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Martinsville Today
By the People, for the People
VA 250 Car Built in Martinsville Sets Land Speed Record
The custom-built racecar hit 253 mph, breaking the previous stock car land speed record.
Mar. 24, 2026 at 8:10pm
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A racecar built in Martinsville, Virginia to celebrate America's 250th anniversary has set a new stock car land speed record, hitting 253 mph at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The previous record of 244.9 mph was set in 2007 by a Dodge Charger that had an engine built by the same Martinsville-based team.
Why it matters
Land speed records capture the public's imagination and demonstrate the engineering prowess of the teams and manufacturers involved. This new record for a stock car built in the small Virginia town of Martinsville highlights the automotive expertise and innovation that can come from regional manufacturing hubs.
The details
The VA 250 car that set the new record was built by Joey Arrington and driven by Ridgeway native Tommy Hurley. The car's body was inspired by a 1969 Dodge Daytona Charger, while the chassis came from a 2006 NASCAR car. Arrington had previously built the engine for the Dodge Charger that held the previous record.
- The new record was set on Monday, March 24, 2026.
- The previous record of 244.9 mph was set in 2007.
The players
Joey Arrington
The Martinsville-based builder who constructed the record-setting VA 250 car.
Tommy Hurley
The Ridgeway, Virginia native who drove the VA 250 car to the new land speed record.
What they’re saying
“We're proud to have built a car that can set a new land speed record right here in Martinsville. This shows the kind of automotive expertise we have in this region.”
— Joey Arrington, Car Builder
What’s next
The team plans to attempt to break their own record later this year at a different high-speed test facility.
The takeaway
This new land speed record demonstrates that small manufacturing towns like Martinsville can still be centers of automotive innovation and engineering excellence, even as the industry evolves.
