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NASCAR HALL-OF-FAME INDUCTION CEREMONYJanuary 20, 2017Clay CampbellCharlotte, North Carolina KRISTA VODA: The Landmark Award for outstanding contributions to NASCAR, a recognition earned by those whose skill and dedication helped grow the sport. The past two winners were a NASCAR matriarch, Ann Bledsoe France and Darlington Raceway visionary Harold Brasington. This year's honoree is another race venue pioneer. He was a South Virginia businessman, educated in a one‑room school house, who earned his first dollar at five years old selling unwanted leaves from his father's tobacco crop. When he built Martinsville Speedway, only 750 seats were ready. It was a problem because more than 6,000 paying fans showed up, but that's also a booming success. Under his guidance, the dusty dirt track evolved into a pristine facility covering over 300 acres that has showcased world class short track racing for more than 60 years. The charming paperclip is considered NASCAR's Wrigley Field. (Video shown.) KRISTA VODA: Clay, your grandfather had the extreme foresight to build a racetrack before NASCAR even existed. What was the key to his success as a businessman and as a track promoter. CLAY CAMPBELL: I think really the key to his success is what we do today. He knew the key to that was the fans' acceptance of what he did. He also realized that there were three basic components of a successful racetrack, and that was the drivers, the media and the fans. And what he did back in the day of‑‑ back in the '40s and '50s was not the norm at that time. It is the norm now, and he always said, why can't you make a beautiful racetrack, and kept reinvesting in the beautiful facility and making the fans have a great experience. And what do we do now, that's what we work at, the fans. KRISTA VODA: What does this mean to the Martinsville community? CLAY CAMPBELL: Well, it's big to be here with my family, to recognize my grandfather and for his peers and the people in this industry to realize what he did to help NASCAR along, it's huge Martinsville. Think about it. There are, what, 23 communities across this country that host the premier series of NASCAR and Martinsville, Henry County is one of them, so it's a great night. KRISTA VODA: And I mentioned before that video, Wrigley Field. Back on 8/8/88 they had a theme, let there be light, when lights began at Wrigley Field. Pretty similar to what's going to happen at Martinsville Speedway. CLAY CAMPBELL: Yeah, and we're excited about it. The lights are going up. You know, we got to thinking, our good buddy Jeff Gordon, we can't have a repeat of that, him winning almost in the dark, so it opens up our window of opportunity, so when a fan buys a ticket at Martinsville, he pretty much knows that he'll get to see the full race, and we don't want to take a chance on that. KRISTA VODA: So many special moments at that racetrack and there have been a lot of them. Your grandfather, H. Clay Earles, now a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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