NASCAR: Changes to Martinsville end a 65-year streak

This past offseason, NASCAR altered the duration of this Saturday night’s Cup Series race, shortening it by 100 of its usual 500 laps.

The NASCAR Cup Series is set to make the first of its two annual trips to Martinsville Speedway this weekend for Saturday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400.

In the past, the race would have been called the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500. But this Saturday night’s race, the eighth of 36 races on the 2022 schedule, is only a 400-lap race around the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) oval in Ridgeway, Virginia as opposed to a 500-lap race.

Stage one is set to end at lap 80, stage two is set to end at lap 180, and the third and final stage is set to run from lap 181 all the way to the checkered flag.

This change, which was announced over the offseason, was made as a result of the fact that the race is a night race.

Going all the way back to 1949, Martinsville Speedway, one of NASCAR’s most historic race tracks, has hosted a total of 146 races.

Of these 146 races, only one has ever been scheduled for 400 laps, and that race took place more than six and a half decades ago. This race, the Old Dominion 400, was contested in October 1956, and it was won by the late Jack Smith.

This race was only the 15th race at Martinsville Speedway, so the 147th race there this Saturday night is set to bring an end to a 131-race streak of races at “The Paperclip” which were scheduled for 500 laps, a streak spanning 65 years (May 1957 to October 2021).

Of course, eight of these 131 races were shortened due to rain, most recently the 356-lap race in April 1995, but all 131 were scheduled for the same distance. And seven of the other 123 did last longer than 500 laps due to overtime rules.

It is expected that the spring race at Martinsville Speedway will continue to be a 400-lap race beyond the 2022 season. But notably, October’s round of 8 playoff race at the track, the Xfinity 500, is still scheduled to be a 500-lap race. This race is the third and final race of the penultimate round of the playoffs, making it the penultimate race of the season.

The Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, April 9. If you have not yet started your free trial of FuboTV, be sure to do so now!