Jimmy Mullins is a legend in the Central Virginia racing scene, with wins and championships at various tracks throughout the region. At age 64, he has teamed up with Patrick Henry Community College with the hopes of taking home a grandfather clock.
Mullins has won championships at three different asphalt tracks in Virginia and has even found victory lane at South Boston in a Late Model. In all, he has an estimated 400+ wins to his name. He has been going to Martinsville Speedway, near his home in Bassett, to compete in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 dating back to 1996 and has two top-five finishes at Martinsville – a runner-up in 2000 and a third place effort in 2001.
Over the years, a lot has changed.
The last time Mullins transferred into the 200-lap feature event was in 2016, when he finished 19th. This year, just making the field would be an accomplishment, but a win would be an even bigger one.
“Just to make the race with these young boys and girls, men and women, would mean the world to us,” Mullins told Short Track Scene. “I’ve been out of it so long, you know, I’m not used to this bump stop stuff and all that now. We came last year, the college gave me an opportunity to drive a car and, with the kids working on it and stuff, it would mean a lot to them if we could make the field.”
Mullins’ team is comprised predominantly of students from the Patrick & Henry Community College’s Racing College of Virginia, which is led by Denver Smith and Talmage Thomas.
“Last year was kind of a short thing that they gave me an opportunity to drive it,” Mullins said. “I really didn’t get to practice much. We went this year, tried the car that we had last year, and never could get the car working good, so they had an older car over here that we tried and put the motor and all in it and we ran three-tenths faster with that car at the same tracks so I’m hoping this year we’ve got a whole lot better chance. Billy Banks just got our new motor fixed and, with everything that we’ve done to it, Talmage and them have worked hard on it, and I’m looking forward to making that race this time around.
“It’s their car and all the kids worked on it at the college and all that. It’s not like these big, high dollar teams.”
Bruce Anderson had been driving for the same team in the past, but last year, he had the opportunity to drive for Peyton Sellers’ team, leaving the seat open for Mullins.
“Bruce is a real good guy,” Mullins continued. “I’ve been knowing him for several years, raced against him and everything else. He had a better ride and it left the seat open so I talked to Talmage and they agreed to give me a shot at it, so I thank the good Lord for that. I’m hoping that, this year, we make that show. Last year, we had a pretty good chance in it. Was 10th with sixth laps to go and we ended up, some of the brake checked on the restart, we tore the hood up and I couldn’t see over it so I had to come in.”
While Mullins is not a student of The Racing College of Virginia, he still considers himself a student of the game as the sport has evolved.
“They teach kids there and, you know, I’m still learning on this stuff too,” Mullins stated. “Every time you go to the race, I’ve been in it a long time but I still learned something every time we go. The kids are excited, I’m excited, our sponsors are excited, so we’re looking to go for that grandfather clock this time.”
Making the 40 car field is the first challenge. Once the green flag flies in the 200-lap feature, attrition becomes the name of the game and anyone who survives could find themselves with a shot at the $32,000 prize and the Ridgeway grandfather clock. If the underdog Mullins were to win, it would be the most popular win since Mike Looney’s win in 2016.
“We definitely would be partying, even though I don’t drink nothing,” Mullins commented. “We definitely gonna party for a while, you bet on that. I’ve got a lot of good fans that backs me. When we make the field and I get up on that stage, that means the world to me. I’d like to make it at least one more time before I get too old. To me, I thank the good Lord that he’s given me an opportunity to do this my whole life. I’ve been racing since 1982.”
Mullins has made 21 ValleyStar Credit Union attempts dating back to 1996. He has two top-five and four top-10 finishes in the fall classic.
Qualifying for the 2025 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will be held at 8:00 pm on Friday. The field will then be set in a series of heat races on Saturday beginning at 3:00 pm. The 200-lap main event will take place at 7:00 pm. Qualifying and heat races for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will be streamed live on FloRacing. The feature race will be streamed on Flo, as well as on The NASCAR Channel, available free on Amazon Prime and Tubi.
