The biggest weekend in Late Model Stock car racing is finally here.
Every fall since 1985, the best Late Model Stock car drivers in the nation have gathered in South-central Virginia for the most prestigious race in the sport: The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
With inclement weather on the way due to Hurricane Helene, what is normally a two-day show will now be crammed into one, as Friday evening’s (Sept. 27) on-track activity has been rescheduled to Saturday morning.
As of the time this is being written there are more than 80 cars signed in for a chance to win a Ridgeway Grandfather Clock on Saturday night. By the time you read this, that number could be upwards of 90.
Due to the mass amount of cars vying for the most coveted prize in all of Late Model Stock car racing, it would be impossible to for us to preview them all, so we’re just going to give you some key stories to watch instead.
From past champions to up-and-coming stars, here’s everything you should keep an eye on for Late Model Racing’s Daytona 500.
The Fight for the Crown
It’s time to ‘crown’ a champion. (See what we did there?)
The Virginia Triple Crown is a three race series consisting of the Thunder Road Harley Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway, Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway, and the 300 at Martinsville.
The three race series takes drivers’ finishes in each event, averages them out, and the driver with the lowest average finish is crowned the champion.
Heading into Martinsville, the fight at the top is extremely close between Connor Hall and Peyton Sellers, but many others remain in contention with a 40 car field at Martinsville.
That being said, Hall and Sellers remain the favorites, as Hall currently holds an average finish of 1.5, while Sellers owns a 3.5. Hall just locked up his second consecutive NASCAR Weekly Series National Championship, while Sellers is a record four-time champion of the Triple Crown.
Both are expected to be in contention for the win, and have the most likely shots at winning the crown, but what if the struggle?
With Brenden Queen and Kaden Honeycutt not in attendance, that leaves Kade Brown in position number three heading into Saturday night, sporting an average finish of 8.5.
Behind Brown, Carter Langley and Landon Pembelton sit at 11.0 and 11.5, respectively. Keep an eye on those five as the contenders for the 2024 crown on Saturday night.
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