Martinsville Speedway announced Thursday the inaugural night race at the 0.526-mile oval will take place Sept. 23 with NASCAR’s Late Model Stock Car series.
The race is called the Valley Star Credit Union 300. The track also announced a five-year extension with the sponsor.
Martinsville, the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit, announced it would install 19 LED lights last October as an “insurance policy” for its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races. It was nearing nightfall when the Nov. 1, 2015 race concluded.
Neither of next year’s Cup Series races currently are slated to be run at night.
The first light pole was installed on Dec. 20.
The date has been set! The 1st race under our new LED lights will be on September 23 for the #ValleyStar300
— Martinsville Speedway (@MartinsvilleSwy) January 13, 2017
We hope to see you there! 🏁🏁🏁 pic.twitter.com/Qex1kfSRnp