50 years ago in the Fall of 1967 when the Petty Plymouth squashed the factory Fords of Dick Hutcherson and David Pearson on September 24th, the Martinsville paperclip had a much different look than today. The turns were still asphalt, meaning side-by-side racing through the corners, not today's single file crud. The railroad tracks still ran directly behind the backstretch stands and the Norfolk & Western trains would pass right on cue during every race. I sure miss the old asphalt turns Martinsville with side by side racing. And, as seen in this beautiful aerial shot of the packed house at the 1967 Old Dominion 500, the duck pond still existed just off turn four! Color film taken by Roanoke, Virginia television station WSLS-10 as stored in the University of Virginia Library Archives.
