Tag: Kenzie Ruston

Bristol. Matt Kenseth took the win. Keselowski had an incident. Kahne couldn’t quite make the move. Jimmie Johnson just had a flat out bad day. Fortunately for him he could afford it.

Two races remain, Atlanta and Richmond, before “The Chase” is set. Minor miracles need to happen for some while Johnson, Bowyer and Kenseth can relax even though Bowyer has yet to log a win for the season. Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch are practically in and would need major setbacks over the next two to jinx it. Dale, Jr., Kahne and Biffle just have to finish well to hold their spots, for the most part.

Bubbles and longshots include Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr. along with the likes of Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Jamie McMurray…

We’re not going for selective alliteration… We promise.

Actually, none of the above is really the point at all. It just so happens it is top tier NASCAR racing the same day (night, as it were) as the entry level series we actually attended. While the Sprint Cup drivers ran for the shrinking availability of Chase points at Bristol, the K&N Pro Series East was packing it in at Virginia International Raceway. It was this race, the first road course for the “East” series, that had us out in the countryside of southside Virginia rather than fighting the traffic around the Tennessee – Virginia border. (more…)

NASCAR has been running road courses for a while. There is even debate floating about for having a road course in the final “Chase” portion of the Sprint Cup season. The “Big Guns” are racing the storied course at Watkins Glen this weekend (8/10-11).

However, few sanctioned development series offer the up and coming drivers a taste of the twists and turns found on road courses. This year, the K&N Pro Series (East) is doing so. The western series has been, which includes Sonoma also on the Sprint Cup schedule.

The East series now has Virginia International Raceway on their schedule as the first visit to a road course. Later, they will run at Road Atlanta. That is later… The first, at VIR, is coming up fast on August 23rd and 24th.

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We’re used to seeing Grand-Am, and coming in October, American Le Mans as well as other sports car series running laps around this little bit of beauty tucked away in Southside Virginia. Heavy, and somewhat cumbersome, stock cars are something different. Sprint Cup and Nationwide series test here annually because of some rules about sanctioned tracks and sanctioned testing and all that but racing stock cars, under a NASCAR series title, is something new. (more…)

There is a place in Virginia that was built in the 1950’s for sports car and racing enthusiasts to gather and challenge each other and the terrain. Rises and turns made famous by names such as Carroll Shelby, Carl Haas, Bob Holbert and Paul Newman. The track was there in the early days along with Watkins Glen and Elkhart Lake.

The place fell off in the 1970’s but was given a second chance rolling into this century. In 2000, Virginia International Raceway was brought back to life with an upgraded facility and an open invitation for club and enthusiast racing. It wasn’t long before VIR was hosting Grand-Am, American Le Mans, SCCA, AMA and other varieties of sports car and motorcycle racing.

NASCAR has been testing road course racing here for several years but the haven’t raced. Until now… (more…)