The sun that rose over Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 21, 2012 brought different expectations and trepidations for C.E. Falk III compared to his previous visits to the half-mile paperclip.

Falk’s focus was earning a grandfather clock, as usual. But another prize was on the line that day in the inaugural Virginia Late Model Triple Crown. Falk’s pair of excellent runs at South Boston Speedway and Langley Speedway earlier that year put him in an ideal position to become the miniseries’ champion.

Yet making history was never on Falk’s mind throughout the three legs of the Virginia Triple Crown in 2012. Already a hardened competitor against the elites of the Late Model Stock Car discipline, all he wanted was to secure three crown-jewel victories and continue to prove he could one day reach the NASCAR Cup Series.

Falk had no idea the tradition he started when he climbed out of his No. 40 Late Model Stock at Martinsville as Triple Crown champion.

“It was kind of a shock,” he said. “There wasn’t really a lot of talk about [the Virginia Triple Crown]; it just kind of happened. You always had Langley in the summer, and South Boston at the time had their 300-lapper after Martinsville, so the fact that they switched it around to have the 300-lapper at the beginning of the year was really cool.

“It came out of nowhere, but it was something exciting.”

What Falk did not know at the time: The idea of the Virginia Triple Crown had been manifesting for years.

Cathy Rice, who served as South Boston’s general manager until 2021, deliberated with Langley owner Bill Mullis and Martinsville president Clay Campbell on how to bring more notoriety to Late Model Stock racing in Virginia. Rice spearheaded the idea of bringing all their crown-jewel events together for their own championship.

Campbell and Mullis agreed, leading to the advent of the Triple Crown for the 2012 season. The existing prestige of each event, combined with the vibrant Late Model Stock culture in Virginia, left Campbell optimistic the Triple Crown would be a hit.

“If you look at the three tracks, it makes perfect sense,” Campbell said. “You’re looking at three historic tracks, South Boston, Langley and [Martinsville]. You’re covering from one side of the state to the other, and they are important races at all three tracks, which were and still are important staples in the Weekly Series.”

Falk was eager to embrace the new challenge that was the Virginia Triple Crown, especially since he already had proven himself as one of the best Late Model Stock competitors in a state filled with so many notables.

Among the accomplishments Falk amassed during the late 2000s and early 2010s were three consecutive track championships at Langley to go along with two straight Hampton Heat victories. Falk also garnered notoriety in 2010 when he won the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Southside Speedway after passing Hamlin on the last lap.

Hamlin was one of several drivers Falk regularly battled during his formative years in a Late Model Stock around the southeast. As Falk and his brother Wes continued to gain experience, their father Eddie, the son of former Cup Series team owner Joe Falk, purchased his own equipment to help the boys advance their careers.

Eddie also brought in multi-time Langley track champion Phil Warren to advise his two sons on what they needed to excel behind the wheel.

Competing against names like Hamlin, Philip Morris, Adam Barker, Wayne Ramsey, Eddie Johnson and others was a humbling experience for Falk. He said the discipline was an outlet for drivers without significant funding to showcase their talent and build their own identities.

“[Virginia] is really the birthplace of [Late Model Stocks],” Falk said. “It was an affordable class for the guys who didn’t want to run a Street Stock but couldn’t afford to go [Xfinity Series] racing. It’s obviously turned into a monster now with full-fledged driver development programs, and you have those who do this for a full-time living.

“A lot of heroes were made on Saturday nights at South Boston, Langley, Southside and [Old Dominion Speedway]. They didn’t make it to Sundays, but they’d probably give the guys who run on Sundays a run for their money.”

Falk became a hero in the eyes of many who watched him dominate at tracks around the region. He still had milestones to check off by the time 2012 arrived, but he felt confident his program’s overall speed could keep him competitive — even as the industry began to change.

The onset of the Virginia Triple Crown was another chance for Falk to add to his legacy.

Before Falk’s first pursuit of the Triple Crown commenced, his team made a change at crew chief with the hiring of veteran Sammy Houston. At the time, Houston previously had worked with Morris, Tommy Ellis, Jeff Burton, Steve Grissom and Mark Martin, among others.

Houston acquainted himself with the Falk family when Eddie began competing in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman class, a predecessor to the Xfinity Series, during the 1980s. When Houston returned to Late Model Stocks at the turn of the century, he took note of the success Eddie’s eldest son was enjoying, particularly at Langley.

Of all the tracks Houston has visited, he considers Langley one of the toughest to drive, especially for young competitors. Houston said Falk’s ability to beat the Langley regulars while balancing college was a testament to his commitment in every regard.

“The best thing about C.E. Falk is that he’s gutsy,” Houston said. “He can make things happen, but he can think ahead. He can see 10-20 laps from now what’s going to go on. It really surprised me how well and how quick he got fast at Langley. For him to get it that quick up against guys who had been racing there 10-15 years was really surprising.”

As soon as Houston joined Falk’s Late Model Stock team, the two partnered with Bobby Creech to build a new car. No expense was spared as Falk and Houston crafted a chassis they believed could set a commanding tone in the opening leg of the Virginia Triple Crown at South Boston.

