Venue Martinsville Speedway | Laps 200 | |
Corporate sponsor ValleyStar Credit Union First race 1970 (Late Model Sportsman)
1985 (current Late Model format) Distance 105.2 miles (169.27 km) Previous names Martinsville DuPont Credit Union 300
Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300
Bailey's 300
Taco Bell 300
Advance Auto 500
Winston Classic
Winn-Dixie 500
Cardinal 500 | ||
The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 is a NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race held at Martinsville Speedway in the early fall each year since 1985, as part of a race weekend dating back to 1970 (see Advance Auto 500 for the history of this race meeting).
Contents
In 1970, Martinsville Speedway added 250-lap twin features for the Late Model Sportsman and Modified classes annually. At the time, neither division used a touring format. The doubleheader took a drastic change from 1982 until 1985 when NASCAR began turning lower divisions of racing into a touring format to reduce costs by racing one single tour. The Late Model Sportsman race was changed to what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 1982, and the Modified race was adopted into the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 1985. As the touring formats were adopted fully for the 1985 season, Martinsville Speedway cut the two races from 250 laps to 200 laps in 1985, and returned the local Late Models to the schedule in 1985, adding a 100-lap Late Model feature to the race weekend. After the Modifieds were dropped in 1993, the race expanded to its present 200-lap feature race. After what is now the Xfinity Series was dropped after the 1994 season, the current Late Model format was adopted in 1995. The spring race was dropped after the 1997 season.
The race is 300 laps in total length, consisting of three 25 lap heat races, a 25 lap last chance qualifier and a 200 lap feature race. Qualifying takes place the Saturday before the race and sets the field for the heat races. The top two drivers in qualifying advance to the feature, and do not race in the heat races. The top ten finishers in each heat race advance to the feature, while other drivers race in the last chance race. The top ten finishers in the last chance race advance to the feature. The race format was changed in 2012 and tweaked in 2013 and again in 2014. The original race format called for traditional time trial qualifying on Saturday to set the top 22 positions while the remaining 20 positions were determined by four heat races.
After numerous incidents in recent years with darkness, the track added lights for the 2017 season. The Late Model race will now run in late September, which prior to 2000 was the NASCAR Cup date, which now is on the traditional final weekend of October that the Late Model race was held for many years.
Eligible Drivers & Cars
Drivers must hold a NASCAR License for the Whelen All-American Series. Cars must conform to the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car rule book and race on 10 inch wide Continental racing slicks.
These cars use a Perimeter Chassis, where the frame rails follow the outer perimeter of the body, being symmetrical from the centerline of the frame. This chassis is generally used in limited late model and spec late model competition. Late Model Stock Cars (LMSC) are distinctly different from Super Late Models (SLM), where the passenger side is considerably higher than the driver side (also called an Offset Chassis) using what is called an "Approved Body Configuration" body, such as the Snowball Derby, Winchester 400, and other similar races. LMSC are raced mostly in the South East region of the United States, including Virginia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, with the CARS Late Model Tour and the Snowflake 100 being events that use this type of car.
Former Race Champions
NOTE: From 1985 until 1997, this race is the fall race only.