NASCAR: Martinsville is Hot Dog Heaven

Food is an important factor in having a good time at the racetrack. Fans want to get the best bang for their buck. Perhaps one of the greatest deals in sports is the Martinsville hot dog, which has a fantastic taste and a very reasonable price. Here’s a background on the famous dog.

When you take a Sunday drive to the racetrack, you expect to have quality racing at the track. Not only to you expect good racing, but you expect there to be good food as well. This is the case for any sporting event, because if you are willing to pay high prices, you should get good food in return.

If you are going to Martinsville this weekend, you are in luck. Especially if you like hot dogs. The Martinsville hot dog is probably the most famous racetrack food on the NASCAR circuit. Martinsville is home to one of the finest hot dogs you will ever have. While it comes in varieties to suit the desires of all fans, the standard dog comes dressed with coleslaw, onions and chili. Often you will see on television drivers and crew members eating the dogs by the dozen throughout the weekend.

There was controversy last year when the track decided to change its hot dog supplier from Jesse Jones to Valleydale, a subsidiary of Smithfield. The hot dog had remained relatively unchanged since the track opened in 1948, so it was understandable why people were a little upset (no one likes change, especially NASCAR fans). The love for the fantastic hot dog seems to have survived this scare though, as the snack continues to be a favorite of drivers, teams, and fans who make the spring and fall pilgrimage to the small town of Martinsville, Virginia.

Another attraction to the famous hot dogs are the price. The concession stand sell them at a very reasonable given price the nature of the event, at $2 a dog throughout the weekend. That’s right, a mere two “Benjamin’s” can get you the most well-known NASCAR snack around. The hot dogs at my local single-A baseball stadium do not even dip that low in price, and, while they are good, they are no Martinsville hot.

Martinsville Speedway appears to be one of the few sporting facilities that understands that fans are already paying a lot for the price of the ticket, gas, and other things that one does not want to spend a fortune on their food. A hot dog and a beer at Yankee Stadium costs you more than $10, and I am sure it is not far from that price at most other sports venues.

While it may not be the healthiest snack on the menu, are race fans really concerned about their health while at the race track? I am sure there are a few fans that a health-conscience all the time, but otherwise, I would be willing to suffer a bad calorie day to have a few of these fantastic hot dogs. It is tradition, just like the speedway itself. You would not go to Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia without getting a cheese steak, so why go to Martinsville without trying their renowned hot dog?

More racing: NASCAR: Power Rankings – The STP 500 From Martinsville

If you are heading to the track for the STP 500, over 50,000 hot dogs will be served throughout the weekend, so be sure to get your hands on one of these amazing hot dogs, you will not regret it.