The result of their efforts was a dominant performance. Falk won after leading 154 of 300 laps.

RELATED: All about the Virginia Triple Crown

Falk said that car was the best he ever drove at South Boston, comparing it to a go-kart in terms of drivability. He admitted the Triple Crown implications were an afterthought; he was ecstatic about a pivotal victory for his personal list of accomplishments.

“They gave us a check for $10,000, which was awesome,” Falk said. “I was really excited about winning the 300-lapper because I knew how hard it was to win that race. It was the last 300-lapper [South Boston] had, so that really means a lot to me, too. We wanted to do well, but we didn’t understand how the points were going to work or if there were bonus points for winning.

“We were just more excited about winning the race than anything.”

While he didn’t completely grasp the concept of the Triple Crown points, Falk did benefit from a confidence boost for the miniseries’ next race. Having led a combined total of 388 laps across his previous two Hampton Heat triumphs, Falk appeared poised to consolidate his Triple Crown advantage at his home track. He anticipated another Langley regular in Greg Edwards would be the primary obstacle.

When the green flag waved, Falk found himself in a tough battle with not just with Edwards, but with his own car.

Falk was puzzled as to why the rear of his car was moving so much. During an early pit stop, he and Houston discovered an eccentric bolt had come loose — an easy fix. The repaired rear end restored Falk’s speed just in time for him to encounter another problem.

As Falk made his move for the lead on a restart, he contacted Edwards and turned him around. Falk was penalized and moved to the rear of the field, leaving him fewer than 100 laps to fight his way back to the front.

Falk picked off his competition while hoping for several yellow flags to expedite his charge. Instead, the second half of the 2012 Hampton Heat featured mostly green-flag laps, causing Falk to exhaust his tires by the time he reached second and preventing him from mounting a challenge against winner Matt Bowling.

Bowling’s victory at Langley after his fourth-place run at South Boston made him Falk’s primary adversary in Triple Crown points heading into Martinsville. Yet Falk appreciated the way Bowling raced and knew the fight for the Triple Crown — and a grandfather clock — would be intense but fair.

“Matt is a super great guy and super nice,” Falk said. “He was always really fast at South Boston, but Matt was really coming into his own. He was a super clean driver from what I remember, and I never had many run-ins with him ever. Matt probably caught onto Langley better than Peyton Sellers in the beginning. Just a great racer.”

Falk had plenty of time — almost three months, to be exact — to devise a plan with Houston, Wes and the rest of his team on how to attack Martinsville. The wait allowed Falk to devote attention to weekly racing, where he racked up several victories at Langley.

When the time came to load up for Martinsville, Falk was confident he had a race-winning car but knew it would take more than efficiency to win. More than 75 drivers packed into Martinsville’s infield for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, meaning everything within and outside of Falk’s control would need to be perfect just to qualify.

The weekend was anything but perfect.

Despite showing speed in practice, Falk’s lap of record in time trials was not good enough to crack the top 30. This relegated him to a mid-pack starting position in his heat race, placing him in an inauspicious position where one mistake from another driver could end his Triple Crown bid before the green flag waved for the main event.

Falk not only survived his heat, but he managed to climb all the way to third. The valiant effort garnered him a 10^th place starting position on the 42-car grid, just four spots behind Bowling.

Just like in the Hampton Heat, Falk’s issues were only just beginning.

An early spin immediately put Falk at the back of the field and deterred the optimism he possessed. The Virginia Triple Crown was once again an afterthought to Falk, who shifted his mindset to making sure his No. 40 Toyota departed Martinsville in one piece.

While Bowling assumed control of the lead on Lap 76, Falk was occupied with erasing his deficit. He avoided significant trouble and found himself on the cusp of salvaging a long, disappointing day at Martinsville with a decent finish.

A grandfather clock would have to wait another year. But Falk realized a Triple Crown title might not have to wait at all.

“We got close to the top 10, and I saw Matt with like 20-something to go,” Falk said. “Sammy came on the radio and said, ‘Remember the Triple Crown is still out there.’ Matt was having a really good race, but I think he was starting to have some carburetor issues or something like that. We drove up there and got in position on that final restart.”

Bowling had to fight for his Triple Crown hopes from third on the inside of the second row. Falk’s decision to take the high line from the third row was one he admitted was a mistake in retrospect, but he was determined to make the most of his circumstances and figure out how to overtake Bowling.

When the checkered flag waved, Falk was still sixth, but Bowling had faded to seventh. Falk’s persistence was enough to claim the inaugural Virginia Late Model Triple Crown title over Bowling by six points.

Oblivious to the points, Falk, Houston and the rest of the team went through their routine post-race procedures. Just a few minutes later, they found themselves hustling to push Falk’s car to Martinsville’s frontstretch to be formally recognized as the maiden Triple Crown champion.

“We didn’t know we won the thing until they came over and told us,” Houston said. “The race was over, and they said they needed us up on the stage with Philip [Morris], who won the race. Nobody’s thinking about the Triple Crown in the moment. Not winning the race and coming from the back, all that went to the wayside when they said we won [the Triple Crown].

“There aren’t many chances to get the first of something, so that was the coolest part about it.”

