For decades, the Hendrick family was a fixture at short tracks across Virginia.
Ray Hendrick is widely considered to be one of the best to ever race a Modified. He‘s credited with winning more than 700 features, mostly in Modifieds, though some also came in the Late Model Sportsman division. He was selected as one of NASCAR‘s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
His son, Roy Lee Hendrick, was also a dedicated racer who claimed track championships at a variety of venues including South Boston, Southside and Orange County Speedways. Even after his retirement from racing, Roy Lee could be found a local short tracks and car shows with a vintage Modified once piloted by his father.
The elder Hendrick died in 1990 after a battle with cancer. Roy Lee recently passed away at the age of 71.
This weekend at Martinsville Speedway during the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, two-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I champion Peyton Sellers will honor the memories of Ray and Roy Lee with a special throwback scheme.
“I used to run into Roy at different car shows and different things and speak to him. I didn‘t have a tremendous friendship or anything, but I knew him casually, and we‘d speak and talk about the old days and that sort of thing,” Sellers recalled. “It‘s an interesting way to say let‘s not forget that. Let‘s not forget how good they were and the legacy that the Hendricks have had on the state of Virginia.”
Ray Hendrick and Sellers have a lot in common.
Both men have won countless races and track championships across the state of Virginia, including South Boston Speedway, where Sellers is a seven-time champion and Hendrick won championships in the Modified and Late Model Sportsman classes.
Another connection the two have — which is easily overlooked — is that they have both driven a No. 26 stock car with sponsorship from Clarence‘s Steakhouse.
Ray‘s time piloting the No. 26 Clarence‘s Steakhouse car was brief and split between stints in 1975 and 1978. However, much like all his race cars, the car carried the same famous red and orange wings that remain an iconic part of Virginia short-track racing lore.
This weekend, Sellers‘ car will resemble the No. 26 car Ray piloted in the 1970s, wings and all.
“The Flying 26 was something we‘d seen in some old photographs,” said Sellers. “Once I got to learning a little bit more about the history of it, I said the timing is good, we‘re gonna have a big crowd at Martinsville, we only go there once a year and it‘s Clarence‘s hometown. It was the right time.
“With Roy passing this year and Ray being such a legend around here, it was a good tribute to both of them. I talked to Clarence (Pickurel, owner of Clarence‘s Steakhouse) and those guys about it and they seemed excited about it, so it seemed right.”
Sellers enters the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 with plenty of momentum. He captured his seventh track championship at South Boston a few weeks ago and enters Martinsville second in the Virginia Late Model Triple Crowns standings with an average finish of 3.5.
Recently crowned NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I champion Connor Hall leads the Triple Crown standings with an average finish of 1.5.
Martinsville was a place where Ray Hendrick excelled. He‘s credited with 20 victories at the legendary 0.526-mile oval, more than any other driver across all divisions that have raced at the track. Sellers spent years trying to earn just one win, which he finally did in 2022.
A second win, Sellers says, would be the perfect way to honor the Hendrick family and everything they‘ve done to promote grassroots racing in the state of Virginia.
“I feel like as we‘re prepared this year as we ever have been,” Sellers said. “I do think that competition is going to be as stiff as always. There aren‘t quite as many cars on the entry list, but the depth of the field will definitely be there.
“We‘re trying to go do the number (26) justice.”