1on1: Clay Campbell (cont'd)

Q: How have preparations gone for the spring Martinsville weekend, a combination Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck doubleheader?

Campbell: It's going good. Last year we were the first weekend in April and this year, we're the last weekend in March, and it's only a day or so different -- it just sounds a lot sooner when you say 'March 30th' versus a date in April.

Basically, once Daytona [Speedweeks] rolls around, it's boom-boom-boom; one right after the other and you turn the wick up and go flat-out. But things are looking good and everything's pointing for a good weekend, with Goody's Cool Orange back again as our sponsor; who are some good people to work with.

So we're looking forward to it. Last year we ran the [new car] both races at Martinsville, so this will be the third race for them coming back, and obviously with two of the closest finishes in our history and NASCAR's history, for that matter, last year; we're expecting a great race.

Q: There's been a lot of talk about weather so far this season, so with your date and your facility, what kind of challenges do you see with the weather?

Campbell: Obviously, you don't know what you're going to get in March, and on up into April, for that matter. It's still basically winter-time. I remember one year when it was 70-something degrees -- last year for our April race, it was.

So it's possible it could be that and it's possible it could be in the 30s -- you just never know. So it's a challenge and it's something you've got to live with because everybody can't be in May, June or July when you get on up into the warmer months.

So it is what it is and we make the best of it. Operationally it's a challenge because you don't know what kinks the weather's going to throw into you. People don't realize when you've got a facility and you open it up, and you might have sub-freezing weather, you've got all these water pipes and everything else that you've got to protect; otherwise you've really got a problem on race day, if those things go south on you.

Q: As a track operator have you ever had discussions with either NASCAR, or other tracks about exploring anything else with your race dates, or are you comfortable with where Martinsville fits in the schedule?

Campbell: I'm comfortable. If you go back 10 years and even past that, our spring race was always in the latter part of April and our [fall] race was always the latter part of September. Then, the schedules got shuffled around and we got moved back, earlier and earlier.

There are pros and cons to it, but there's not a lot that we could do about it. NASCAR has their challenges in fitting everybody where they think they need to be in the schedule, so it is what it is and we just make do with what we can.

Q: Martinsville's got a pretty good reputation as a fan-friendly facility, so for the 2008 spring weekend, is there anything new on tap for the fans?

Campbell: It's pretty much business as usual, but one thing that I think is pretty neat; is for those fans sitting in the South Terrace Tower, which is the grandstand above the suites in Turns 1 and 2 -- and we still have some of those available -- if you want to get your food right there at your seat, we'll have somebody bring it to you and you don't have to go to the concession stand.

Everybody talks about the world-famous Martinsville Speedway hot dog -- by sitting there you can get it right at your seat and you don't have to miss a lap of the action. So that's just one other way that we're trying to cater to the fans and make their experience a memorable and positive one.

We'll have vendors working that grandstand and you don't even have to leave your seat to get served. If that works out successfully we'll expand that to other sections of the grandstand, but that one was an obvious no-brainer with the amount of people we have up there and the ease of doing it, so I think those fans will appreciate that.

There are numerous things we're working on after this race; that we'll be doing for our weekend in the fall, Oct. 18-19, so we're always looking for ways to enhance the experience for the fan, the competitors and the media.

Anybody that comes on our property is a guest, and the way we look at is; when you buy a ticket to Martinsville, you're buying a memory. It's either going to be a good one or a bad one, and if it's a bad one, somewhere along the line we failed, so we're always trying to tweak what we have and make it a positive experience. (Continued)