MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 11, 2021) – Martinsville Speedway and Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) announce a partnership on the entitlement for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on Thursday, April 8. The official name of the race will be the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200.
“As NASCAR racing returns to Martinsville Speedway, we are proud to expand our long-time partnership with the Virginia Tourism Corporation to promote and develop tourism in the Commonwealth with the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200,” said Martinsville President Clay Campbell. “We look forward to kicking off our expanded three-race spring weekend with what is sure to be a thrilling and competitive Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Martinsville Speedway.”
To download the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 logo, click here.
“The Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 is a wonderful way to experience the excitement of motorsports and enjoy the outdoors,” said Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Martinsville Speedway is a sought-after destination for racing fans and visitors celebrating at such an iconic track will discover for themselves why Virginia is for Racing Lovers.”
Martinsville Speedway will host an expanded spring race weekend with the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on Thursday, April 8, 2021. This will be the first Modified Tour race at Martinsville since 2010 and the first-ever at night.
Martinsville hosted a modified race in NASCAR’s inaugural season on July 4, 1948. The race was the third NASCAR sanctioned race in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia. NASCAR’s National Modified Championship, the predecessor to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, competed at Martinsville from 1960-1984. The modern-day Modified Tour continued to race at the historic half-mile short track from 1985-2002 and 2005-2010. The series was originally scheduled to return to Martinsville last year, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Racing Virginia legend Ray Hendrick, who is the career leader in wins at Martinsville with 20, is the all-time leader in modified wins at the track with 13. NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans is second with 10. Mike Stefanik, elected to the 2021 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and one of the Modified Tour’s 10 greatest drivers of all-time, holds the modern-day record with five wins at Martinsville. In qualifying for a 1986 modified event, Greg Sacks set the current Martinsville track record with a one-lap average of 101.014 mile-per-hour.
Racing Virginia will be active in April as the Commonwealth will host two NASCAR Cup Series race weekends in the same month for the first time since April 2017 with Martinsville on April 8-10 and Richmond Raceway on April 17-18. Richmond Raceway and VTC announced a partnership for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 on Saturday, Sept. 10. It will be the first time since 2002 that the Modified Tour has competed at Richmond. This season Richmond is celebrating its 75th anniversary season with the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 Modified Tour race part of the track’s fall NASCAR Playoff Weekend on Sept. 10-11. For more information, visit richmondraceway.com.
To learn more about Virginia Tourism Corporation, visit virginia.org.
2021 NASCAR Season
Martinsville will host its first-ever three race weekend of night races on April 8-10. For the first time since 2010, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will compete in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 on Thursday, April 8. Martinsville will host a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Friday, April 9 at 8:00 p.m. and the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Martinsville will once again host the penultimate races of the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seasons on Oct. 30-31. On Saturday, Oct. 30, Martinsville will host a doubleheader with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff race at 1:00 p.m. and the Dead On Tools 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race at 6:00 p.m. The NASCAR Cup Series’ Championship 4 will be set in the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2:00 p.m.
The ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the nation’s biggest, richest and most prestigious NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race, will return for an evening of intense competition on Sept. 25.
NASCAR race tickets are available for purchase today via phone at 877-RACE-TIX or online at martinsvillespeedway.com. Fans can view the full 2021 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedules and purchase tickets at nascar.com/tickets.
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About Martinsville Speedway
Founded by H. Clay Earles in 1947, Martinsville Speedway is the only NASCAR track to host NASCAR Cup Series races every year since its inception in 1949. At .526 miles in length, the track annually hosts two NASCAR race weekends featuring the NASCAR Cup Series, along with NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races in the fall. Martinsville Speedway also annually hosts the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the nation’s biggest, richest and most prestigious NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race. For more information about Martinsville Speedway, visit martinsvillespeedway.com.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
About Virginia Tourism Corporation
Virginia Tourism Corporation is the state agency charged with marketing the Commonwealth as a premier travel and film destination. In 2019, visitors to Virginia spent $27 billion, which supported 237,000 work opportunities and contributed $1.8 billion in state and local taxes. To learn more about Virginia Tourism Corporation, visit virginia.org.