For decades, the Hendrick family was a fixture at short tracks across Virginia.

Ray Hendrick is widely considered to be one of the best to ever race a Modified. He’s credited with winning more than 700 features, mostly in Modifieds, though some also came in the Late Model Sportsman division. He was selected as one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

His son, Roy Lee Hendrick, was also a dedicated racer who claimed track championships at a variety of venues including South Boston, Southside and Orange County Speedways. Even after his retirement from racing, Roy Lee could be found a local short tracks and car shows with a vintage Modified once piloted by his father.

The elder Hendrick died in 1990 after a battle with cancer. Roy Lee recently passed away at the age of 71.

This weekend at Martinsville Speedway during the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, two-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I champion Peyton Sellers will honor the memories of Ray and Roy Lee with a special throwback scheme.

“I used to run into Roy at different car shows and different things and speak to him. I didn’t have a tremendous friendship or anything, but I knew him casually, and we’d speak and talk about the old days and that sort of thing,” Sellers recalled. “It’s an interesting way to say let’s not forget that. Let’s not forget how good they were and the legacy that the Hendricks have had on the state of Virginia.”

Ray Hendrick and Sellers have a lot in common.

Both men have won countless races and track championships across the state of Virginia, including South Boston Speedway, where Sellers is a seven-time champion and Hendrick won championships in the Modified and Late Model Sportsman classes.

Another connection the two have — which is easily overlooked — is that they have both driven a No. 26 stock car with sponsorship from Clarence’s Steakhouse.

Ray’s time piloting the No. 26 Clarence’s Steakhouse car was brief and split between stints in 1975 and 1978. However, much like all his race cars, the car carried the same famous red and orange wings that remain an iconic part of Virginia short-track racing lore.

This weekend, Sellers’ car will resemble the No. 26 car Ray piloted in the 1970s, wings and all.

“The Flying 26 was something we’d seen in some old photographs,” said Sellers. “Once I got to learning a little bit more about the history of it, I said the timing is good, we’re gonna have a big crowd at Martinsville, we only go there once a year and it’s Clarence’s hometown. It was the right time.

“With Roy passing this year and Ray being such a legend around here, it was a good tribute to both of them. I talked to Clarence (Pickurel, owner of Clarence’s Steakhouse) and those guys about it and they seemed excited about it, so it seemed right.”

Sellers enters the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 with plenty of momentum. He captured his seventh track championship at South Boston a few weeks ago and enters Martinsville second in the Virginia Late Model Triple Crowns standings with an average finish of 3.5.

Recently crowned NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I champion Connor Hall leads the Triple Crown standings with an average finish of 1.5.

Martinsville was a place where Ray Hendrick excelled. He’s credited with 20 victories at the legendary 0.526-mile oval, more than any other driver across all divisions that have raced at the track. Sellers spent years trying to earn just one win, which he finally did in 2022.

A second win, Sellers says, would be the perfect way to honor the Hendrick family and everything they’ve done to promote grassroots racing in the state of Virginia.

“I feel like as we’re prepared this year as we ever have been,” Sellers said. “I do think that competition is going to be as stiff as always. There aren’t quite as many cars on the entry list, but the depth of the field will definitely be there.

“We’re trying to go do the number (26) justice.”

Prior to 2023, Landon Huffman had never attempted a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

He was only a few inches away from winning in his debut appearance.

Narrowly missing out on a grandfather clock to Trevor Ward last year remains a bitter memory for the short track veteran. Despite this, the speed Huffman showed all weekend at Martinsville last year has provided extra motivation as he prepares to make another run at a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 trophy.

“I try to forget about it,” Huffman said. “I was pretty down on myself after that. To be leading with less than 10 laps to go and not come away with a clock is tough, but with the way I’ve grown up racing and the equipment I’ve owned myself, to make that race is special. I’m proud of how I raced but obviously still dejected to not come out of there with a clock.”

