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Tag: Late Model

  • Morris takes the win in the VA is for Racing Lovers 300

    Morris takes the win in the VA is for Racing Lovers 300

    [media-credit name=”Roger Holtsclaw” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Phillip Morris drives his Clarence’s Steak House Chevy to the victory in the VA is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway. Morris held off NASCAR Whelen All American Series national champion Lee Pulliam in the closing laps to secure his third win at the prestigious event.

    During the first half of the race, Morris seemed to have everything under control with very little challenges from anyone. As the halfway break neared, BJ Mackey began to close on Morris and appeared to have the stronger car. Garrett Campbell went into the intermission in third after running strong for the first 75 laps.

    Morris lost several positions during the break, with several strong cars now in front of him. Campbell had problems as well. The crew discovered a bad radiator hose that was causing an overheating issue. The team restarted at the back of the pack after the break and only completed one lap before falling out. A few laps later another strong contender, Matt McCall, headed to the garage area with an apparent engine problem.

    Triple Crown contender Matt Bowling took the top spot and appeared to have the car to beat, Pulliam and Morris used strategy with the restart cone to put themselves in the right position to work their way back to the front. Mackey, who was very strong before the back began to fade and couldn’t hold off the challenge of Morris and Pulliam. One by one lead cars began to fall back, Morris and Pulliam made it back to the top two spots. The two battled each other through several yellows that lined them up side by side, but in the end, Morris was able to hold off the champ.

    Morris said after the race, “I knew the last five laps was going to be like qualifying laps because Lee is so good.”

    CE Falk secured the Virginia Triple Crown Championship with a sixth place finish. Falk said he struggled all day, but “…the crew worked on the car all day and finally got it right at the end.”

    Another exciting event at Martinsville has come to a close. The Virgina is for Racing Lovers organization has re-signed to sponsor the race again next year. It should prove to be just as exciting!

  • Changes in VIFRL 300 format seem to be a success at Martinsville

    Changes in VIFRL 300 format seem to be a success at Martinsville

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]The annual 300 lap Late Model race at Martinsville Speedway implemented a few changes this year, going away from the traditional qualifying format.  This seasons race will be seeded using heat races. On Saturday, drivers were divided into groups of ten cars and sent out on the track to run five laps at speed. The best lap turned of the five becomes the official “qualifying” lap. This lap time seeds the drivers into their perspective heat race with the fastest starting on the pole in heat race 1, second fastest lap will start from the pole in heat race 2 and so on.

    Obviously, this format was a great idea.  After the dust settled Saturday the two fastest drivers were tied down to the thousandth of a second! The fastest “qualifier” had to be determined by the NASCAR Whelen All American Series national points standings. That tiebreaker gave the pole to the 2012 National Champion, Lee Pulliam. Matt McCall will officially be second and will start from the pole in heat race 2. Mike Darne will start up front in heat race 3, and Garrett Campbell will be leading the way in heat race 4.

    Other notables in the field: Dennis Setzer starting second in heat 3, who had a successful career in the top 3 divisions of NASCAR. Late Model veteran Frank Deiny will be starting fourth in heat 2. Former NASCAR Whelen All American Series National Champion Phillip Morris starts second in heat 4. Triple crown contender CE Falk starts ninth in heat 2, with his closest triple crown competitor Matt Bowling starting second in the same heat.

    Each heat consist of twenty cars and drivers must finish in the top eight in their heat to make the main. Heat race results will seed 32 cars, a last chance qualifier race will be held with the top ten finishers completing the 42 car main event. If Saturday’s results are any indication, the racing Sunday will be phenomenal.

  • $25K, a clock and a crown up for grabs at Martinsville

    $25K, a clock and a crown up for grabs at Martinsville

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]The Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 set for Sunday, Oct 21 at Martinsville Speedway.  Come see 42 cars take the green with one goal, to win the clock. The infamous grandfather clock has been a longstanding traditional trophy given to Martinsville Speedway race winners for many years. For the Late Model racers that are here this weekend , it may be their only chance to earn one. Many of these racers will never compete at a higher level in the NASCAR ranks, but are highly competitive in the Late Model world.

