Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dream Coming True: Historic Martinsville To Add Lights

Even as it enters its eighth decade, Martinsville Speedway has maintained its historic charm, running all of its NASCAR races during the day. But that might no longer be the case.

The track is set to install LED lights around the track, the track announced Wednesday via Twitter and Periscope. No night races would be planned,  as the $5 million project would serve as an “insurance policy” in the event that future events run past daylight hours, according to USA TODAY’s Jeff Gluck.

No exact start date for the project was given, except that it would be sometime after the Oct. 30 Sprint Cup race there.

The tight 1/2-mile paper clip-shaped track has hosted NASCAR races since the series’ inaugural season in 1948, with all races were held during the daytime. Last year’s race ran extremely late, however, with Jeff Gordon’s celebration happening in almost complete darkness.

Although there aren’t plans to have a race start at night, that didn’t stop Dale Earnhardt Jr. from expressing his excitement.

Here’s hoping Earnhardt’s wishes come true.

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