RELATED: Everything to know about the 2024 ValleyStar Credit Union 300

Although Huffman has developed a reputation as one of the most recognizable Late Model Stock competitors from the southeast, a lack of funding always prevented him from making a trip to Martinsville in early fall.

The status quo was initially going to remain in place for Huffman in 2023. He was focused on keeping his own program competitive at tracks like Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway, all while occasionally making appearances with the CARS Tour’s Late Model Stock division.

Huffman’s outlook on the season changed when he got a call from Nelson Motorsports owner Barry Nelson.

Failing to qualify for the CARS Tour race at Hickory fewer than two years after winning a series championship required Nelson to regroup so his team could stay competitive. Nelson contacted Huffman about conducting a test to see what improvements were necessary.

By the next CARS Tour event at Ace Speedway, Huffman was the driver for Nelson’s No. 22 Toyota. Just over three months later, Huffman had secured a $30,000 paycheck with a victory at Tri-County.

The rapid ascent of Nelson’s program back to the top of the CARS Tour pedestal with Huffman behind the wheel was a methodical process that required everyone to build cohesion with one another. Most of Nelson’s crew members were new to the program, including crew chief Matthew Eshleman, who came from the West Coast.

Patience, along with Nelson switching over to a Forrest Reynolds chassis, provided Huffman everything he needed to start competing for victories on a regular basis.

“I’m not the smartest guy by any means, but I have been driving these cars for a while,” Huffman said. “I was able to come in and help [everyone] find their footing. It was a new situation for me, as well, but all that played a factor in us building a notebook and making the race cars better.”

Prevailing at Tri-County against many stellar Late Model Stock competitors galvanized Huffman, Nelson and the rest of the team. If they could win one big money event together, Huffman knew a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory was more than feasible.

With how unpredictable Late Model Stock races at Martinsville can be — from the qualifying races all the way to the checkered flag — Huffman entered the weekend expecting a grind. He added that possessing raw speed alone is usually never enough to win the ValleyStar Credit Union 300; luck is often needed, as well.

Huffman had both speed and luck on his side when it came time to decide who would claim a grandfather clock, albeit in intervals. He posted the second fastest lap of 84 cars in time trials at 19.768 seconds, but he felt his car lacked consistent long-run speed through his respective heat and the main event.

Adjustments at the halfway break helped Huffman maintain track position inside the top five as night descended upon Martinsville. When the second competition caution came out with 25 laps to go, Huffman was in contention alongside Ward, Peyton Sellers and Carson Kvapil.

Contact between Ward and Sellers on the last restart of the night provided Huffman an opening he needed to make a run at the lead. Starting inside on the second row, Huffman moved Ward up the track in Turn 1 to power his way to the front, but he knew efficient defense would be imperative to hold off the faster car of Ward.

The two engaged in an intense battle for the win that nearly culminated with both crashing on the frontstretch coming to the white flag. Huffman did everything in his power to keep Ward in second place but was denied a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory by only a slim margin.

Huffman found some solace in delivering Nelson his best performance at Martinsville since Timothy Peters won in 2017, but he still came away from the event heartbroken about coming so close to a win. He particularly wanted to celebrate the milestone with his father Robert Huffman, who won five championships in the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series.

“Having an opportunity to win a big race like that would have been really cool for my family,” Huffman said. “There’s a lot of things my dad has done in racing that I haven’t done, and I’ve always tried to be half the racer my dad was. [A ValleyStar Credit Union 300 win] was something he never achieved, so it would have been cool to see him in that environment.

“He’s always proud, and I was proud of the run. I just need to be one spot better this year.”

For Huffman to replicate his success from last year’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300, he will need to do so with a different organization. He is set to pilot the No. 57 Chevrolet for his friend Justin Carroll, a veteran short-track competitor who has four top 10s in five ValleyStar Credit Union 300 appearances.

Like with Nelson, Huffman has started to see gradual improvement in Carroll’s cars since joining the operation after the CARS Tour’s second event at Hickory this year. With fellow veteran Brandon Pierce as a teammate, Huffman believes everything is lining up for him to have another solid performance at Martinsville.

