For Ben Wynkoop, Thursday was a dream come true, as the Harley-Davidson owner and NASCAR fan got to drive his motorcycle around Martinsville Speedway as a part of the Harley Owners Group’s Regional H.O.G. Rally in Roanoke.
Wynkoop, from Virginia Beach, joined more than 150 Harley riders representing 28 states at the famous half-mile racetrack.
“This is probably the best thing I’ve ever done on my Harley,” Wynkoop said. “I’ve been to Daytona. I go to all of the bike weeks and stuff like that, but to be able to come to a race track that I come to all the time and watch the big guys race and actually get to ride my bike on the same track that they race on, that’s phenomenal.
“I come here to every race, both spring and fall, so being able come here and put my motorcycle on the track is just like a dream come true. I feel like one of them for just a couple of minutes.”
Rally organizers said the event is about getting together with people that share a passion for Harley-Davidsons, and it was nice to be able to add a trip to the track this year, something that hasn’t happened in the past.
“Martinsville Speedway has never been involved in the HOG Rally before and a lot of the guys like to do laps around speedways,” Rally Coordinator Jo Ann Emmons said. “The radius changed this year. Typically we couldn’t send bikes out for such long rides, but this year they expanded it to a 150 mile radius and the speedway falls into that.”
A couple of celebrities were on hand for the event as well, as Mike and Tay Whiteside from Black Dog Salvage and the DIY Network’s Salvage Dawgs took their bikes for a few laps around with the group.
“I’ve got a whole new respect for the guys that run around this track,” Mike said. “It was a lot of fun. We raced at Martinsville. I don’t know that we’re really bonafide, but to be able to say that we are on the track at Martinsville; we’ve got a little bit of cred now. I’ll be sitting in the old folks home 10 or 15 years from now talking about it.”
In addition to the trip the trip to Martinsville Speedway, the group has rides planned throughout southwest Virginia.
“The most important thing is riding and having fun,” Emmons said. “You have other motorcycle enthusiasts and getting together and riding through mountains and curvy roads, you’ve got a lot of stuff in the proximity of our location for people to enjoy.”
Racing returns to Martinsville Speedway this fall with two race weekends.
On September 23 the Whelen All-American Series will be in action with NASCAR’s biggest, richest and most prestigious Late Model Stock Car race, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. The race pays $25,000 to the winner and will be the first race under the track’s new LED lighting system.
On the weekend of October 27-29 the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will both be in action for the Alpha Energy Solutions 200 and the Old Dominion 500. Both races are part of NASCAR’s Playoffs, where the winner could be the first to lock in a spot at the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.
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