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Martinsville Speedway Offers Record Purse for Hanes 500 And Hanes 250

11 September 1997

   Martinsville, VA---Martinsville Speedway's 50th anniversary will include
its largest race weekend purse ever with a combined $1,555,650 for the
Hanes 250/500 weekend.

   The purse for the Hanes 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race is $1,242,331 and
$313,319 will be paid for the Hanes 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
event. In 1996, the purse for the Hanes 500 was $1,162,166 and the purse
for the Hanes 250 was $264,964.

   The speedway is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1997. The first
Martinsville race was September 7, 1947 and the event had a purse of $2,000
with $500 going to race winner Red Byron.

   Martinsville's race purse has doubled since the fall race in 1993 when
$666,516 was paid. The first million dollar purse came in the 1996 Goody's
Headache Powder 500. Martinsville Speedway was the first track of its size
to pay a $100,000 purse in 1976.

   The speedway still has seats, for $35, available for the Hanes 500 on
Sunday, Sept. 28 beginning at 12:30 p.m. The Hanes 250/500 weekend includes
the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.   
Busch pole qualifying for the Hanes 250/500 weekend will begin at 3 p.m. on
Friday, Sept. 26 with the Winston Cup Series followed immediately by time
trials for the Craftsman Truck Series. Tickets for qualifying day are just
$10 and children under age 12 are admitted free with a paying adult.

   The Hanes 250 Truck Series race begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27
and tickets are $25 each for adults and tickets for children ages six to 12
are $5. Children under six years of age are admitted free with a paying
adult.

   The 8,000 unreserved seats that go on sale race morning at 7:30 for the
Hanes 500 are $30 each. Children ages six to 12 can sit in the unreserved
section for $5.