COACH BEAMER TO GRAND MARSHAL
Virginia Tech Head Football Coach Frank Beamer, one of college football’s most revered coaches, has accepted Grand Marshal duties for the upcoming Goody’s Cool Orange 500 race at Martinsville Speedway, March 30. The Hillsville, Va native is an avid NASCAR fan that has waved the green flag at racing events but has never said the famous words “Gentleman start your engines”. Beamer’s Hokies won the ACC championship and finished ninth in the country last year. He was the national coach of the year in 1999 and is ranked third in wins among all active Division I coaches. With team colors of maroon and orange, and having competed in this past season’s Orange Bowl, Beamer is the perfect fit for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500, a race named after the newest flavor of Goody’s headache powder.

JEFF HAMMOND TO WAVE THE GREEN FLAG
To celebrate Jeff Hammond’s long history at Martinsville Speedway, it is only fitting he gets to wave the green flag for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. Hammond has been named as Honorary Starter for the upcoming Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway. As a jackman, Hammond stood in Martinsville’s victory lane four times with driver Cale Yarborough. Once promoted to crew chief for Darrell Waltrip, Hammond found victory lane 10 more times at Martinsville, four of which were Goody’s 500 events (1984, 1987, 1988, 1989). Hammond secured a total of 43 wins as a crew chief. NASCAR fans now enjoy Hammond’s commentary during FOX and SPEED television broadcasts.

DOUG AGEE AWARDS
Doug Agee, a pioneer of racing promotions, will be on hand to present the Doug Agee Award at the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. The Goody’s Headache Powders brand created the award to be given to a person or persons who most embodies the value and spirit of Doug Agee and is presented annually at Martinsville Speedway – a track as deeply rooted in NASCAR as Goody’s 31-year tenure in racing. Agee invented the fan favorite Goody’s Headache of the Race promotion with MRN Radio and brought Goody’s to NASCAR. He also started what is now a lifetime relationship with Richard Petty.

VIRGINIA TECH’S HIGHTY-TIGHTIES PREFORM
To celebrate Goody’s new flavor, Goody’s Cool Orange will have a Virginia Tech flavor with both Head Football Coach Frank Beamer as grand marshal and the Highty-Tighties performance. The world-renowned Regimental Band of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, better known as the Highty-Tighties, will perform at the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Always a crowd favorite, the Highty-Tighties will entertain the race fans during pre-race ceremonies and also perform the national anthem. The military marching band carry traditions dating back 125 years with performances at presidential inaugurals since President Eisenhower.

FAN PARTICIPATION
Goody’s will be giving away Goody’s Cool Orange towels to race fans entering the grandstands at Martinsville Speedway for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. Fans will be encouraged to wave the orange-colored towels during the start and end of the race. The stands will look like a sea of orange celebrating Goody’s long time relationship with both the race fan and the Martinsville Speedway. Goody’s has been a strong supporter of Martinsville Speedway since the first Goody’s 500 in 1983.