MARTINSVILLE -- Can we talk about Port-o-Potties for a second? Sure, they might not seem like the most important thing in the world to you at this moment, but in certain cases they can be key.

Just ask Jonathan Schwalbe. The 21-year-old drove up from Winston-Salem, N.C., on Saturday for the first-ever night race at Martinsville Speedway. Got here at about 2 p.m. for the 8:30 event. Things were going just great -- a nice, relaxing tailgate in the parking lot with companion Kierston Bennett under clear blue skies. A pack of hot dogs, some bratwurst, a couple of beers, music playing in the truck, good conversation, downright NASCAR perfection.

Then nature called.

Not a bathroom in sight.

"I had to walk the Oregon Trail just to find a bathroom," Schwalbe said with a newly relaxed grin. "We had to go all the way in the track and then come back out.

"Now, I'm sure if the Nextel Cup races came here and Dale Jr. was here, they'd have port-a-johns all over this place. So if you could write something about port-a-johns tomorrow and help me out, that'd be great."

Mark that one down under the "needs improvement" category.

Hey, Martinsville officials said all along that Saturday's Made in America Whelen 300 modified race would serve as a nice trial run. What is it a trial run for? Well, that they won't say, but the obvious guess is a Cup event could finish under the lights here in the near future.

That would be a welcome sight for many of the thousands of spectators who poured in here Saturday. That includes Schwalbe and Bennett, modified fans who have never seen NASCAR's top series run at Martinsville.

"If they ran the Cup races at night, you'd better believe I'd be up here," said Schwalbe, who attended the evening Cup race in Charlotte last October. "Even though Charlotte's closer, I'd be up here. I love the atmosphere of a night race."

It was quite an atmosphere Saturday. Two temporary banks of flood lights stood in the infield. Two more peeked over the Richard Petty tower. A marching band blared out tunes, then the loud engines cranked up for the 250-lap feature.

But for all the spectacles inside the speedway on this historic night, some of the most important stuff was going on outside. Capt. James Keaton of the Henry County Sheriff's Office supervised some 40 officers who were directing traffic and keeping an eye out for any trouble.

Even though the crowd size was perhaps a third of the 60,000-plus who would attend a Cup race, the speedway lighted every parking lot and kept them all open.

"Certainly it helps us in preparing if a Cup race was to come at night," Keaton said. "Of course, if they had just brought one in here, we'd work it."

Keaton, who has worked "tons" of Cup races and has become an integral part of the speedway's logistical team, said he's heard no buzz on when or if a Cup race will run here past dark. Martinsville currently hosts two Cup races a year -- one in April and one in October. Both events this year were scheduled for early afternoon. Starting times for next year's races have yet to be announced.

"The only thing I can tell you is you hear everybody saying that they wish [a night race] would happen," Keaton said.

There are some benefits. Bailey Showalter of Axton lives 10 minutes from the speedway and has attended every Cup race here since 1999.

She said she normally leaves the house between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. on Cup race days to ensure herself a decent parking spot.

She's all for a night race as long as it doesn't get too cold. After all, a good night's sleep is important.

Almost as important as a well-placed Port-o-Potty.