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Martinsville Speedway’s iconic grandfather clocks will keep on ticking.
The Virginia track was stunned earlier this year when the company that had been supplying the unique race-winning trophies since 1964 announced that it was going out of business.
The Howard Millar furniture company that bought Ridgeway Clocks in 2004 said that new tariffs and a soft housing market had made the business unsustainable.
Martinsville started giving out the clocks to promote the once-thriving furniture business in the area around the track. Fortunately, it was able to find a new company with a connection to the region that could step in and keep the tradition alive.
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Hermle North America, which is the U.S. division of the German-owned Hermle clock company, is based in Amherst, Va., where it does the woodwork for clocks built for the local market. It will start supplying the trophies in 2026.
The classic design differs only slightly from Ridgeway’s and features the event logo etched into the door glass. An exact value wasn’t announced, but similar clocks sell in the $8,000 range.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has one Cup Series win at the track, should be pleased with the style after voicing concerns about the change earlier this year when he heard about Ridgeway going out of business.
“Whomever makes the next version better make them exactly like the previous versions. Don’t get cute and **** this up,” he said.
The first of the new clocks will be awarded at the spring race weekend next year the week of March 29.

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