“I’m confident in their race cars and their knowledge,” Huffman said. “When I first got into Justin’s cars, I actually ran a little bit better compared to the Nelson cars. It’s later in the year, and I don’t have that full season to develop and help them get everything on track, but I do think we’re close.

“It’s a wild race and a lot could happen, but hopefully we can prove we belong up there just like I did last year.”

Everything Huffman experienced over the past couple years has made him grateful just to make another trip to Martinsville with a realistic chance of winning.

There was a time when Huffman was unsure if he would even be able to chase a grandfather clock in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 due to his own budget constraints. Now he’s returning to Martinsville as the defending runner-up in Late Model Stock racing’s most prestigious event.

Huffman is prepared to go all-in at Martinsville and join an elite list of winners that includes NASCAR Cup Series drivers like Josh Berry and Mark Martin. A victory on Saturday would be cathartic for Huffman in many regards, but it would also serve as validation for the sacrifices he made to obtain that accomplishment.

“Tri-County was probably the biggest racing moment of my career,” Huffman said. “Martinsville would outweigh that, especially with the year I’ve had. I’ve rebounded at the weekly level, but the first half of the year was incredibly taxing on myself and my family. You go from a high [with Nelson] to being on the bottom of the totem getting beat in the dirt every week.

“If we came out on top at Martinsville after all that, it would surpass the [$30,000] win at Tri-County by a longshot.”

Several great Late Model Stock drivers have gone their whole careers without winning a ValleyStar Credit Union 300. If everything goes according to plan Saturday, Huffman could bring home a grandfather clock in only his second Martinsville appearance.

For his return to Martinsville Speedway in a Late Model Stock, Lee Pulliam is enlisting the help of a fellow ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner.

Driving Pulliam’s No. 55 Mobil 1 Toyota in Saturday’s crown-jewel event will be 19-year-old Landon Pembelton, who is fresh off a track championship at Dominion Raceway in Virginia. Pembelton surprised many in 2021, when he took home a grandfather clock in his maiden ValleyStar Credit Union 300 appearance.

The opportunity to drive for a Late Model Stock competitor like Pulliam is one Pembelton does not intend to waste. He considers himself fortunate to be considered by both Pulliam and Toyota for the No. 55 seat, which is why he is ready to get to work on securing another Martinsville checkered flag.

“When we were at North Wilkesboro in August, [Pulliam] approached me and my dad and gave us an offer Toyota had offered him,” Pembelton said. “Lee had been watching me for a couple of years, but I’ve known Lee for all my life. He threw my name out there to them, and Toyota was all good with it.”

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Looking back on his triumph from 2021, Pembelton is still in disbelief over how he pulled off the victory, as his initial plan was to just make the race and fight for a top 10. A second-place finish in his heat race put Pembelton eighth on the starting grid for the 40-car field. He managed to keep solid track position for most of the opening laps, but a decision to take tires sooner than most of his competition on Lap 75 proved to be a crucial turning point.

With everyone else putting on fresh rubber at Lap 150, Pembelton cycled to the front of the field and fended off a charge from 2016 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner Mike Looney for the most prestigious victory of his career.

Some of the notables Pembelton bested for a grandfather clock that evening included Layne Riggs, Corey Heim, Connor Hall, Brenden Queen, Kaden Honeycutt and Bubba Pollard, among others.

One of the only regrets Pembelton has from his first Martinsville victory is not fully appreciating the context and significance of being the youngest winner in ValleyStar Credit Union 300 history at 16 years old. Now that he is older and wiser, Pembelton intends to cherish a second Martinsville win if everything lines up in his favor.

“I honestly still don’t remember much of what happened that night just from being phased out from not really understanding the moment,” Pembelton said. “I really want to secure another clock and redefine that first one, just to understand what it feels like to have that big accomplishment under my hat.”

Among those who witnessed Pembelton pull his No. 0 Solid Rock Carriers Toyota into Victory Lane at Martinsville in 2021 was Pulliam, who had fully transitioned into being an owner in Late Model Stocks after previously winning the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 twice.

