The annual test session for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway on Thursday featured a variety of different names at the top of the charts, with 2019 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Virginia state champion Mike Looney setting the fastest lap, while Craig Moore and Peyton Sellers followed closely behind him in second and third.
Posting the ninth fastest lap of the 48 cars that had a transponder was Reidsville, North Carolina resident Jason York, who was pleased with the pace that his #18 Late Model showed during both the afternoon and evening portions of the session and is looking forward to seeing how he stacks up to the rest of the field this weekend.
“The car was pretty quick [during the test session,]” York said. “There are some adjustments that we need to make back at the shop, and I really want us to get another tenth out of this car. All in all, I say we’re pretty good.”
York enters the 2019 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 as one of the many seasoned veterans of the event, as his first attempt at bringing home a grandfather clock came back in 1996, but he ended up being one of the 75 drivers that failed to qualify for the prestigious race.
York returned to Martinsville in 1998 and established himself as a frontrunner after qualifying in the ninth position. Despite having one of the faster Late Models at the end of the event, York could not mount a challenge against Dexter Canipe, who held him off for his first and only ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory.
Following his stellar second-place showing, York was determined to move one spot up the running order for a grandfather clock of his own, but he could only secure a fourth-place finish at Martinsville over the next several years after enduring several misfortunes that included another DNQ in 2006.
After taking a one-year sabbatical from Martinsville in 2007, York showed up again in 2008 with one of the best Late Models in the field, and took advantage of contact between Dennis Setzer and Philip Morris in the closing stages to take the lead and hold on for his first career victory in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
Having raced at Martinsville nine times prior to his win in 2008, York knew that he needed speed and luck on his side to bring a grandfather clock to his house that day, and stated that those same two qualities still ring true about the event over a decade later.
“The key to winning at this place is keeping your nose clean,” York said. “You can have the fastest car, only to wind up in a wreck that knocks you out of the race. There will be trouble in this race, and you have to stay out of it.”
Since his win in 2008, York has only entered the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 five times but has only qualified for two of those attempts in 2009 and 2017. York finished 20th in 2009 after struggling with his car during the weekend and was relegated to a 34th place showing in 2017 when mechanical issues knocked him out on Lap 72.
York elected to skip the most recent running of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, but he arrived to the annual test session with his son Jamie on Thursday afternoon, where both of them took numerous laps around Martinsville to get an idea on how their cars would react to different conditions.
Although Jamie is not expected to compete in his first ValleyStar Credit Union 300 until next year, York stated that having two cars on track was beneficial to his team as they prepare for next Saturday’s 200-lap main event, but he plans to extensively work on his car over the next couple of days to ensure that he is ready to contend for another grandfather clock.
“The track tightened up on us when nightfall came,” York said. “If the weather is a little cooler on Saturday, then I am expecting the track to get even tighter. We were a little snug coming off the corners, which is why we need to make a couple of adjustments and come back [on Saturday] ready to race. I think we’ll definitely have something for everyone else.”
If York was to take the checkered flag first on Saturday night, he would join an exclusive list of drivers that have won the event twice, which includes Barry Beggarly, Tommy Lemons Jr., Lee Pulliam, and Timothy Peters, who was the most recent driver to accomplish that feat with wins in 2005 and 2017.
Cover photo by Kimberly Austin.
