Martinsville Speedway Pennant
by Daniel J. Simone, Ph.D. August 19, 2020
Accession Number: 2019.11
Donor: Keith Hill
Photo by Kevin Larrabee.
Description:
In existence for over 70 years, Martinsville Speedway has hosted more NASCAR Cup Series races than any other venue on the circuit. The venerable short track, however, also has a storied history of Modified and Sportsman Division Racing. This pennant (from the early 1970s) is from the Cardinal/Dogwood 500, an annual event in which each division raced in a 250-lap race on the same day. The massively popular doubleheader attracted many of the nation’s best drivers and NASCAR Hall of Famers, such as Richie Evans (2012), Jack Ingram (2014), Jerry Cook (2016), and Red Farmer (2021) during the 1970s and early 1980s.
Significance:
H. Clay Earles, the 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR recipient, owned and operated Martinsville Speedway for over half a century. His grandson, Clay Campbell, is president of the track. This pennant is a unique artifact, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame is delighted with this addition to its permanent collection and looks forward to exploring the possibility of displaying the pennant in a future rendition of Heritage Speedway.
Plan your visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and purchase tickets by visiting nascarhall.com/tickets.
