Breaking Down the Martinsville Hot Dog

The red color scares off some, and the remnants of it may find their way to a poor soul's shirt, but the "Famous Martinsville hot dog" is a true relic of the "good ol' days" of NASCAR racing.

The hot dog, a trademark at the half-mile paperclip track since who-knows-when, is one thing you don't mess with at a track known for heated tempers and bent sheet metal. The dog even has a Youtube video about it, which you can catch below the jump.

After all, $2 will get you a hot dog that easily clears most of the major food groups.

The dogs start with boiled Jesse Jones hot dogs, wrapped into what is more of a roll than a hot dog bun, and then topped with chili, mustard, onions, and vinegar-based slaw. The concoctions are then then wrapped in some wax paper and left in a steamer to keep in their warmth.

Fans, drivers, crew members and -- most naturally, of course -- media members dig the famous creations and a few years ago, disdain over a change to the normal recipe caused the top levels of NASCAR to get involved.

After the speedway was bought by International Speedway Corp., the concession arm of ISC decided to change the the legendary hot dog by having the customer put on the toppings instead. Soon, NASCAR bigwigs were dipping their hand into the problem, switching back to the old, but good, recipe.

Only in NASCAR can hot dogs mean so much.

Now, as promised, the Martinsville Hot Dog Youtube-age: