NASCAR Cup Series

Track profile: Martinsville Speedway

Published Mar. 27, 2009 6:57 p.m. ET

foxsports

Martinsville Speedway basics

Track Type: Short

Distance: 0.526 Mile Oval

Banking/Turns: 12 degrees banking

Getting around the track

Brakes, brakes, brakes. Being able to get good forward bite off the corner allows for passing and plenty of speed in the straightaways, then braking hard twice a lap at the entrance to Turns 1 and 3 takes its toll. A driver must keep the brakes cool to last 500 laps, and with a higher center of gravity on the new car, getting it to handle well in the turns is much more difficult.