Late Model Stock Car racing’s most prestigious event, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway, is a little over a week away. A preliminary entry list, with 77 competitors, was released on Thursday.
One of the most notable standouts is the return of four-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (NAAPWS) national champion and two-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 Lee Pulliam. Pulliam has focused on his role as a car owner and crew chief throughout much of the decade, competing only sporadically.
The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 also serves as the finale for the Virginia Triple Crown. Heading into next Saturday’s fall classic, JR Motorsports Connor Hall leads with an average finish of 1.5 following races this summer at South Boston Speedway and Langley Speedway. zMAX CARS Tour competitor Ronnie Bassett, Jr. and Virginia veteran Woody Howard are tied for second with an average finish of 6.5. 21 of the 77 drivers are contesting the Virginia Triple Crown. The Virginia Triple Crown champion will receive $20,000.
As is the case every year, the ValleyStar sees a diverse array of drivers, from the heavy-hitters competing in the CARS Tour to Virginia locals to veterans and young drivers from all across the Carolinas.
Recent ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winners Trevor Ward, Peyton Sellers, and Landon Pembelton are all set to compete in the Autumn highlight as well. Another driver making their Martinsville return is Deac McCaskill, who recently stepped outside of the CARS Tour to race in an I-95 Showdown race at Southern National Motorsports Park – a track he won four championships at.
Jamey Caudill, who also has four championships at Southern National, is making his return to the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 – a race he won in 2003. Caudill has been competing on the local drag racing circuit in Eastern North Carolina.
Popular YouTubers and racers Landon Huffman, who came close to winning the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 in 2023, and Doug Barnes, Jr. are also on the entry list.
The Virginia contingent includes NAAPWS national contender Chase Johnson, defending pole-sitter Kyle Dudley, Cole Bruce, Derrick Lancaster, Ryan Matthews, Bryan Reedy, Stacy Puryear, Jimmy Mullins, Daryn Cockram, and Trey Williams, among others.
Caden Kvapil, the younger brother of last year’s winner Carson Kvapil, will be racing for JR Motorsports. Parker Eatmon, who shocked the racing world when he won last year’s Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National, is also set to compete in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. And from South Carolina, Florence Motor Speedway owner and Coastal Plains Raceway promoter Steve Zacharias will be racing once again in the 300, this time with Mitchell Mote.
The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will commence on Saturday, September 27, with practice and qualifying taking place on Friday, September 26. The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 feature event, which goes green at 7:00pm, can be seen live on FloRacing and on The NASCAR Channel, a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel available on Tubi and a handful of other platforms.
The full entry list can be seen below, as provided by NASCAR:
(NOTE: Bobby McCarty told Short Track Scene earlier this month he would not be competing in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Names listed in bold are drivers eligible for the Virginia Triple Crown.)
Marquis comes from St. Charles, Maryland and has a widespread background in journalism, having covered politics in Washington and Maryland as well as nearly every form of auto racing, including NASCAR, IndyCar, AMA Motocross and IHRA Drag Racing. Now living near Emerald Isle, North Carolina, Marquis covers Late Model Stock Cars and Super Late Models in the Carolinas and Virginia.
