NASCAR races to continue at Martinsville Speedway; facility, road improvements planned

The spring and fall Sprint Cup races will continue at least through 2015.

MARTINSVILLE -- Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling joined state and local officials on Thursday to announce that Martinsville Speedway will continue to hold two NASCAR Sprint Cup races each season for at least the next five years, along with an estimated $3 million worth of facility improvements.
 
Bolling said that International Speedway Corporation said that while a number of other tracks are adding and subtracting race dates in the upcoming years, the traditional spring and fall Sprint Cup races in Martinsville will continue at least through 2015.
 
Fans who will be attending those events will find improved facilities. Speedway officials said they will be adding new concession and restroom facilities and widening the concourse area below the main grandstands. The improvements are estimated to cost $3 million. Half of that will be put up by the speedway. The other half will be paid for by a Virginia Tobacco Commission grant.
 
In addition to the facility improvements, Bolling said the Virginia Department of Transportation has begun building a new on/off ramp near the track on the U.S. 58 bypass. Bolling said the project will provide 50 full-time jobs for the duration of the project.