“It was just a family-owned company with the speedway and a family-owned company with the clocks.” Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said these words in 2023 about his racetrack’s tradition. Since 1964, winners of NASCAR races at Martinsville have received a regal grandfather clock trophy. The melodious chimes of this award are associated with sweet glory. However, those tunes are all set to cease, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and others getting frantic.

After all, NASCAR’s most popular driver owns 13 top-five finishes and 1 win at the ‘Paperclip.’ What is more? Dale Jr.’s father, the legendary Dale Earnhardt, owns 6 victories. Hence, Junior holds both the speedway and its grandfather clock legacy close to his heart. As you can imagine, he was not happy to hear about the future of the Martinsville trophy.

Dale Jr. wants to uphold a ‘time-honored’ tradition

Like Martinsville’s historical value, its trophy also holds sentimental value for NASCAR fans. The first recipient was Fred Lorenzen, who won the 1964 race from pole position. He swept the Martinsville races, leading 980 of 1000 laps and setting off the Ridgeway Clock brand’s tradition. In 2004, however, Howard Miller purchased the brand and continued making the clocks, as well as cabinets and other pieces of furniture. The Miller family made the clocks, of which Jimmie Johnson fetched 9 and Denny Hamlin fetched 5. It continued the time-honored legacy of gifting legendary Cup Series winners like Richard Petty (whose 12 clocks are the most), Dale Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon. Recently, however, times are set to change.

In light of the heavy tariffs imposed by Donald Trump’s administration, the Millers are running out of business. CEO Howard Miller issued a heartbreaking statement for fans: “Our business has been directly impacted by tariffs that have increased the cost of essential components unavailable domestically and driven specialty suppliers out of business, making it unsustainable for us to continue our operations.”

Miller also added, “It is unclear at this time what company will take on the tradition of manufacturing the grandfather clock. But the expectations will be high.” That was enough to prompt a dire warning from Dale Earnhardt Jr., who does not want any compromises. He posted on X, “Whomever makes the next version better make them exactly like the previous versions. Don’t get cute and f— this up.”

Being the bastion of nostalgia for NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s words make a lot of sense. After all, fans thrive on seeing time-honored legacies survive in the sport. Even Mike Joy, the FOX Sports commentator working in the sport for decades, was sad to see the company shut down. “When we first visited Ridgeway Clocks for TNN (early 90s), the clocks were made there…When we returned for FOX (early 00s) the clocks were still assembled and finished in Ridgeway, using components made in China… Howard Miller Co. in Michigan bought the Ridgeway Clock brand and closed the factory in Ridgeway… Today, Howard Miller announced it will shut down at the end of this year. Their brands, including Howard Miller, Ridgeway, and Hekman, will disappear. Very sad.”

The emotional depth is visible in both Dale Jr. and Mike Joy’s words, and it was heavily visible in the NASCAR community as well.

NASCAR fans agree with Dale Jr.’s demand

After all, Martinsville Speedway has been around for ages. The historic half-mile was part of the original eight-race season in 1949. Richard Petty picked up 15 of his 200 Cup victories there, and 12 of those got him grandfather trophies. Hence, when Dale Jr. issued his stern warning on X to maintain the past perfection, fans reacted positively.

One fan wrote, “Can always count on Jr to say what we are all thinking.” The grandfather clock trophy is a regal piece of art. It is made by hand, and historically, a star employee of the company is hand-picked to present the clock to the Martinsville race winner. Another fan wrote accordingly, “I agree with him. Its one of the best trophies in Nascar. Everyone wants a clock.”

While it will be interesting to see which company shoulders the responsibility of this treasured trophy, fans are anxious. The final trophy grandfather clock from Howard Miller will be presented to the winner of the fall Martinsville race. But one fan urged NASCAR to continue this beyond: “What exactly is stopping NASCAR from buying like 200 clocks to keep the tradition going?”

Some people are even onboard with the possibility of Dale Jr. buying the enterprise. The JR Motorsports owner has spearheaded many projects like the CARS Tour, North Wilkesboro restoration, etc. So the fans count on him: “I’m 99% sure Jr can do something monetarily to assist in this lol, step up big man this is prolly cheaper than a track!” Somebody else agreed: “You should buy the company Dale and ensure the traditional clocks live on.”

Clearly, the attachment to the grandfather clock is huge, and fans want Dale Jr. to protect it. We can only wait and see how the next chapter of Martinsville’s trophy unfolds.