.