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.”
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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.
