The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 is what Late Model Stock drivers call the grandfather clock race. Now in its 31st year, it pays $32,000 to win out of a $125,095 purse. The winner takes home the most recognizable trophy in American short-track racing. On Saturday night, 90 drivers pulled into Martinsville Speedway, all wanting that clock. But in the aftermath of the race, the drivers picked up where Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney left off after Bristol, and there was an all-out brawl.
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Brad Housewright and Chase Burrow never made the feature. The last transfer spot in Heat 2 went to Chase Ratliff. What followed was a brawl on the pit road that left Housewright bleeding. Even the crew members got involved trying to break up the fight between the two drivers.
“We was up under him and was coming to the checker,” Housewright said. “As I was passing him, he tried to right rear me. I don’t appreciate that, it could get somebody hurt or even killed, and I went over to say something to him and he started running that mouth. S*** happens.”
On a short track, making contact around the right-rear corner of a car at speed can spin or rotate it. Housewright believed Burrow did exactly that on the final lap. Burrow said it did not happen that way.
Burrow started Heat 2 from 12th. Housewright lined up 18th. Burrow had worked inside the top 10 when officials sent him to the rear, ruling he caused a caution. Getting back in a 25-lap heat does not leave much runway, but he kept pushing. The heat was rough from the jump.
Peyton Sellers spun after contact with Ryan Wilson on Lap 3, had to pit for repairs and still transferred by finishing seventh. Every driver in that field understood the same thing: one position was the difference between racing and packing up early.
Housewright came in as the defending Kingsport Speedway Late Model champion. Burrow had taken his first CARS Late Model Stock Tour win at Langley Speedway in 2025, on his 45th career start. For both of them, making the ValleyStar 300 was the entire point of the trip.
With one lap to go, Ratliff slipped past Burrow for 10th, the final spot into the feature. Housewright and Burrow were right behind him, both now outside the cutoff, still going at each other. They made contact. Housewright finished 11th. Burrow 12th. Ratliff had qualified 74th out of 90.
Burrow said he never even raced Housewright during the heat. He denied the contact was intentional. Two drivers, the same 25 laps, completely different accounts of what took place.
“[Housewright] was mad at me for some reason. I never even, like, raced him. And I turned around and walked away, and he grabbed the smallest guy on the team. So, I don’t know why he grabbed the smallest guy, but that ain’t really good. So, I don’t know. I don’t know what his deal was, but it was Martinsville.”
Housewright went looking for Burrow after the checkered flag. It got verbal fast. A member of Burrow’s crew stepped between the two of them. Housewright shoved him. After that, it stopped being a two-man argument.
Both crews got pulled in. Housewright and Burrow exchanged punches and both ended up on the ground. People around them were still going at it when officials pushed through to break things up.
“The dude was mad at me for some reason,” Burrow said. “I never even, like, raced him. And I turned around and walked away, and he grabbed a smalls guy. So I don’t know why he grabbed a small guy, but that ain’t really good.”
When officials got things under control, Housewright had blood across his face and undershirt. Ratliff, who qualified 74th and took the spot they were both fighting over, did.
This was not new ground for the ValleyStar weekend. In 2023, Connor Hall and Magnum Tate fought after the second qualifying heat of the same race. Both still made the feature that night. NASCAR fined them $500 each and suspended both pending payment. Hall’s crew member Zachary Bruenger received a $1,000 fine, mandatory anger management training, and a year of probation after completing it.
NASCAR’s conduct rules prohibit physical violence among members and hold drivers responsible for their crews’ behavior. Video from Saturday shows crew members from both sides were involved. As of Sunday, no penalties had been announced for the 2026 incident.