Virginia 500 Background Information

The Virginia 500 is the first official name of a NASCAR Nextel Cup stock car race, which takes place at the Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. The distance of the race is 263 miles (423 km). Today the race is actually known under another name, DirecTV 500. However, an old time sponsor Goody's is going to renew its sponsorship for the next year's spring race, and eventually the race will be referred to as the Goody's 500. Just like any other race, Goodys has changed the name several times since its appearance. It was also known as Virginia National Bank 500, Sovran Bank 500, Pannill Sweatshirts 500, Hanes Activewear 500, Hanes 500, Goody's Headache Powder 500, Goody's Body Pain 500 and Advance Auto Parts 500. The first ever race was held in the year of 1949. The next race will be held on April 1, 2007. It is going to be the 2nd race for NASCAR's new car design, named the Car of Tomorrow.

The most recent winner of the race, Tony Stewart (2006), was born in Columbus, Indiana. Stewart was in racing go-karts early in his career and was rather successful, having won the World Karting Championship in the year of 1987. Tony ran three-quarter midgets for a number of years and later advanced to the United States Auto Club (USAC) series. Tony became the USAC Rookie of the Year in the year of 1991, and received the title of the National Midget series winner in the year of 1994.

Stewart was the 1st racer, who won the USAC's version of the Triple Crown, after becoming the winner of all three of USAC's major divisions: Sprint, National Midget, and Silver Crown. It happened in 1995. In 1996, Stewart first took part in the NASCAR Busch Series championship, running for Harry Rainer. Whenever Tony wasnt driving Indy Cars, he ran stock cars. Nevertheless, the double races did not have any impact on his performance in any of the series. In the IRL, Stuart won twice and was the 3rd in the competition. As for the Busch side, he was in the top-five 5 times out of 22 starts.

The tickets for the Virginia 500 give a unique chance to see a breathtaking race you will most probably never forget. The tickets for the race can be easily obtained with the help of Vivid Seats. Being a popular ticket broker, we offer tickets for most upcoming sports events and other occasions of great popularity. If you want to buy your tickets quickly and easily, you are in the right place. Purchase your best tickets from Vivid Seats!