MARTINSVILLE, Va. (October 16, 2010) – The Winston-Salem State University marching band will entertain race fans with its precision marching and music prior to the TUMS Fast Relief 500 next Sunday and then perform a stirring traditional version of the National Anthem.
Dubbed the “Red Sea Of Sound,” the Winston-Salem State marching band has received national recognition for its performances around the country. The WSSU band has over 150 members and is led by five high-energy drum majors.
“We are very excited about having the Winston-Salem State band here. I’ve seen them perform and they put on an amazing show,” said Martinsville Speedway President W. Clay Campbell. “Their half-mile march around Martinsville Speedway is going to be pretty exciting. And I think everyone will enjoy and appreciate their traditional version of the National Anthem.”
The band will perform at noon, entering the track through the fourth-turn cross-over gate and marching clockwise around the track to the start-finish line.
Winston-Salem State University, located in Winston-Salem, NC, is a historically black university offering baccalaureate and graduate programs to a diverse student population.
FLYOVER: The flyover for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 will be provided by two F-18s, VFA 83 Rampagers from the U.S. Navy Air Station in Oceana.
The planes will be flying in a north-south direction, from the third and fourth turns to the first and second turns.
ROCKIN’ IN PRE-RACE: FATZ, a band that has rocked Southside Virginia for two decades, will be rockin’ on the start-finish line prior to the TUMS Fast Relief 500 Sunday.
The band, which plays a blend of classic and southern rock with a dash of country thrown in, will perform on the pre-race stage from 10 am. until 12:45 p.m. Sunday.
Although a local group, they have played on plenty of big stages, opening for acts like Delbert McClinton, Aaron Tippin and Montgomery Gentry.
SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS: One section of Martinsville Speedway’s display area has again been declared a “Kids Zone” for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 weekend with games, souvenirs and food aimed at the younger crowd.
The concession items in the Kids Zone will not only be kid favorites, but kid priced. There will be chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cotton candy, chips, fruit cups and Capri Sun juice boxes. Nothing will be over $2.
There will also be plenty of youth oriented souvenirs … three trailers full. Digger, FOX TV’s racing cartoon star, will have a trailer, along with the Kid’s Stop trailer and the Kidz Rock trailer.
THE SCHEDULE: The first on-track action at Martinsville Speedway will be a practice session for the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at 10 a.m. Friday, kicking off a day full of excitement. It will be followed by practice for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 and another Kroger 200 practice.
Qualifying for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Friday with Kroger 200 time trials beginning at 4:40 p.m.
There will be back-t-back Sprint Cup practice sessions beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, with the Kroger 200 taking the green flag at 1 p.m.
The TUMS Fast Relief 500 is set to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Fan gates open at 9 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
TICKETS: Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 begin at $25 and range to $77.
Tickets to the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on October 23 are $30 in advance, $35 on the day of the race, with children 12 and under admitted free.
Tickets for Farm Bureau Pole Day, which features practice and qualifying for both the Kroger 200 and the TUMS Fast Relief 500, are $15, children 12 and under admitted free.
Tickets for all events may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com online.
