The biggest week in Late Model Stock racing is upon us.
It’s Martinsville week.
This Saturday (Sept. 25), the rich history of Late Model Stock car racing at Martinsville Speedway will add a new chapter as the best LMSC drivers in the country compete in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 for the 30th time.
It’s a race with a historic list of winners, one of the largest purses and the legacy that comes with winning a grandfather clock. There truly isn’t anything else like it in the sport.
In so many ways it could be compared to the Super Bowl – or in racing terms, the Daytona 500 or Indianapolis 500. The race features the best at their craft taking to the biggest stage. And unlike your favorite NFL team or NASCAR and INDYCAR stars, the field’s made up of short track racers that keep the roots of stock car racing planted firmly in the ground.
Saturday night at the paperclip is their time to shine, to be in the spotlight. To so many drivers and teams, every preceding weekend at the track leads to this week’s showdown in Ridgeway, Va.
For the race fan, there’s a lot to digest – especially for those who may not be regular viewers of the Late Model Stock class. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered. Consider this your complete guide, a breakdown of everything you should know ahead of the 30th ValleyStar 300 at Martinsville.
From the how to the when and even the who, everything you need to know is listed below.
The Format
With by far the largest field of LMSC each season, Clay Campbell and Martinsville Speedway have a unique format to create a fair, but entertaining event from start to finish.
Teams will practice Friday afternoon before competing in single-car qualifying to end the night. However, these qualifying results are not the final starting lineup for Saturday’s finale.
Rather, the time trial session sets the line-ups for four 25-lap heat races on Saturday afternoon. The top four qualifiers start on the pole of their respective heats, fifth through eighth start second in their heats, and so on.
The top 10 from each heat transfer to the main event, while everyone beyond that goes home. Winners of the four heats start first through fourth, and so on through the field.
New this season are a pair of provisional spots given to the winners of the previous two Virginia Triple Crown races, as Martinsville serves as the Triple Crown finale. Those two spots belong to Connor Hall and Matt Waltz, thanks to their wins in South Boston Speedway’s Thunder-Road Harley Davidson 200 and Langley Speedway’s Hampton Heat 200.
Lastly, the big show caps the evening as the 40-car field races 200 laps around the Paperclip, with the winner earning themselves a grandfather clock at night’s end. Should rain be an issue throughout the weekend Campbell and the team at Martinsville will have plans in place, but the hope is that Mother Nature stays away.
Weekend Schedule
(All times are Eastern Time)
Friday:
Practice: 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Qualifying: 8:00 p.m.
Saturday:
Autograph Session: 12:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Heat Races: 3:00 p.m. (25 laps 4x)
Feature Race: 7:00 p.m. (200 laps)
Triple Crown Update
The Virginia Triple Crown got a pretty big facelift in 2025, with a massive boost to the program’s purse compared to years past.
Up until this season, drivers who won the Triple Crown picked up a $7,500 payday following the Martinsville event, which is nothing to downplay. But there’s a substantial change for 2025, with $20,000 going to the Triple Crown champion on Saturday night.
More money, more glory.
— NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) June 10, 2025
😤 Who's ready for the 2025 Virginia Triple Crown? pic.twitter.com/jR5CikX15n
Rather than keeping track of points across the three-race stretch, the standings, and eventual champion are determined based on average finish amongst the three races, meaning there is very little room for error.
Right now, the crown is Hall’s to lose. Thanks to a big win at South Boston and a runner-up run at Langley, Hall enters Martinsville with an outstanding 1.5 average finish and has some cushion between the next driver in line.
That driver would have been Waltz, who crossed the line second at SoBo and picked up the win at Langley, meaning he’d be tied with Hall at 1.5. But Waltz was disqualified at South Boston and credited with 38th, essentially knocking him out of contention.
Instead, the second spot is a tie between veterans Ronnie Bassett Jr. and Woody Howard, who both sit at 6.5 through two races. Bassett finished fifth at SoBo and eighth at Langley, while Howard was ninth at SoBo and a strong fourth at Langley.
Neither driver is as far out as the score may seem, particularly if the night turns sour for Hall. Should either driver win, a 12th-place finish for Hall would be enough to take the top spot away.
