2003 ValleyStar Credit Union winner Jamey Caudill has spent the past couple years on the drag racing circuit, but he will be climbing back inside the cockpit of a Late Model Stock Car on Saturday as he chases his second grandfather clock.
The 49-year-old from Four Oaks, North Carolina last competed at Martinsville in 2017, finishing 35th. Caudill is a four-time champion at Southern National Motorsports Park and is one of the most prolific drivers in Late Model Stock Car racing history having won Martinsville, as well as the Myrtle Beach 400 and the Thanksgiving Classic.
“Yeah, it’s been a couple of years, actually last raced two years ago,” Caudill told Race22. “We’ve been working on some drag cars and drag racing a little bit. That’s about it. We’ve been to Kinston [Drag Strip] a couple of times and we’ve run at Galot [Motorsports Park] since it’s only about eight or 10 miles from the house. That’s kind of what we stay busy doing. Haven’t been around the circle track world much lately.”
Caudill will be racing for Jay Hedgecock and Bobby Hall in this upcoming weekend’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300. He participated in last Thursday night’s test session and said it felt good to back in the car but feels he and his team have work to do.
“We’re going to have to find some speed before we come back, but we’ll get there,” Caudill said. “We just have to get a little bit better. I got a little work to do. We’ve improved a little bit since we’ve been here, we’ve got some work to do on the car and I’ve got some work to do. Between the two, we’ll get it figured out next week.”
For his part, Caudill has been preparing both mentally and physically heading into Late Model Stock Car racing’s richest and most prestigious race. He says he’s been running, working out, and trying to eat healthier in preparation for Saturday night in hopes of winning the race once again.
Caudill won the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 back in 2003 and considers that to be the highlight of his racing career.
“It would be cool to win again,” Caudill said. “My biggest win ever probably was definitely this race in 2003. It’s our biggest race of the year and I’m looking forward to coming back. [Jay Hedgecock and Bobby Hall] own this deal and I appreciate them giving me the opportunity to run it.”
Qualifying for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will take place on Friday, October 4th at 8pm. Heat races will be run on Saturday, October 5th at 3pm. The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 feature race will commence at 7pm. Race22 will have rolling RACEDAY Live updates all weekend, and the race will be broadcast on MRN Radio and FansChoice TV.
