Shhhh! New solution for old problem no one admits

When driver Greg Biffle made reference to his "love-hate relationship" with Martinsville Speedway at one point this past weekend, one thought immediately came to mind.

Biff, my man, you are not alone.

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On one hand, you've got to love Martinsville. The races, including the Goody's Cool Orange 500 won there Sunday by Denny Hamlin, usually are entertaining and packed with the kind of action that too often is missing at some of the other places where the Sprint Cup Series runs events.

Martinsville is a .526-mile short track, configured like a paperclip and so therefore unique unto itself. There is no other place exactly like it. In an era where the short tracks have been disappearing, the layout is a refreshing and much-needed change of pace during the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule.

On the other hand, the place is old and lacks many -- indeed, most of -- the types of amenities of the newer venues, which is to say all of the other tracks currently hosting Sprint Cup events. Plus it is difficult to get to from seemingly all points of the compass outside of the Martinsville city limits; and it has encountered increasing difficulty in filling its modest total of 65,000 grandstand seats during recent years.

Let's not even get started on the one road that leads to Martinsville from Greensboro, N.C., from where many race fans flock. All that needs to be noted is that when one looks up "speed trap" in the dictionary, there is a picture of Route 220 as it meanders out of the state of North Carolina and into the foothills of the Virginia countryside, leading to the track's front door.

A little history

The long-running debate is whether or not this aging place, which has been hosting NASCAR events since the organization was founded, deserves to keep the two race dates it currently has. It seems inevitable that one eventually will be shipped to another more state-of-the-art facility (read: a place that can accommodate -- and consistently draw -- bigger crowds), whether it is next year, two years from now, or five.

And once they lose one, the second date might not be far behind if the fans don't start filling the seats on a more consistent basis. Just ask the good folks in Rockingham, N.C., about that, as they found out with North Carolina Speedway a few years back.

That is what gets folks like track president Clay Campbell all worked up in a furious and, frankly, sometimes irrational lather when the subject of his track losing even one date routinely comes up. They not only don't like to talk about it, they like to act like no problem exists in their little world. Discussing possible solutions would be to admit there is a problem.

Hamlin was among a group of many drivers who came to the defense of Campbell's place -- and that was even before Hamlin drove his No. 11 Toyota to victory in Sunday's race.

"I definitely like coming to Martinsville. ... It is a track that most everyone looks forward to. You've got to kind of go with the economy and see how things are going, but you always want to keep to your roots and this is where it all pretty much started," Hamlin said.

1on1: Clay Campbell

"... I'm not concerned about the future and a lack of Martinsville on the schedule."

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Well, that in fact would be Daytona Beach, Fla., or maybe Charlotte, N.C. But Martinsville is pretty close, hosting a series of events from 1949 through 1955 that were called simply "105 Miles at Martinsville," except for in the first of two events in 1950 that was instead billed as "79 Miles at Martinsville" for some reason. Those events began a string of racing at the Cup level that has been unbroken in all the years since at the track.

The future?

Other drivers stood up for Martinsville's future during the weekend, too, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Asked if he thought Martinsville deserves to keep the two race dates it currently has, Earnhardt replied: "Absolutely, man. We can't lose any more short tracks in the season. They ain't building any short tracks to replace them. And we can't afford to lose any more short tracks."

That begs a question, the answer of which might ultimately provide the key to Martinsville's long-term future. If it cannot be answered, then perhaps Martinsville will continue on as now indefinitely, secure in the fact that it provides the kind of racing that others cannot. But that, quite frankly, seems unlikely.

Earnhardt's comments are correct. But the question that hasn't been asked often enough is this: if they ain't building any short tracks, why not?

That is where NASCAR may have missed the mark in recent years. New tracks went up in Kansas and in Joliet, Ill., which they call Chicagoland, but nice as they are, they're not short tracks.

And don't give us this garbage about how it isn't possible to build a short track and get enough seats crammed around it to make it economically feasible. They've done it at Bristol, haven't they? Expanded from 71,000 seats when it was purchased by Speedway Motorsports Inc. in 1996 to 160,000 seats today, it routinely sells out. The SMI folks worked with the right politicians to get some decent roads built heading into the place, too.

Why can't the same be done at Martinsville to end this discussion once and for all? Martinsville is one of the 12 tracks owned by International Speedway Corp. that host Cup events. If the local and state governments worked together with ISC to improve the infrastructure around it and leading into it, and if ISC made a real commitment to upgrading the facility itself, why couldn't Martinsville become another Bristol?

It wouldn't have to be 160,000 seats strong, but it could be great if they tore down much of what's there now and started over, adding suites and decent restrooms and concession stands that didn't look as if they are about to cave in. The paperclip configuration of the track could remain the same, giving the place the proper sense of history and preserving its longstanding tradition of holding exciting and unique competition.

But to do it right, they would have to close the place down for a year or so to perform the renovations and get the politicians to agree to start at least expanding and improving existing roads around it. That would mean taking a couple of Martinsville dates away, even if only temporarily -- and the mere mention of that makes too many folks who need to start listening close their ears.

In the end, though, if nothing is done, they won't have to worry. The place ultimately will fall silent.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.