Virginia Triple Crown standings
- Connor Hall (1.5)
- Ronnie Bassett Jr. (6.5)
- Woody Howard (6.5)
- Darren Krantz Jr. (7.5)
- Kade Brown (8)
- Brandon Pierce (9)
- Ryan Millington (9.5)
- Carson Loftin (10)
- Parker Eatmon (10.5)
- Doug Barnes Jr. (11.5)
The Key Players
As of Thursday night there are still 74 cars on the entry list for this weekend, so picking favorites is going to be a tall task. Here are two categories you should keep an eye on as the weekend progresses.
The Past Champions
When you think of drivers who are competitive at Martinsville and have won a clock before, it’s hard to look beyond Peyton Sellers.
Fresh off his record eighth Late Model Stock track championship at South Boston, Sellers now looks to add a second clock to his name, with the first coming back in 2022. Sellers has picked up the Triple Crown championship a whopping five times at Martinsville. But with the Crown out of the question this year, all the focus shifts to a second clock for Sellers and co.
Turning the 🕰️ back for this one!
— NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) September 24, 2025
Rewatch the finish from the 2023 #VSCU300 at @MartinsvilleSwy! pic.twitter.com/oVAxFTDzhP
Aside from Sellers, the hottest driver on the circuit with a Martinsville clock to his name is Trevor Ward, who picked up the Martinsville win in a thriller back in 2023. Ward fought Sellers down to the final race in the South Boston championship fight and is arguably having the best year of his career. Always strong at Martinsville, Ward could easily contend for another clock in 2025.
Two other former champions to keep an eye on are Mike Looney and Lee Pulliam.
Looney always brings his best to the paperclip, even in the later stages of his career. The 2016 Martinsville champion ran second to Carson Kvapil a year ago and looks to pick up clock No. 2 on Saturday.
Lastly we have Pulliam, the only multi-time Martinsville winner in the field. The Late Model Stock legend has two to his name, 2011 and 2015, and returns to racing once again to chase a third.
Last year, Pulliam returned to the drivers seat after a long hiatus, filling in for his driver Brenden Queen and racing for his dad, who had survived a major health scare earlier in the year.
This time around, it’s all about results for Pulliam. The 11th-place finish from a year ago wasn’t good enough, and he’s bringing a throwback scheme paying homage to his 2011 win to try and find the magic one more time.
Looking For a First
The driver everyone has circled ahead of this weekend is Hall. Point blank, he’s the favorite going into this weekend.
Now, that may not be a title he’d enjoy having, but it’s the reality. Hall’s finished first and second in the first two Triple Crown races, Martinsville is still missing from the resume and he’s driving the JR Motorsports car that Kvapil brought to victory lane a year ago. If you’re going to win Saturday night, you’ll have to beat the No. 88.
This isn’t a knock on anyone else. It’s just the reality that this combination of driver and team are poised to find victory lane, there’s truly never been a better chance for Hall than right now.
Outside of Hall, you’ll want to keep an eye on Landon Huffman.
Certainly set to be the fan favorite of the weekend, Huffman brings his already large fanbase and a strong sponsor. Sheetz will be plastered all over the Carroll Speedshop No. 57, leaving many race fans pulling for the Sheetz car.
Huffman came oh-so-close to winning a clock two years ago, losing out to Ward in an instant classic at the end. He and Carroll have shown the speed all year long and just haven’t found victory lane, so now would be a better time than ever to get over the hump.
Lastly, somewhat of a surprise on the entry list is Ty Majeski.
Majeski is a short track legend. He’s won just about everything there is to win in Super Late Model racing. The Wisconsinite is notably a two-time Snowball Derby winner and a four-time victory in the Slinger Nationals.
On the Late Model Stock side, he’s got two South Carolina 400 victories to his name as well. But it’s been a while since we’ve seen Majeski behind the wheel of a LMSC. A lot has changed in the time since – including Majeski’s resume which now includes the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.
In the midst of another Truck Series playoff run, Majeski’s back with Chad Bryant Racing and ready to chase a clock and another crown jewel for the resume.
How To Watch
You’ve seen how the format works, who the favorites are and even the Triple Crown standings, but how can you watch on Saturday?
The answer’s simple: Everything will be streamed live on FloRacing. Don’t have a Flo account? You can watch the 200-lap feature live on the NASCAR Channel on Tubi.
Chase began working with Frontstretch in the spring of 2023 as a news writer, while also helping fill in for other columns as needed. Chase is now the main writer and reporter for Frontstretch.com's CARS Tour coverage, a role which began late in 2023. Aside from racing, some of Chase's other hobbies include time in the outdoors hunting and fishing, and keeping up with all things Philadelphia sports related.