The Martinsville grandfather clock trophy is pure NASCAR poetry, born in 1964 when Fred Lorenzen lapped the field for 980 of 1,000 laps across two races. Track founder H. Clay Earles wanted a prize with soul, something a winner would park in the living room and brag about for decades, not stash in a closet. It worked. The towering, chime-ringing clocks became the Paperclip’s signature, a tradition drivers chase like a championship ring.

This year, the chime almost flatlined. Howard Miller Clock Company, owner of the Ridgeway brand that crafted the trophies, announced a shutdown, blaming tariffs, costs, and supply-chain headaches. The news hit the garage like a late-race wreck. What now for the clock? No way the sport lets its most iconic hardware fade to black.

Hermle Clocks the save as tradition ticks on

Martinsville wasted no time, announcing Hermle Clocks North America as the new maker with an X post flex: “@hermlenorthamerica as the new partner and manufacturer of the beloved Martinsville Speedway Grandfather Clocks!” It’s not a patch job; it’s a relay handoff, keeping the trophy’s heartbeat steady while upgrading the behind-the-scenes gears.

This matters way beyond the workshop. “I won the clock” is shorthand for conquering NASCAR’s gnarliest half-mile, a badge that screams grit. Hermle’s got the weight of history on its hands. Every 15-minute chime, every polished curve, every ounce of heft has to scream Martinsville.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. laid down the law online: don’t get cute and mess this up. The pressure’s real, but the track’s move is savvy. Preserve the past, dodge the budget-bin vibe, and keep winners grinning with a living room legend.

The transition’s smooth, the legacy’s locked, and the Paperclip’s ready to hand out heirlooms again. Hermle’s in the driver’s seat now, and the only thing ticking louder than the engines will be the second hand on a fresh batch of victory clocks.

While the trophy gets a new pulse, Christopher Bell’s chasing his own Martinsville miracle, where the Paperclip’s handed him glory and gut punches in equal measure.

Bell’s bullring redemption

“I’ve had ups and downs at Martinsville, that’s for sure,” Bell told The Oklahoman. “I’ve had probably the biggest win of my career a couple of years ago to make it to the Championship 4, and then I had probably the biggest loss of my career last year, getting kicked out.” His 2022 playoff stunner punched his Phoenix ticket; last year’s banned wall-ride desperation got him parked.

Now the Xfinity 500 on Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBC slices the Round of 8 to the Championship 4, and Bell’s 37 points above the cut in third, one ahead of Kyle Larson. “There’s gonna be a lot of intensity at Martinsville,” he said.

“Certainly, we’re going there with the mentality that we’re gonna have to win the race. We’ll need to be up front, leading laps, scoring many stage points.” A win locks it, but a rogue checkers from Byron, Logano, Blaney, or Elliott, each with Martinsville muscle, could boot him, leaving a dogfight with Larson, who owns the tiebreaker.

The clock’s ticking in more ways than one this weekend. Hermle’s debut trophy looms for the winner, and Bell’s fighting to keep his title dreams alive on the same track that’s crowned and crushed him. Martinsville’s always been the ultimate truth serum.

Raw racing, no excuses, just driver, car, and nerve. Whether it’s the chime of a new clock or the roar of a playoff clincher, Sunday’s set to deliver another chapter in the Paperclip’s storied saga.