Unlike many others in attendance, Pulliam expected Pembelton to be a contender.

“I had seen [Pembelton] race in person at South Boston and knew he had fast cars,” Pulliam said. “He always seemed to find his way to the front in races, so it wasn’t a complete shock for me. He raced at one of the toughest tracks in the southeast.

“Anybody that can run up front at South Boston is very capable of going to Victory Lane at Martinsville.”

The victory at Martinsville gave Pembelton an opportunity to showcase his natural driving ability on a national level. He joined Venturini Motorsports’ ARCA Menards Series program as a Toyota development driver for the 2022 season, competing sporadically at different short tracks across the United States.

Pembelton never recorded a finish outside the top 10 with Venturini and believed he could have improved the following year if the proper funding materialized. Despite this, Pembelton enjoyed his time in the ARCA Menards Series and hopes to race on the platform again one day.

“It was a blast with those guys,” Pembelton said. “When we’d show up to the track, we’d do some [simulator] stuff, but we only got 30 minutes of practice and then went straight into qualifying. I feel like if I went back and did it all over again, we’d be so much better, because I feel like I’m a better race car driver today than I was two years ago, for sure.”

Nearly two years after his last ARCA Menards Series race with Venturini, Pembelton is back in a Toyota-funded seat for the Late Model Stock equivalent to the Daytona 500. With Pulliam’s experience at Martinsville also at his disposal, Pembelton is confident he will have one of the best cars for this year’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300.

The track record Pulliam has amassed at Martinsville includes two victories, in 2011 and 2014, both of which came on passes within the last two laps. In 10 total ValleyStar Credit Union 300 appearances, Pulliam finished outside the top five on just two occasions.

Pembelton is grateful to have been mentored by both Pulliam and Philip Morris, a three-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 champion. He plans to put the advice of the two Late Model Stock legends to good use in his pursuit of a stellar Martinsville weekend for Lee Pulliam Performance.

“[Pulliam] is really looking forward to having a solid run,” Pembelton said. “We want to have a one-two finish of course, and it’s not going to matter if I’m first or if he’s first. I feel like he’s going to bring the race car to do this for sure.

“He’s a very hands-on, active worker, and it shows on the track how much effort he puts into bringing great cars to the track every week.”

RELATED: Why Pulliam is coming out of retirement to race Saturday at Martinsville

While Pulliam would love to obtain his third ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory this year, his primary focus is working closely with Pembelton so he can listen to feedback and provide everything necessary to make him comfortable inside the car.

Pulliam believes Pembelton gives him a great chance to win the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 as an owner for the first time. The turnaround to get everything ready is a quick one, but Pulliam knows everyone on the team is going to come together to ensure Pembelton can compete for another grandfather clock.

“We’ve come close as an owner with Corey Heim,” Pulliam said. “If Landon crosses the finish line first, there aren’t going to be many people there happier than me, for sure. His dad might be one of the few, but it would be a cool experience. I’ve got a lot of faith he can get the job done, because he’s one of the more talented young drivers out there.

“I wouldn’t bet against him if I was a betting man.”

A lot has changed in Pembelton’s life since the last time he visited Victory Lane at Martinsville. Instead of being a relative unknown, Pembelton now finds himself as a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 favorite with backing from a major manufacturer.

Despite the momentum on his side, Pembelton is going into Martinsville with the same mindset he possessed in 2021: Just make the show and complete all the laps.

“I’d be very ecstatic if we could come away with a top 10 or a top five,” Pembelton said. “The opportunity itself all together [is amazing], so I want to make the most of it by making sure we don’t tear anything up and we’re very consistent. We want to have a good run and chase a clock at the same time while doing it.”

A conservative-but-methodical strategy helped Pembelton add his name to a prestigious list of ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winners before the age of 18. Only a handful have won the crown jewel race more than once, but Pembelton is in a perfect position to add onto his own Martinsville legacy and Pulliam’s once Sept. 28 arrives.