Late Model Veteran Sets Sights on Another Iconic Martinsville Trophy Amid Fierce Valley Stars Battle

The grandfather clock is up for grabs once again, as Martinsville Speedway rolls back to life this weekend with the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the biggest and most prestigious Late Model Stock race in the country. Now in its 30th year as the finale of the Virginia Triple Crown, the event has outgrown its roots to become a true short track spectacle. President Clay Campbell calls it “a brand of its own,” with a decade of ValleyStar’s title sponsorship behind it; the stage is bigger than ever. And to add to that spotlight, a comeback story built for Martinsville’s iconic half-mile stage is underway.

Speaking to Matt Weaver, Peyton Sellers revealed that his crew will do everything in their power to snag a win there: “Momentum is momentum. Our cars are working very well. They’re turning well. We just got to adapt to Martinsville, to the, you know, the tire. This will be the first time we’ve taken this tire there, so we’ll have to make some adjustments in practice for that, but at the end of the day, I feel very confident going into it because our car did run so well at South Boston toward the end of the year. I think we got a lot of momentum going into it right now for us.”

In a dramatic winner-take-all finale at South Boston Speedway on September 8, Peyton Sellers captured the 100-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division race and clinched the track championship during Sunday’s Halifax County Farm Bureau championship night. The victory capped off one of the closest points battles in the speedway’s storied history.

With the 2025 title, Sellers etched his name and the record books, surpassing David Blankenship’s long-standing mark of seven championships, a record set back in 1998. For his achievement, Sellers will take home $20,000 as part of a massive $75,000 Championship Loyalty Bonus Program, backed by Hitachi Energy and EMPOWER Broadband, rewarding drivers for their season-long commitment to South Boston Speedway.

Coming back to Martinsville, Sellers has found success on this track. After two decades of trying, he finally broke through on September 24, 2022, capturing his first-ever ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory. The win was especially meaningful as it came after 14 previous attempts at the track, where the 41-year-old had often been close but never been able to seal the deal. Not only did the triumph cement his place among the sport’s greats, but it also secured him the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown title, adding another milestone to a career defined by perseverance and consistency.

“This is something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid,” Sellers had said in victory lane. And it’s just a matter of time to see if the veteran can recreate the miraculous win. But amidst all this, the main event will see the absence of one young driver.

Late Model racing’s budding ace is set to miss the ValleyStar 300 at Martinsville

The ValleyStar 300 at Martinsville Speedway is the crown jewel of Late Model Racing, but one of the division’s rising stars, Landen Lewis, will not be in the field this weekend. Just a month ago, Lewis and his Kevin Harvick Inc. team had Martinsville penciled into their schedule. Now, the 19-year-old said that circumstances in the shop forced them to hit pause.

He said, “We actually had Martinsville on our schedule. About four weeks ago, we were going to go. We are just not in a position to be able to do that right now with the cars we have at the shop. We have to look at the bigger picture, and that’s the [CARS Tour] championship. That’s what we’ve raced for all year. With the season that we’ve had, it’s been very good. Obviously, it could be better, but we felt like it was smart to not go to Martinsville and focus on Tri-County and get all our notes together to be prepared as [best] as possible to go win the championship.”

Despite missing Martinsville, Lewis and his team will be working hard preparing for the CARS Tour race at Tri-County next weekend on Saturday, October 4, while many of the CARS Tour regulars will be in Virginia. Lewis admitted missing the sport’s biggest Late Model event stings, but the long-term goal outweighs the short-term thrills well.

Meanwhile, the Speedway is set to deliver fireworks regardless, with a stacked 77-car entry list chasing not only the coveted grandfather clock trophy but also the Virginia Triple Crown title. The show begins Saturday, September 27, with 425-lap qualifying races at 3 pm ET, setting the stage for the 200-lap main event under the lights at 7 pm ET. Do you think the veteran can ace it again?