    To compliment the prestigious trophy, a nice check for $25,000 also goes to the winner. It will be a much larger payday than most of these teams are used to. Many weekly short tracks only pay $1,500 to $2,000 to win, so this weekends purse will definitely go a long way to recover some of the cost the teams incur during the season.

    Another interesting prize for this weekends race will be the crown, yes and actual crown, given to the Virginia Triple Crown winner. The Triple Crown consist of three major Late Model races in the state of Virginia throughout the year. The Triple Crown tracks are South Boston, Langley Speedway, and wrapping up at Martinsville. Points are awarded at each event, with the driver accumulating the most points in the three races being crowned the champion. In addition to an actual crown, the winner champion will also receive a $5,000 bonus check and of course bragging rights!

    The contenders for for the triple crown are, the leader with 83 points, CE Falk III, who was the winner of the South Boston race, Matt Bowling, the winner of the Langley event just four points back and Nick Smith, the self proclaimed underdog who is 19 points behind leader Falk. All three drivers expressed confidence at the track Saturday as they prepared for practice. Laughter erupted in the media center when referring to winning the triple crown, Falk asked Bowling, “Does that mean you bump me out of the way if I was running third?”, Bowling replied, “I would bump you out of the way if we were running tenth!”

    Given all the pressure the drivers are under this weekend, they seem loose and relaxed and ready for 300 laps of competition,and with a total of 86 cars trying to secure one of the 42 starting spots, it will be very tough 300 laps of competition.

  • Late Models take center stage at Martinsville

    Late Models take center stage at Martinsville

    Each year as many NASCAR fans are focused on the Cup Series’ Chase for the Sprint Cup, there is another major event taking place in the racing world. Late Model Stock Cars (LMSC), usually the premier division at most NASCAR home tracks and an important stepping stone for many drivers in the NASCAR ranks, will take to the track at Martinsville Speedway for what is arguably the one of the most prestigious events of the year for the LMSC drivers and teams.

    The LMSC division is home to a variety of racers from up and coming NASCAR stars trying build a resume’ and gain valuable experience to weekend warriors who work full time jobs and race every weekend for the thrill and excitement of stock car racing at an affordable level. LMSC racing definitely has a blue collar feel to it. Take a stroll through the pits of your local short track and you will find neighbors, fellow church members, or the guy from the local auto parts counter, all living out a dream in a sport they love, though didn’t have the desire or maybe the opportunity to take it to a higher level. Many of these team members are family people with 9 to 5 jobs and deep roots in their community, so the idea of over 40 weeks a year on the road is not a viable option. Many of them are volunteers, working for nothing more than a grilled burger and a free pit pass. The great thing is, that being an unpaid volunteer means you want to be there. It’s not just a job, it’s a passion. Weekend warrior team members work as hard as, or harder than any race team member anywhere.

    Every October, Martinsville Speedway hosts a 300 lap LMSC event to showcase the many great talented drivers and teams that compete weekly at short tracks around the country. Often, over 100 cars will show up and try to make their way into the main event. These entries are comprised of the best LMSC teams from the Southeast that include former NASCAR Whelen All American Series national champions, weekly track champions, and drivers that have competed in the NASCAR premier divisions. This level of talent leads to amazing competition at the legendary track. For many of these teams, this event is their Daytona 500. An event they spend most of the season preparing for. A win at Martinsville could be the key to landing that sponsor that permits them to take the next step to a higher division. Fans at the track this Sunday, could be watching the future of NASCAR. Many current and former NASCAR stars raced LMSC early in their career. Denny Hamlin, who is currently entrenched in the battle for the Sprint Cup Championship, worked his way up through the LMSC ranks in the VA-NC area.

    Though many times overshadowed by the litany of NASCAR coverage now available on television, online, and satellite radio, the excitement and intensity that will fill the atmosphere at the Virginia is for racing lovers 300 will not be diminished. Hopefully, fans who cannot make it to this weekend’s NASCAR events, will decide to take the trip to Martinsville and support the grassroots racers. It just may be the best race of the weekend!