MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The ValleyStar Credit Union 300, scheduled for Saturday evening at Martinsville Speedway, has quietly become the most prestigious late model stock car race in the United States.
This weekend more than 80 of the best late model stock car drivers in the country entered with dreams of racing in the 200-lap finale, which starts 40 cars and pays more than $30,000 and the traditional Grandfather clock trophy to the winner.
So what makes the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 the most prestigious late model stock car race? Bobby McCarty, a two-time CARS Late Model Stock Tour champion who will start second Saturday night, said it has everything to do with the .526-mile oval and the history that comes with it.
“It’s at Martinsville,” McCarty said. “It’s all the history. This track has been around forever. We were talking earlier, if you take the same purse and take it to any other track, you’re not going to have 82 cars show up. It’s all about Martinsville. It’s the race that you always look forward to.”
For Timothy Peters, a veteran NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor with a pair of ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victories, believes there are a number of factors that make this event the marquee event it has become.
“It’s the history of this race. It’s bragging rights, the clock and then the money is just a bonus,” Peters said. “You come here and you have 80 plus cars, the best short trackers in the world, and to be able to beat those guys and just to have that on your résumé, I think that means really more than anything.
“I’ve been lucky to accomplish a lot in my racing career and this right here ranks No. 1 as far as being able to win one and a second one. It’s a pretty big deal.”
Jared Fryar, the defending CARS Late Model Stock Tour champion, believes it all starts with the competition.
“The answer would be all the competition that shows up and, obviously, the Grandfather clock and being here at Martinsville and how long this deal has gone on,” Fryar said. “It’s definitely a big deal and special.”
Davey Callihan, a regular at Virginia’s Dominion Raceway, is a Martinsville rookie. He shares Fryar’s sentiments.
“It’s probably the level of competition that shows up here,” said Callihan. “The best drivers on the East Coast here, probably all over the country. That’s probably what makes it the most prestigious, it’s the best of the best of all your local short tracks.”
Mike Looney, the 2016 winner at Martinsville, has spent most of his career chasing victories at the historic .526-mile oval. To him, there is no bigger race than the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 and no more important venue than Martinsville Speedway.
“If I was dying and only had one race left that I could ever go to, it would be this one,” said Looney. “It’s so special if you follow local racing and you know the characters on the show. You know this guy’s got the money and this guy don’t and this guy is an up-and-comer. It’s a little universe into itself.
“It’s really special. Guys you race against at different tracks all together in one venue. Nobody has got the home field advantage. The history of the guys that have won here, all-in-all, just an amazing race. It changes your life when you win it.”
Looney is one of the lucky ones who can say he’s won the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. It came after years of trying, something that isn’t lost on him even a few years removed from his victory.
“As hard as it was to win, the 18-plus years we spent trying to win it, you’ve got to lose it a lot before you can appreciate winning it,” Looney said. “If you show up and win it your first attempt, I don’t think it would mean as much to you. But most of us guys, a lot of guys come down here their whole career and never get it.
“A fast car isn’t enough. A good driver isn’t enough. You’ve got to have all of that and a perfect day. It all has to come together.”