The Drama From The ValleyStar Credit Union 300

Tristan McKee will turn 18 years old on August 3, 2028 and there appears to be a growing line prepared to greet him when that day comes. 

For example, after the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 on Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway, Sam Yarbrough and McCumbee Elliott Racing set a timer.

Coming to complete lap 100 for the first break of the race, McKee got into the right rear of Yarbrough on the frontstretch, sending Yarbrough head-on into the outside wall, ending his day. Chase Burrow, Ty Majeski, and others got collected in the melee.

The result was tempers flaring on pit road between the crews and angry drivers.

McKee said he did not mean to get into Yarbrough and was just trying to get in line.

“My spotter just told me ‘quick clear down,” McKee said. “Misjudged it a little bit on both of our parts. Super sorry to those guys, nothing intentional at all. I was just trying to get down, and I heard’ quick clear’, and I came down and tried to let off a little bit, but at that point it was just too late, and I was in his right rear, so super, super sorry to those guys. I never want to tear up anyone’s car like that. It was just a mistake. So sorry to them.

“It’s never my job to go out there and wreck someone. I’m never trying to go out there and wreck someone. The past couple of CARS [Tour] races we’ve gotten into some things, but I feel like nothing has been anything malicious or anything like that. My guys are bringing me really fast cars, and I hope to keep it going.

“The past two CARS [Tour] races we’ve gotten into wrecks, but every other time we’ve been clean, and we’ve been fighting for the lead. I think any of us that have gotten into these wrecks have been able to do something different, and this just was a mistake on my part here. But I feel like other than that, I feel like it’s been pretty fun.”

Yarbrough was less than pleased following the incident.

“He doored me going down the straightaway, I guess, to try and protect his position or something,” Yarbrough told Frontstretch.com “Going off down into three he gave me a little room. I passed him clean, and I guess his dad said he misjudged it, and right-rear-quartered me. He misjudged it by about four feet. It wasn’t even close. He just, I don’t know, man. 

“You got kids like that, and I think it probably starts with the parents. They don’t discipline the children. His dad probably should have pulled him out in the car and took his belt off and whooped his ass right there. I don’t know. It’s a problem in stock car racing at this level in the CARS Tour. You got kids that just pay their way, and they don’t work on cars. They don’t give a shit about anything. He tried to come talk to me. I told him I wasn’t ready. Might not be ready for a while.”

Bobby McCarty shared Yarbrough’s sentiments. 

“I mean, [McKee] just right-reared [Yarbrough], and frankly, I think enough’s enough,” McCarty said. “It’s every weekend with that same car, and I try to be that mentor. I have talked a lot, and like I said, I’ve made them bonehead moves, and I hate calling people out like this, man, but enough’s enough, dude. Somebody’s going to get hurt. It’s every weekend with [McKee]. 

“I’ve been that guy. When I got with Nelson, I was a bull in a china shop. I understand completely. But Timothy and Barry and Mark, they all care. They took the time to care. They know these kids are going to be here for one or two years. They get their paychecks, and they go on about their life, and they don’t try to teach them nothing. That’s what’s wrong with this whole deal. We’re not teaching racing no more. We’re just making money. And that’s the whole issue. 

“To represent me and my team and my partners and the people that I use for parts, we’re not going to race that way. Who cares? They’re going to make half a million dollars off of them and let them go to ARCA or whatever. Getting upset with somebody and bumping them in the corner, moving them out of the way and stuff like that, I don’t care. Right-rearing somebody at the flag stand in Martinville, you need to go on somewhere else, dude. That’s not what we do here.”

Ty Majeski teamed up with Chad Bryant Racing to chase a clock for the first time since 2022.

After barely qualifying with a 10th place finish in the third heat race, Majeski started the 200-lapper in 39th. However, drove through the field, and found himself running fourth on a green-white-checkered restart. Unfortunately for Majeski, he missed a shift on the restart and fell back to sixth by the time the checkered flag flew.

“[I’m a] Super Late Model guy, [I’m] used to straight cut gears,” Majeski said. “I’m disappointed [with] myself. But I will say if you would have told me I’d be sitting here disappointed with a sixth place finish with how the entire weekend went out and said you’re crazy. Really proud of all the guys. We were in a lot of wrecks tonight. Thought our day was kind of over. I mean, we have pounds of bear bond on this thing. This is probably one of the more aero-sensitive racetracks we go to in the Late Model Stocks, or that they go to.

“We made it a lot better from when it was first wrecked, but probably wasn’t 100%. But it gave me something to race with and was able to have a couple good restarts there and find our way in fourth with a green-white checker and had a shot at a win. And that’s a testament to Chad and all those guys. We qualified 54th and barely made the show and got in wrecks in the beginning of the race and really had a good piece tonight.

“Not one that probably could have won, but if we would have had a regular practice and just gotten to go through our normal adjustments and went through things more methodically, we probably would have had a shot at putting a winning race car out there. So, a lot to be proud. I’ve had a lot of fun tonight. It was fun coming up through the field and setting guys up. And it’s fun driving fast race cars.”

The start of the race even had chaos of its own.

As the green flag flew, the outside lane stacked up, causing an accordion throughout the field. Mike Looney, Daniel Silvestri, Blake Stallings, and several others suffered damage in the crash.

“I don’t know, I didn’t see anything really,” Silvestri said. “I tried to lay back as much as I can. I saw the stack up, but I thought it was a missed restart. You can’t see over the person in front of you. Ryan hooked left and I saw Mike Looney right in front of me dead sideways. There’s nothing you can really do.

“I feel for my Tom Usry Racing guys. We’ve worked so hard on this race car. It’s been a disappointing weekend for me. I feel like this is a racetrack I’ve performed well at in the past. It is what it is. I appreciate my sponsors that made this possible.”

He is especially frustrated his race ended before it started. 

“It sucks,” Silvestri said. “It’s the second time this year. I don’t know. It’s frustrating. I don’t know what else to say.”

Stallings was upset about not even getting to take the green flag as well.

“It looked like the inside lane stacked up first and the outside lane didn’t have anywhere to go,” Stallings said. “It’s a bummer because my guys work really hard to get us here. To make the race is always a great feat, but to end it coming to the green because somebody missed a shift, which I assume happened, I haven’t seen a replay yet, was a huge letdown.”