NASCAR WCUP: Fans Get Up Early To Buy Old Dominion 500 Tickets

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 8, 2001) – The Persinger boys were back in town today, relaxing in their lounge chairs outside the Martinsville Speedway ticket office a little after dawn.

It’s been a pretty familiar scene for many, many years, brothers Mike and Mark Persinger beating everyone else to the ticket window. And when tickets went on sale this morning at 9 for the Oct. 14th running of the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway, there they were again … right up front leading a large pack of ticket buyers.

“We haven’t missed a lap here since September of 1976,” said Mike Persinger.

It’s about a 2-hour drive to Martinsville Speedway for the Persinger brothers. Mark lives in Eagle Rock, VA and Mike lives in Buena Vista, VA, both small towns north of Roanoke. They crawled out of bed around 4 o’clock this morning to insure they’d be on the pole when tickets went on sale.

And of course, because they were first in line, they got the tickets they wanted, but a 25-year tradition may have come to a close.

With the purchase of tickets this morning and the completion of a little paperwork, the Persinger brothers will become part of the Preferred Seating Plan at Martinsville Speedway, which allows fans to keep the same seats from year to year. For more information about the Preferred Seating Plan, contact the Speedway ticket office at (877) 722-3849 or (540) 956-3151.

“This is the last time we have to do this, I hope,” said Mark, still shivering from the sub-freezing temperatures they had endured for a couple of hours.

When the brothers first started visiting Martinsville Speedway, it was their father who brought them for a long weekend of camping and racing.

“Dad used to wake us up in the camper and we’d get over here about 6 in the morning,” said Mike.

But when Winston Cup racing started gaining popularity about a decade or so ago, the brothers had to keep up with the times.

“We had to grow with the sport,” said Mark. And that meant longer hours in line on race morning to claim a seat in the unreserved section on the backstretch.

“Right after happy hour practice on Saturday afternoon, we’d throw a steak on the grill, then grab our coolers and get in line,” said Mike, remembering the days when the unreserved seats went on sale at 7 o’clock on race morning and fans had to wait in line all night to get one.

“I guess we did that 15 or 20 times. We’d always be first in line. We’d throw our blankets down right under the ticket window. They’d hit us in the head with the windows when they opened them. We’d be the first ones in the gate and the pit crews would cheer us as we ran down towards our seats.”

The Persinger boys still spend race weekends in the campground overlooking Martinsville Speedway, but these days they sit in the Old Dominion Tower, which sits above the second turn.

“I live, breath, sleep and eat racing,” said Mike. “It’s not a hobby for me, it’s a lifestyle.”

The Virginia 500/Advance Auto Parts 250 weekend kicks off with Bud Pole qualifying for the Craftsman Truck Series at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 6 followed by time trials for the Winston Cup Series at 3 p.m. Tickets for qualifying are $15 for adults and children under 12 get in free.

Tickets for the Advance Auto Parts 250 Craftsman Truck race are $30 for adults and $5 for children ages 6-12. All seats are unreserved.

There still are great seats available for the Virginia 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race for $40-$70 each. To purchase tickets call the speedway ticket office toll free at 877-722-3849 or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Text Provided By Mike Smith

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.