When the Goody's 250 takes the green flag at Martinsville Speedway on July 22 one driver in the field will have a direct tie to the roots of Goody's involvement at Martinsville Speedway.

Even though Ricky Rudd won that first Goody's-sponsored event, the Goody's 500 Winston Cup race on September 25, 1983, Darrell Waltrip was lurking a couple of spots back in third.

The day was a sign of good things to come for Waltrip in Goody's-sponsored races at Martinsville Speedway.

Next month's Goody's 250 Busch Series race will be the 26th race in six different divisions sponsored by Goody's at Martinsville Speedway. And Waltrip is the all-time leader in Goody's victories at Martinsville with four wins and he's coming out of retirement for his first-ever Busch start at Martinsville.

"What a great combination for Martinsville - Goody's and Darrell Waltrip," said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell. "It's like two old friends coming home. Both Goody's and Darrell are such a large part of the history of Martinsville Speedway.

"When Darrell came on the scene, no one had seen anyone quite like him in racing before. The same was true of Goody's. When they got involved in racing, they took sponsorship to an entirely different level."

After he finished third in the inaugural Martinsville Goody's event in 1983, Waltrip dominated the next few years. He won the 1984 Goody's 500, finished second in 1985 and then staked a claim to the next three Goody's 500s, winning back-to-back-to-back in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

Waltrip's win in the 1988 Goody's 500 was the first live telecast from Martinsville Speedway. Waltrip finished his NEXTEL Cup career with 11 Martinsville Speedway victories, second only to Richard Petty's 14 at Martinsville.

The Goody's-Martinsville partnership thrived in the 1990s. In addition to sponsoring one Cup event annually in the 1990s, Goody's branched out to other divisions.

The headache powder manufacturer sponsored the very first Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville, the Goody's 150 in 1995. Joe Ruttman won that event in the inaugural season for the Truck Series.

The company had already sponsored a Late Model Stock race, the Goody's 200, in 1994. Barry Beggarly was the winner of that race. In 1996 Goody's backed one of the few stops the old All-Pro Series ever made at Martinsville. Ron Young was the winner of that event, the Goody's Headache Powder 200.

Goody's sponsored the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series events at Martinsville Speedway for four years, from 1997 through 2000. Mike Ewantikso won the Goody's Headache Powder 200 in 1997 and 1998 while Reggie Ruggiero captured the Goody's Body Pain 200 in 1999 and 2000.

"Goody's Powders return to Martinsville as title sponsor of the Goody's 250 provides real NASCAR fans with an prime example of why they first fell in love with the sport," said Darren Singer, vice-president of marketing for Goody's Headache Powders. "Goody's and Martinsville have combined for classic NASCAR action over the years and the July 22 Busch Series race promises to be another memorable event.

"Every element is in place. The best racetrack. Martinsville Speedway is truly one of NASCAR's most historic tracks, with so many vivid races and tight finishes that continue to live in the memory of fans. The perfect sponsor. Goody's Powder is the longest-running non-automotive sponsor in NASCAR, with nearly 30 years in the sport, and is proud to have Richard Petty, Kyle Petty and Tony Stewart representing Goody's as the fast pain reliever used by champions."

The Goody's 250 NASCAR Busch Series action kicks off with an open test session on Thursday, July 20 from noon until 7 p.m. The test session will be open to the public at no charge.