Falk received a plastic crown in addition to the official Virginia Triple Crown trophy, one he still considers among the most immaculate he has received.

“It really didn’t hit [right away],” Falk said. “Finishing sixth at Martinsville is nothing to shake a stick at. You go in there really wanting to win and to be the best. To finish sixth and have the car basically in one piece is a victory in of itself.

“All these years later, it really means something special to always be the first Triple Crown winner.”

As Campbell observed Falk celebrate the Virginia Triple Crown title, he found himself grateful knowing the plan started on a proper note.

Each leg of the Virginia Triple Crown tested the resolve of both man and machine. Falk was tasked with assembling comeback performances at Langley and Martinsville, and Bowling needed to play defense in the waning moments at Martinsville in what proved to be a fruitless effort. Two other potential Triple Crown contenders in Sellers and Nick Smith did not even qualify for Martinsville’s 150-lap feature.

Campbell said the Virginia Triple Crown accomplished everything it was supposed to in Year 1. The three-race stretch highlighted the unique characteristics that define each track, and it rewarded the most consistent driver — all while showing the rest of the Late Model Stock community just how prestigious it could become.

“I know C.E. Falk and his team were elated to get that [championship],” Campbell said. “It takes a lot to win at South Boston, Langley and [Martinsville]. To have the [finishes] at the end of the year to win it is a pretty great achievement. That’s what turns drivers on; it’s not a cakewalk.

“If you win it, you have a lot of bragging rights, because you and your team put forth a great effort to come away with that win.”

The Virginia Triple Crown has only grown in both prestige and notoriety, just like Rice, Campbell and Mullis envisioned.

Many of the top Late Model Stock competitors are now Virginia Triple Crown winners. Sellers rebounded from his disappointment in 2012 to earn five Virginia Triple Crown titles, the most of any driver. Other champions include Lee Pulliam, Bobby McCarty, Trevor Ward and former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Timothy Peters.

In 2025, the 12th edition of the Virginia Triple Crown features the most substantial purse increase for the event to date.

Falk said the Virginia Triple Crown’s long-term impact has been gradual but ubiquitous. The championship is now a cornerstone of Late Model Stock racing across the southeast, one that now offers a hefty award to the team that can stand tall after three grueling races.

“I had no idea people would be planning their whole schedule around [the Virginia Triple Crown],” Falk said. “It’s turned into something special. This sport costs a lot of money, and these tracks are doing everything they can to survive. Whether the economy is good or bad, to take that extra money and give it back to the racers is really great and needs to be applauded.”

Although Falk did not win another Virginia Triple Crown after 2012, his success in Late Model Stocks continued. He earned his fourth Langley championship the following season before finally bringing home an illustrious grandfather clock in the 2018 ValleyStar Credit Union 300.

Falk’s last major Late Model Stock race came in the Fall Brawl at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2022. He still gets an urge to race every so often, but he enjoys life as a wholesaler while also being a father of two.

Houston left Falk’s team after their Triple Crown conquest to focus on his own ventures. He considers himself fortunate to have played a small-but-crucial role in Late Model Stock history.

For Houston, the Virginia Triple Crown continually attracting not only the elites of Late Model Stock competition but renowned competitors like Dale Earnhardt Jr. for one-off events highlights how prestigious the three-race stretch has become. No matter how big it gets, Houston will always remember what he and Falk did during the first season.

“Curtis Markham is the only first-time winner [of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300],” Houston said. “C.E. Falk, his parents, his brother and everyone on the team, we’re the first ones to win [the Virginia Triple Crown]. We were just hoping to get a good finish out of it. I think it’s really cool [we got that first one].”

Campbell said the Virginia Triple Crown’s influence is evident in the car counts. Martinsville continues to see around 80 drivers a year, but entry lists for South Boston and Langley now average more than 30 competitors compared to the 22 and 23 those tracks respectively saw in the first season.

What started as a bold idea has blossomed into a proud custom. And Campbell has every reason to believe the event will keep prospering.

“The first few years, we were kind of feeling our way through [the Virginia Triple Crown],” Campbell said. “You hope it’s going to work, and you think it’s going to work, but it worked better for us than we ever imagined. In the past several years, it’s taken on a life of its own. We wanted it to be something that everybody wanted to win.

“We’re very pleased with the progress we’ve made, and I think it has a long future ahead.”

All the success and iconic moments of the Virginia Triple Crown can be traced back to 2012 and Falk’s accomplishments that year, when he had no idea what was in store.

Time has allowed Falk to reflect and observe the Triple Crown’s growth.

“You don’t appreciate all that stuff when it’s happening,” he said. “You’re so focused on right then. At the time, you’re chasing a dream of racing on Sundays, and every win was one closer to getting that phone call from a Cup Series owner. It didn’t work out for me and a few others, but my son really likes all the [Late Model Stock] trophies.

“It’s great to go back in time, look at all those races and see how good we all really had it.”

Falk’s commitment and resolve did more than just garner him the first Virginia Triple Crown. Those qualities were instrumental toward ushering in a new era for Late Model Stock competition, one in which the Virginia Triple Crown is now a cherished tradition across the southeast.