Throwback: Tracks’ first Cup Series races under the lights

Martinsville Speedway's lighting system -- shown here shortly after its installation in 2017 -- will be on full display Wednesday for the first nighttime start for the NASCAR Cup Series (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) at the legendary Virginia track. Since the installation, Martinsville has played host to late-afternoon starts that ended after nightfall, but Wednesday's 500-lapper marks a first in the track's history. With drivers eager to lay claim to winning the first Martinsville night race, here's a look at other NASCAR tracks' first events under the lights.

Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Year: 2009, summer
Winner: Kasey Kahne
Note: The Georgia track's lighting system was installed after the Indy Racing League (now IndyCar) announced an event for the 1998 season. The series had a four-year run there. The lighting system was part of a major renovation that including new grandstands, repaving and reconfiguring the track layout to a doglegged frontstretch. The start-finish line also moved from the backstretch to the other end of the speedway. Kahne led 60 of the 325 laps for his 11th career Cup Series triumph.

Track: Auto Club Speedway
Year: 2004, fall
Winner: Elliott Sadler
Note: This was Sadler's third career Cup Series victory, and his last victory at NASCAR's top level. In the first year of a new postseason format, Auto Club was scheduled the week before the regular-season finale.

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Year: 1978, summer
Winner: Cale Yarborough
Note: One of the most-anticipated races each year first ran under the lights nearly 40 years ago. Yarborough earned the win and went on to claim his third consecutive series championship.

Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Year: 1992, spring (All-Star Race)
Winner: Davey Allison
Note: So good, it has a nickname. "One Hot Night" had one of the most incredible finishes in NASCAR history -- Allison winning as he wrecked across the line -- and helped define the annual All-Star event for decades to come.

Track: Darlington Raceway
Year: 2004, fall
Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Note: Darlington used to have two dates, and its first race at night was under the lights and served as the penultimate race of 2004. Johnson's win gave him the season sweep.

Track: Daytona International Speedway
Year: 1998, summer/fall
Winner: Jeff Gordon
Note: The annual summer race was postponed to October due to wildfires in Florida, and Gordon won under the lights. It was the first time NASCAR had consecutive points-paying races at restrictor-plate tracks.

Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Year: 2005
Winner: Greg Biffle
Note: Biffle won under the lights as Roush Fenway Racing finished 1-2-3-4. Tony Stewart claimed the championship, and Rusty Wallace logged his final career Cup Series start.

Track: Kansas Speedway
Year: 2014, spring
Winner: Jeff Gordon
Note: Gordon led just nine laps, passing Brad Keselowski down the stretch for the 89th win of his career. A bank of lights actually flickered out on the backstretch during the middle portions of the race, which stayed green under dimmer conditions. The track installed lights in 2011 and had run ARCA and Gander Trucks events at night before the Cup Series' evening debut three years later. ... The event also marked the premier-series debut for Ryan Blaney, who finished 27th.

Track: Kentucky Speedway
Year: 2011
Winner: Kyle Busch
Note: Lights were part of the track's initial construction before its grand opening in 2000. When Cup Series racing arrived 11 years later, Busch etched his name in the track's record books by starting from the pole and leading 125 of 267 laps.

Track: Phoenix Raceway
Year: 2005, spring
Winner: Kurt Busch
Note: The 1-mile track installed lights in the winter of 2004 in anticipation of gaining an additional event on the Cup Series schedule. Busch led 219 of the 312 laps in what remains his only Phoenix victory to date.

Track: Richmond Raceway
Year: 1991, fall
Winner: Harry Gant
Note: Gant's win at Richmond in its first night race was the second of his historic streak of four consecutive victories.

Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Year: 2005, fall
Winner: Carl Edwards
Note: This race started in the day but finished under the lights. Texas' first scheduled night race would come years later in 2011.