Whereas, on March 23, 2026, the land speed record for a stock car was set by the Martinsville Missile at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a top speed of 253 miles per hour;

Whereas the Martinsville Missile is a 1969 Dodge Daytona Charger with a 258 cubic inch 1,000 horsepower engine capable of 9,500 revolutions per minute, designed by Joey Arrington of Franklin Country, Virginia;

Whereas Tommy Hurley of Ridgeway, Virginia, expertly drove the Martinsville Missile during its record-setting run;

Whereas Southside Virginia, including the city of Martinsville and the counties of Henry, Patrick, and Franklin, was historically known for the manufacture and transport of untaxed whiskey and had long been a center of stock car racing;

Whereas the Virginia American Revolution 250th Commission has been formed to celebrate Virginian’s contributions to the Nation upon the 250th anniversary of the Nation’s independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain;

Whereas the Virginia American Revolution 250th Commission is chaired by Virginia Delegate Terry Austin of Botetourt County, Virginia;

Whereas the VA250 Car Project is an undertaking of the Virginia Commission and is part of a national motorsports celebration in honor of the United States of America’s 250th year; and

Whereas Danny Turner, former mayor of Martinsville, Virginia, Joey Arrington of Franklin County, Virginia, and former Congressman Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount, Virginia, devised the VA250 Car Project: Now, therefore, be it