NASCAR and FloRacing have upped the figurative ante for the Virginia Late Model Stock Triple Crown this summer.
In recent years, the driver with the best average finish in the South Boston 200, Hampton Heat 200 and ValleyStar Credit Union 300 earned $7,000 with second best receiving $2,000 and third best receiving $1,000.
This post buries the lede only to articulate the impact of the purse increase awaiting Late Model Stock teams this summer as FloRacing will contribute $50,000 to the championship that includes payouts down to the 10th best average finisher over the three races.
This comes with the announcement that the motorsports streaming platform has also become presenting partner for the three NASCAR-sanctioned marquee short track events.
The Virginia Triple Crown champion will now earn $20,000 with second earning $10,000, third taking home $7500, fourth receiving $5000 and the rest of the top-10 average finishers securing a $1000 bonus each.
Joey Dennewitz, managing director of NASCAR Regional told Short Track Scene on Monday that this was a byproduct of the ‘ongoing conversations’ his office has every day with their streaming partners about how to grow their tentpole events.
“This is a win for everyone in the whole community,” Dennewitz said. “I don’t want to speak for South Boston, Langley or Martinsville but this is just part of a continuing effort to strengthen Late Model Stock race teams.
“We try to make this bigger and better every year. First came the automatic berth into Martinsville if you win South Boston and Langley and now the championship purse.”
From a FloRacing standpoint, general manager Michael Rigsby immediately concedes that the foundation of his audience is dirt racing fans but that the purse increase for the Triple Crown reflects the growth they have seen in its pavement offerings.
“At Flo, we’re always of the mindset to double down on areas that shown growth,” Rigsby told Short Track Scene. “Dirt racing has always been our alpha and omega of sorts but with our NASCAR partnership and the big events that we’ve gradually added, we’re seeing significant growth in pavement year-over-year.
“So we’re making a bet on continued growth but also continually having conversations with NASCAR to be able to target the events that have the most pedigree and heritage where we can make an impact.”
Rigsby said Flo and NASCAR had conversations around numerous events but they ultimately kept returning to the Virginia Triple Crown.
“We said, when we came into pavement, that we wanted to make it bigger and better and when we do that, and we make those kinds of strategic investments, we’ve been rewarded with growth,” Rigsby said.
So that’s how they landed on the Triple Crown, three races that already have larger than usual purses, especially on the front end. To wit, it becomes a fair question as to why not invest more into the back end with start money.
Rigsby — who again has decades of dirt racing experience as a publisher, broadcaster and promoter — said there is a promoter’s tool box that goes into making a splash with larger championship and winner’s shares first.
“What can we do to bring all the things I learned running Dirt on Dirt and then as general manager of this vertical, the things I know dirt does well, and bring that over to pavement,” Rigsby said. “That’s what I try to ask myself and our team.
“And one of the gimmicks, and I shouldn’t call it a gimmick, but it’s just something that we know that works is making a splash with the purse. We know that people ask, ‘what does it pay to win,’ and that’s where you get eyeballs, press and attention. It grows the event.
“And then, from there, you can double down the rest of the purse.”
Rigsby pointed out numerous marquee dirt Late Model and Sprint Car races that have benefitted from the top-down approach rather than down-up approach.”
The last question about the Triple Crown is how much the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will pay. It most recently paid $32,000-to-win, which was a response to CARS Tour paying $30,000-to-win the Old North State Nationals event.
Now, with FloRacing and CARS Tour combining to pay $50,000-to-win the Throwback Race at Hickory, with the Pro Late Model race also paying $30,000, all eyes are on Clay Campbell to see how NASCAR will respond with Martinsville.
Right now, Dennewitz says NASCAR is focused inward.
“I don’t want to speak for Clay Campbell but what I can tell you is that we’re focused on how to make these races bigger and better,” Dennewitz said. “When I was racing, I was just focused on trying to make my program better and I have the same philosophy with what I’m doing now at NASCAR.
“We’re trying to improve our events and series for the racer. I’m not speaking for Clay but I would say you never know and stay tuned.”
Triple Crown champions
Peyton Sellers (5x champion – 2013, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2024)
Lee Pulliam (2x champion – 2015, 2019)
Trevor Ward (2023)
Bobby McCarty (2021)
Timothy Peters (2017)
C.E. Falk III (2012)
