It’s the ultimate tradition.
Since 1964, Martinsville Speedway race victors have received a grandfather clock. It’s the sport’s most distinctive trophy and one that goes on giving, chiming every 15 minutes to remind everyone of a memorable win.
Martinsville clock owners are mostly NASCAR Hall of Famers.
The track’s all-time winningest driver, Richard Petty, had three wins before the practice of gifting Martinsville winners wristwatch began. He won 12 clocks, the most ever.
“And it’s always been kind of a standing joke through all of the clocks he has in all the various rooms of his house, that it must be pretty noisy over there every 15 minutes,” Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell laughs.
Darrell Waltrip owns three of his 11 Martinsville clocks. He gave several of his prized watches to family and friends, like other multi-time winners. Jimmie Johnson has won eight clocks at home. Jeff Gordon, a nine-time Martinsville winner, kept and shared.
“It’s certainly the most unique trophy and it has so much meaning behind it because it’s a tough one to capture,” said Gordon, now an executive with Hendrick Motorsports, the team he drove for when he won the clocks.
“It’s challenging. Conquering the location requires a lot of luck. The prize sticks out. It’s significant.”
Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, Martinsville’s most recent multi-time winner, has both grand clocks from last spring’s NASCAR Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series races strategically placed in his Charlotte apartment.
“When we won that race last year and the Truck race, it was the first thing I thought about, that the clock was going somewhere,” Byron said. “NASCAR’s coolest trophy. Definitely meaningful. I was delighted to get that delivered and set up in my flat.
“They’re nice to remember those moments.”
Martinsville’s original owner, Campbell’s grandfather H. Clay Earles, wanted to give victors a full-sensory trophy six decades ago.
“Granddaddy just wanted to do something different,” Campbell said. “He wanted a trophy that wouldn’t sit on a shelf or collect dust like most old trophies. That was typical then.
He thought the driver’s wife would prefer a grandfather clock, and it would be displayed in their home. Even today. It started there. It was basically a family-owned racetrack and clock firm.
“My grandfather started that tradition and who knew it would become a tradition. That was his wish.”
Campbell recalls the family awarding the clock to all Martinsville race winners instead of just the NASCAR Cup Series champions since the tradition and clock were so popular.
“We got to thinking, it’s so important and so difficult to win here, we ought to give it to every race winner whether it be modified, late model, trucks, Xfinity Series, so now everybody gets it,” Campbell said. “And you’d be surprised how many drivers haven’t forgotten that they won the last year before we started giving the clock to all the winners. Like Mike Skinner. He’s always asking, “Where’s my clock?” since he won the Craftsman Truck Series event the year before we started handing it to all winners.
Campbell observes that the presentation alone is a well-choreographed ceremony with several behind-the-scenes contingency preparations to protect this one-of-a-kind trophy, which is only given to the driver once the winning race car passes inspection.
“We have the clock on stage and our Victory Lane is on the frontstretch, but our Victory Lane is a trailer,” Campbell added. “A trailer moves a little bit, and you get some jubilant crew members jumping up and down, so it can be risky for the clock.
“So, we have a guy that stands behind the clock and his main role is ‘hold that clock and make sure it doesn’t topple over.’ He’s holding the clock behind the camera.”
Appreciate the effort. It should be on display, not in a trophy case. Drivers with many Martinsville winner’s trophies face a delightful dilemma: where to place them all.
“They are all on display in my man cave, all but one,” said seven-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Johnson, owner-driver of Legacy Motor Club.
One I gave Bruton Smith. ‘If you win another one of those things, I need that in the entrance of my home,’ he remarked.
“The next weekend we went to the track and won that race, and I remembered I would give that to him. I had the driver carry the clock to his home, met him there, and set it in his foyer.”
Waltrip frequently gave relatives and friends timepieces.
Waltrip added, “I have three in the house, they are such beautiful clocks. “I couldn’t believe it when I first won one, but you can only have so many grandfather clocks in your house.”
“It’s a very good problem,” Gordon says.
NASCAR drivers have grown to love their own full-sensory Martinsville trophy experience over the years. This classic tune obliges.
“It’s pretty cool, especially for a new winner to receive that clock because he knows the history and all the greats that have that clock,” Campbell said. For him to get that is amazing. It always makes people happy.
“Most people don’t talk about Martinsville Speedway long before the word ‘grandfather clock’ comes up. Our motto this year is “only at Martinsville.” That applies to the clock, among other things.