The temperatures are dropping, the leaves are changing colors, and the entry list for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway has been released. All of that can mean only one thing: The biggest race in Late Model Stock Car racing is right around the corner. 

Now that the entry list has been released, let’s break down the heavy hitters that have the best chance at taking home that coveted grandfather clock trophy on September 28.

We’ll start with the man whose announcement earlier this summer caught everyone by surprise, and that is two-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 champion, Lee Pulliam. Pulliam, of Alton, Virginia, is coming out of pseudo-retirement from racing this week as a gift to his father, Stuart. Fans can read more about the reasons behind Pulliam’s return here. Pulliam has not run in any race in more than four years, but he feels he has as good a shot as any to claim the clock while piloting the car typically driven by Brenden “Butterbean” Queen. While Queen will be racing with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Kansas that weekend, the Pulliam will pilot his car to what he hopes will be a third Martinsville 300 crown.

From there we’ll head to the man who leads the Virginia Triple Crown points standings entering the Martinsville 300 thanks to a win in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway and a runner-up finish in the Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway. That, of course, is the current CARS Tour points leader, Connor Hall. Hall has made three starts in the Martinsville 300 and has yet to finish inside the top 10. His 12th-place finish in 2022 is his best result yet. But Hall will be racing for Barry Nelson’s Nelson Motorsports, as he has all season in CARS Tour and VA Triple Crown competition, and this Nelson Motorsports team finished second by mere feet with Landon Huffman behind the wheel one year ago. In other words, Hall not only has a great chance to score a new personal best at Martinsville, but potentially walk out of there with a shiny new timepiece.

Speaking of that fantastic photo finish from one year ago, the driver that scored the victory that evening, Trevor Ward, will be back looking to not only defend his title, but also take home a second grandfather clock. Ward became the first driver Winston-Salem, North Carolina to win the Martinsville 300 last year when he surprised everybody to take the win. All eyes were on Brenden Queen and Bobby McCarty for the VA Triple Crown title, but in swooped Ward to take the clock and the Triple Crown bonus.

One eye-catching nugget on the entry list involves the winner of the 2021 Martinsville 300, Amelia, Virginia’s Landon Pembelton. Pembelton has driven a car prepared by Sellers Racing for the last few years, but for this race he’ll be piloting a car prepared just a few miles down the road. Pembelton will be behind the wheel of the No. 55 for Lee Pulliam Performance this go-round. 

Speaking of past VSCU 300 winners, there’s a total of seven grandfather clock owners throughout the current entry list, with two of those owners having won two clocks. We already mentioned two-time clock owner Lee Pulliam, as well as 2021 clock winner Landon Pembelton and 2023 clock winner Trevor Ward. Other clock owners entered are Peyton Sellers, who scored his long-awaited grandfather clock in 2022, Mike Looney, who held off Pulliam in an epic battle in 2016, and Jason York who won his way back in 2008. Timothy Peters is also entered, and he joins Pulliam as the only two-time clock owner on the entry list. Peters’ two victories came in 2005 and 2017.

One driver that would make just about everybody happy to see him take home a clock is Madison, North Carolina’s Bobby McCarty. McCarty, a three-time CARS Tour champion, has made nine attempts at the VSCU 300 with seven feature starts. McCarty has been so fast so many times, and come close a couple of times. While it feels like it’s a matter of “when” not “if” for McCarty, everyone always heads to Martinsville wondering “if” this is the year for the veteran wheelman. 

McCarty is one of quite a few drivers with ties to the CARS Tour entered this year. He’s actually one of 10 CARS Tour drivers entered this year. Along with McCarty from the CARS Tour is Jacob Heafner, Brent Crews, Kade Brown, Connor Hall, Carson Kvapil, Andrew Grady, Conner Jones, Brandon Pierce, Buddy Isles Jr., Tristan McKee, and Ronnie Bassett Jr. Two other full and part-time CARS Tour drivers, Ryan Millington and Landon Huffman respectively, have confirmed to FloRacing that they are competing in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, though their entries have yet to be received by Martinsville Speedway.

The 2024 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will be broadcast live exclusively on FloRacing to FloRacing subscribers. Fans can subscribe to FloRacing by clicking here.

2024 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway Entry List (as of 9/24)