CALM IN THE CHAOS – 2024 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 At Martinsville Speedway

“It’s all about finding the calm in the chaos.”

Donna Karan

It seems that some people have forgotten the time in the early 2000’s to early 2010’s when Late Model Stock’s future began to be questioned. There were the same issues that still exist today, such as tremendous costs and differing competition rules across the region, but the questions became louder as the fan contingency started to fall away. And despite what the sport insiders think of what’s been termed the “Peanut Gallery” by some, without those fans to buy the peanuts, no genre in the sport can survive. That should be obvious to everyone. Every sport thrives off of it’s popularity. And despite what some seem to want to believe, popularity comes from great competition. Yes, you have to put on a great show on all aspects, but what it comes down to is how good the competition is on the track. You can get away with some gimmicks to a certain extent, but great racing is what the fans come to see. Fortunately, some brilliant minds in the central east coast short track racing region knew this all too well. Because of that, there is now a premier Late Model Stock tour that has built itself into an entity that breeds great competition. To the point that it has increasingly become a stepping stone into NASCAR’s premier series. But that isn’t the only thing that brought the Late Model Stocks back into prominence. The tracks in the region have also done their work in lessening the rules differential and promoting the Late Model Stock genre. To say that for the Late Model Stock local divisions everything is candy and roses would be stretching it a bit. But it is becoming increasingly clear that the tracks that have instinctively been in competition with one another will find better results when they start to work together. Case in point lies in Virginia with the Virginia Triple Crown.

In case you’re new to the Virginia Triple Crown, in short it’s a concept brewed up from Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell that includes Late Model Stock crown jewel races that begin at South Boston Speedway, then on to Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway, and culminating at Martinsville. The highest average finisher in the three races combined is awarded the Virginia Triple Crown honors and title. Every one of those events this year were graced with some of the very best competitors in the Late Model Stock genre which in turn produced great and exciting racing. And most importantly, enthusiastic fan support. It’s hard to even understand the atmosphere behind those events unless you’ve been to one but as an entity that’s been to a number of big Late Model Stock races, you can feel the excitement in the air, not just from the fans but also from the competitors themselves. Let’s take a closer look at the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 from Martinsville Speedway, the final leg of the Virginia Triple Crown.

HEAT RACING OVERVIEW

Kyle Dudley in the # 4 puts down the fastest qualifying lap with a 20.080 and dominates the first heat race, locking himself for the pole in the main event. # 55 Landon Pembelton takes the final transfer spot. Heat number two is highlighted by typical Martinsville mayhem and a great battle for the win between # 8A Carson Kvapil and # 11 Buddy Isles Jr, with Kvapil prevailing. Surviving for the transfer will be # 1A Andrew Grady. Heat three is another wild one, containing a scary crash involving # 25A Jacob Borst and # 00 Chase Burrow. Both are thankfully okay as Peyton Sellers in the Flyin’ # 26 Roy Hendrick tribute scheme takes the checkered first while Doug Barnes Jr in the # 88A notches the final transfer. Heat race four is another thriller, seeing # 22 Connor Hall with the victory. All eyes are on the transfer battle though as # 51 Ryan Matthews moves # 41 Davey Callihan out of the way and squeezes by, barely making the field.

VALLEYSTAR CREDIT UNION 300

As a result of the heat races, your top five reads as Dudley, Kvapil, Sellers, Hall, and a fantastic effort from the # 29A of Stuart Crews. Tensions are high, nerves are at their breaking point, and butterflies are storming in everybody’s stomaches. Flagman Brandon Willard looks over the all-star field of Late Model Stocks, loves what he sees, and we’re green in the biggest Late Model Stock race of the year! Dudley is able to clear coming to the line to complete lap one as Sellers dives under Kvapil. Sellers makes it work, leaving Kvapil to fight with Hall. Kvapil falls another spot, but finally gets in behind Hall to safely secure fourth. Behind him, Crews loses fifth to former Martinsville winner # 87 Mike Looney. Looney tries to make a move on Kvapil, but Kvapil shuts the door while barely avoiding contact. Now it seems that Hall has an issue! He’s still under power, but is slowing considerably, falling out of the top five and giving way to Crews due to an electrical issue. Back up front, Sellers powers to the back bumper of Dudley and eventually takes the lead. That leaves the door open for Kvapil as well, kicking Dudley back to third. The racing is heating up fast, with Kvapil now taking the lead away from Sellers ahead of Looney who finds his way around Dudley as well. Sellers starts to fall back, putting Looney up to second. Crews makes a move on Dudley for fourth, bringing # 23 Kade Brown along for the ride in fifth. The first caution will fly with Isles Jr coming to a crawl in turn four with a tire issue. The first choose of the night is complete, made up of Kvapil, Looney, Sellers, Brown, and Crews. Crews gets jammed up a bit and now he has a problem, coming down pit road to unfortunately end his night. After the mix up, Brown moves to third followed by Sellers and the # 17A of Daniel Silvestri. The battle for the lead just won’t let up tonight, with Looney parking his # 87 to the inside of Kvapil. It’s an absolutely fantastic battle with Kvapil holding the higher ground! Looney just won’t go away, but the caution will fly as Dudley spins around in two. He’ll fire it back up but will have to restart in the rear.

