Bulletin Staff Report
News and notes of what to watch at Martinsville Speedway this weekend.
- Patrick & Henry Community College’s Racing College of Virginia will race in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 this weekend with their new driver— local racing veteran Jimmy Mullins.
With more than 300 wins under his belt, Mullins, a former late model star and modified racing standout known to his fans as “Mr. Excitement,” is enthusiastic about returning to Martinsville with the Racing College team and P&HCC motorsports students in the pit.
“I’m very blessed. I know these kids are learning and I’m still learning every time that we go to the race, so maybe they can teach me something this year,” Mullins said in a release from the school. “We’re going to go have a good time and try to make the field. If we can, we’re going to put on a good show.”
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Mullins and the Racing College team have been preparing for this weekend’s race in the shop and testing at South Boston Speedway.
“Renee and I will be attending the race on Saturday and can’t wait to cheer on the P&HCC car and all of our motorsports students,” P&HCC President Dr. Greg Hodges said in a release from the school.
- Lee Pulliam, the 2011 and 2014 winner of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 and four-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion, is coming out of retirement to battle for another Grandfather clock. Pulliam, who last raced at Martinsville in 2019, will be piloting his own No. 03 Toyota that normally has Queen behind the wheel.
Queen will be racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway, leaving Pulliam the opportunity to pursue a hat trick of Martinsville race wins.
- A year ago, Trevor Ward came from third place in the Triple Crown standings to upset Queen and pole-sitter Bobby McCarty with the race win to capture both the famous Martinsville Speedway Grandfather Clock and the Virginia Triple Crown championship check.
However, after a second-place finish at South Boston, Ward faced alternator issues at the half-way point at Langley that relegated him to a 35th-place finish, making it nearly impossible for him to defend his Triple Crown title this year.
- The 2022 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner Peyton Sellers sits in second place in the Triple Crown standings with an average finish of 3.5 after finishing fourth and third at South Boston and Langley, respectively.
- Kaden Honeycutt, who was fourth in the Triple Crown standings behind Queen, is also running the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at Kansas. With his seat open, Daniel Silvestri, who won the pole for the 2021 edition of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, will be in the car Honeycutt normally drives.
- Once again, an all-star field of Late Model Stock Car drivers will contend for the famed clock this Saturday night, led by Hall, Pulliam, and Sellers. Ward and McCarty are also slated to race this weekend.
Last year’s runner-up to Ward in a photo finish, Landon Huffman, returns to contend for a Grandfather Clock. Another rising star in Carson Kvapil, who finished third in the VSCU300 a year ago, will also be back to continue a breakthrough year in racing. Kvapil has made eight Xfinity Series starts for JR Motorsports this season, highlighted by a runner-up finish at Dover Motor Speedway in which he led 14 laps.
- Kade Brown, Brent Crews, Kyle Dudley, Carter Langley, and previous VSCU300 race winners Mike Looney, Landon Pembelton, and Timothy Peters are all among the key contenders on the current 80-driver entry list.
- This year marks the 11th season of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown. The driver with the best average finish across the three races takes home the $7,000 payout for the Triple Crown. Second place earns $2,000 and third receives $1,000.
- The VSCU300 will match last year’s total with the largest purse in the race’s history, with $125,000 to be distributed across the field of drivers.
Similar to previous years, the Pole Award Winner, presented by Martinsville Speedway, will receive $5,000. The lap leader at the end of both stages will each receive $1,000, an award presented by Clarence’s Steakhouse.
Additionally, the Sunoco/Sparks Oil Most Improved Position award winner will receive $1,000, while the leader of each lap in the 200-lap race will receive $25, with $5,000 available in the laps-led bonus pool, provided by Doughton’s Racing Products.
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