RIDGEWAY, VA – Landon Pembelton, a 16-year-old Amelia native, has won the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
Pembelton, making his debut at Martinsville Speedway, earned more than $32,000 for the victory as well as the coveted Martinsville grandfather clock.
“It’s pretty unbelievable,” said Pembelton. “I never thought I’d win a clock until I got a lot of experience under my belt. It’s pretty amazing.”
The move that likely won him the race came during the first scheduled break in the action at lap 75, when his crew bolted on his allotment of two new Hoosier tires.
He made his way back up to third by the time of the second break at lap 150, but unlike most of the field, he decided to stay out and inherited the lead as a result.
“We were talking about it on the grid getting ready to go, strapping in, and my crew chief said let’s try something different,” Pembelton said. “It actually played out a lot better than I thought it would. I really didn’t know what I thought about it at that point, but it actually came out pretty good.”
The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 will return in 2022 at a date to be announced in the future.
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