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MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Car owner Rick Hendrick will be at Martinsville Speedway today for a celebration, but it will be bittersweet.

Hendrick's first Cup victory came at this track in 1984 with Geoff Bodine as driver and Harry Hyde as crew chief. It was a victory that saved Hendrick's struggling team. Hendrick returns today to celebrate that moment. Yet, for each trip to this track, he is reminded of the plane crash in 2004 that killed 10, including his son, brother and two nieces.

Hendrick missed his team's first win in April 1984. He attended church in Greensboro with his wife.

The victory came a couple of weeks after the team considered closing. After winning at Martinsville, the team got enough sponsorship to make it through the season and begin a dynasty that has won 175 Cup races and eight series championships.

"If we had not won that race 25 years ago, (Hendrick) Motorsports probably would not be here today," Hendrick said.

For such memories as that, Martinsville represents more to Hendrick. It is where he used to attend races and even got Richard Petty's autograph. It also is a reminder of the friends and family who perished in the plane crash on Bull Mountain nearly five years ago as they headed to the track.

"You can't fly down the East Coast on a clear day and not see Bull Mountain," Hendrick said. "It's just one of those bittersweet things that the Martinsville track didn't do.  It just -- that's where they were headed.

"It's awful hard (attending).  It doesn't get any easier, and every time it comes up, I question whether I really even want to go. And then when I start thinking about it, it's tougher being at home than it is being there."

BIG GOALS: Carl Edwards' goals for this season are simple: Win a road course race, win at Martinsville and win the championship.

Today provides his first chance to meet one of those goals. Winning at Martinsville has become more realistic for Edwards. He's improved his finish in each of his past four races at this track, placing third last fall.

"This season would be the perfect season if we won two races and a championship and those two races would be a Martinsville race and a road course," Edwards said. "I think, for me as a driver, those have been the two most difficult things to master. I'm far from being a master here at Martinsville, and I feel like I'm getting better at the road courses."

SPECIAL TROPHY: The trophy for winning at Martinsville, a grandfather clock, is among the most special in the sport for those who have won it.

"It's the only trophy that I have that's in my house where other people can see it," Jeff Burton said. "It's a really cool thing because you see it every day. When you look at it, you remember what it's all about."

Said Jimmie Johnson, who has five Martinsville wins: "They're just awesome. I think the size of the trophy really gets our attention. It could be a $4 plastic trophy, bit if it were 8 feet tall, we'd all love it."

WASHED OUT: Rain postponed the Camping World Truck series race on Saturday at Martinsville. The event will be held at noon Monday. Speed Channel will broadcast the race. Gates will open at 9 a.m. Tickets for Saturday's race will be good Monday.

PIT STOPS: Kansas Entertainment will resubmit its bid for a casino outside turn two at Kansas Speedway on Monday. The track had stated it will request a second Cup date if it gets approval for the casino. That has led to speculation of which track might lose a date so Kansas can get a second date. &ellipses; Rick Hendrick, Jeff Burton and AJ Allmendinger will participate in a fan forum at 9:30 a.m. today at the Speed stage outside turn 4.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com