Kvapil, Looney, Brown, Sellers, and Silvestri make up the first five as Kvapil and Looney continue their fight. Kvapil will clear but not for long as Dudley is in trouble yet again, this time in turn four where his race will sadly finish. It’ll be the same top five as before with Looney motoring to the lead on the outside. # 77B Treyten Lapcevich moves into fifth, however there’s major carnage behind! Hall and # 7C Tristan McKee make contact on the frontstretch, sending Hall around and triggering a major pileup involving # 5A Carter Langley, # 4A Parker Eatmon, # 77A Blake Stallings, # 51A Timothy Peters, and the # 95 of Jacob Heafner amongst others. This will bring out the red flag with debris and fluid scattered everywhere. Thankfully everybody is okay as Looney, Kvapil, Brown, Sellers, and Lapcevich lead the field back to green. Looney secures the top spot off of two as they near the $1,000 halfway award. Looney will collect that $1,000 as the halfway caution will fly. Teams will now have the opportunity to make numerous adjustments to their machines in chase of a Grandfather Clock. After all is said and done, Looney, Kvapil, Brown, Sellers, and Lapcevich restart the field.

Looney prevails again as Jake Crum in the # 12 breaks into the top five for the first time around Lapcevich. The battle for the lead is hot and heavy again with Looney and Kvapil deadlocked for the spot! It’ll be interrupted though as # 45 Mason Diaz loops it around in fourth. Looney holds onto the lead with Kvapil lining up second, Brown third, Sellers fourth, and Crum fifth. Crum nearly makes it three wide for third while Kvapil retakes the top position. Move Crum into fourth by Sellers as the aggression starts to pick up. Sellers loses another spot, this time to Lapcevich, who now sits outside the top five. Showing some muscle late in the going is # 6 Bobby McCarty, moving by Lapcevich as Kvapil tries to pull away from the field. But the lead will be erased as the final competition caution flies with 25 laps left. It all comes down to this! Kvapil, Looney, Brown, Crum, and McCarty is your top five for the restart. Kvapil and Looney lean on each other with Kvapil edging for the advantage! Lapcevich takes over fifth while Brown and Crum fight it out for third. Brown will take it as the caution flies for Aaron Donnelly in the # 71 spinning in between turns one and two. Kvapil leads accompanied by Looney, Brown, Lapcevich, and Crum as Kvapil gets a tremendous restart. Looney and Brown make contact as Looney will keep the spot. Meanwhile, Brown is getting hit around like a pinball, falling to fourth behind Lapcevich and Crum. But now Crum gets loose and almost sends Brown around! Brown saves it as they’re nearly four wide! It finally unravels as Donnelly, Brown, and Silvestri all pileup in turn two! That will take Brown out of the race and the Virginia Triple Crown title fight! It’ll all lead to a green, white, checkered finish. Kvapil. Looney. Lapcevich. Casey Kelley in the # 16. McCarty. Who takes a Martinsville Grandfather Clock? Kvapil gets another grand launch and clears for the lead as the field scrambles behind. He’s won three zMAX CARS Tour titles overall and numerous races. Now, he can add a Grandfather Clock to that resume as Carson Kvapil wins the ValleyStar Credit Union 300! Looney comes up just short in second, Lapcevich fights hard for third, Kelley gets an amazing fourth, and McCarty somehow ends up in fifth. Finishing ninth, Sellers will come home with his fifth Virginia Triple Crown Championship!

MY TAKE

First and foremost we want to send our heartfelt sympathies to everyone in the Appalachian Mountain region as they have suffered unimaginable devastation in a storm that also reached areas around and close to Martinsville Speedway itself on Friday. For all of us here at Short Track Report, everyone involved in this great storm are on our mind. If you are in position to help this region in any way possible, we urge you to do so as recovery will take immense time and effort. Many will be affected by this storm for a lifetime.

That fact added another element to a racing event that is already itself in it’s very nature one that is filled with chaos. The heat racing element of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 is an indicator of that. Winning the pole in qualifying did not leave you immune to it as there were no guaranteed spots in the 300 lap feature. Everyone had to race their way in, and with 70+ teams entered for a shot at the 40 car main event, almost half the entries would be sent packing. That my friends is pressure. Transfer spots were of course hotly contested as essentially the drivers strapped into the machines carried the burden of making the show. Those kind of scenarios are where chaotic situations are bred and no matter how big or small a team is, in the end it’s in the drivers hands on the track where it’s essential to remain calm in the midst of the chaos. Those conditions play into the hands of champions that have seen a thing or two, and in the end it showed as the two drivers that came out on top are the epitome of calm in the cockpit. Carson Kvapil never faltered when he found the front of the field as he looked for his first Grandfather Clock and Peyton Sellers never gave up in his quest for his historic fifth Virginia Triple Crown, the most ever by any driver and team. Both of these drivers are champions and it showed Saturday night.

I can’t help but think many that tuned into the show online however missed a great deal in this event. While I’m fully aware that many can’t be at the track in person and for many reasons such as distance or other obligations, there should be an acute awareness that in a race of this magnitude, with 40 cars going head to head in competition, the cameras can only catch so much of it and have to focus on the leading contingent and anything else that alters the race such as caution causing incidents and mechanical failures. And some of those are even missed as well. Therefore much of the racing excitement is missed by the online viewer. And I have to tell you that in this event, as in many great events we cover, there was a lot of hard racing outside of the camera view. As I stood in observance of pre race activities just before the racing began, I thought about how big the atmosphere felt at Martinsville on Saturday and as I turned to look around, a racing insider who I’ve seen at many of the biggest short track events looked at me and said what I was thinking, “It’s not until you stand here in the middle of it that you remember how big it is.” Yes, Late Model Stock racing is as competitive as it’s ever been and that’s the simple truth of it. The 2024 Triple Crown events this year were just another great example of that. And so as always, until next time, See You At The track!

(Race write ups by Joshua Weatherman. Intro and My Take written by Billy Weatherman. Copyright 2024 SHORT TRACK REPORT)