Racing at Virginia International Raceway filled the weekend of October 6-9 with variety and speed. It was a full schedule of vintage style, classic racing and modern speed. The SportsCar Vintage Racing Association encompasses auto club camaraderie and friendly competition at tracks around the country. Practice sessions, class driving, car show and the racing offer something for every auto enthusiast. This was the Mission Foods VIR SpeedTour for 2022!

For our purposes, the winners on the races were not the primary. That information can be found easily enough at the SVRA website. Our focus for the weekend was to celebrate the culture and history of the automobile. Looking over the track during one particular race, for example, the combined group racing features vintage Corvettes and Mustangs, a couple of Datson 280s, a Capri, BMWs of 3 decades, Alpha and more.

Other groups ran MG, Fiat, Alpine and Sprite style sports cars. Classic road racers from different prototype eras were on track. Open wheel F4 and FR/America were going wheel to wheel with a look and style of Formula 1 and INDY Car. The weekend also featured full series racing with International GT featuring Porsche GT3 and Cayman classes and Trans Am / Grand Am styles of super fast muscle cars. There were also mixed big bore racing featuring retired, but still race worthy, NASCAR Cup cars.

The “Cars and Caffeine” car show put classic E-Type Jags next to C8R Corvettes and Minis next to Mustangs. The range in years and styles of classic cars was worth the visit.

Visits to Virginia International Raceway are always a pleasure. The SpeedTour is an expanded combination of what was the “Heacock Classic” with some additional track series. In this age of homogenized styling, this event is, for the car fan, a weekend to connect again with what makes the automobile such a unique part of our world.

The weekend isn’t necessarily about the most elaborate technology or the hybrid/electric moves in the showroom. It is about where the car came from and the sights and sounds that makes them attractive.

The next event at Virginia International Raceway is the annual fund raiser for the Victory Junction Camp for chronically ill children. That is on tap in November and gives everyone the chance to get their own car on the VIR track. It’s a fun visit, a fun car show and fun drive on a historic course for a great cause.

Keep an eye on Virginia International Raceway – The events coming for 2023 will, again, cover a wide range of motorsport. This is an automotive destination. The racing experience is open, large and much more available than oval track stadium settings.

PHOTO GALLERY – Mission Foods VIR SpedTour 2022 – Friday to Sunday

Virginia International Raceway is on the eve of two big weeks at the rolling hills road course of Southside Virginia. The American Le Mans Series, and some really fun support races, are coming up on that first weekend of October. They are closing out September with the annual Heacock Classic showcase event.

For the Heacock, it is a weekend of classic history as owners and drivers bring their vintage beauties to the course to show them, drive them and race them. All sorts of classic street metal show up for the Heacock Classic making it an enthusiast’s party of art and color. The owners are proud to show them and love to talk to fans about the classics they cherish.

Heacock Insurance, the long time sponsor, offers coverage tailored to fit classic automobiles without tagging the wallet. It’s a perfect fit for VIR as the setting and the course really show off these fantastic examples of the glory days of automotive eye candy.

The Heacock Classic is also a perfect warm up for the following weekend. As fans have the opportunity to see the best of classic and vintage automotive history at the Heacock weekend and then return in just a few days to see the best of modern racing and style on the very same course.

The American Le Mans Series brings the speed and muscle of modern engineering to VIR for the weekend of October 5th. From the Prototypes to the GTs and the classes running with them, it is a flash of beauty and exotic badges on every lap. Ferrari, BMW, Aston-Martin, Porsche, Chrysler SRT…  Plus a host of support racing showcasing the best of sports car racing.

You might even see driver and movie star Patrick Dempsey wandering the paddock. He has driven the VIR course with Grand-Am and is now running GTC classes in ALMS.

The support races include the Lamborghini Super Trofeo. These races run the Lamborghini Gallardo, side by side and at speed, along the twists of VIR. That alone is worth the ticket to see such exotics let loose. Other races for the ALMS weekend include the Ariel Atom Spec races, the NARRA GT sports cars and the ITC Porsche Cayman races. The showcase ALMS Oak Tree Grand Prix combines the Prototype classes with GT and GTC running all at once for a full course, full on race to the flag. Only one race follows VIR for the series so this one is on the cusp for points leading to the championship.

Racing at Virginia International Raceway is an experience. The track follows the terrain of the southern Virginia countryside and the speed of the American Le Mans class of racing machines is amazing. The Heacock Classic is a trip through automotive and racing history. The two weekends coming up at VIR offers as much variety in racing as one can fathom.

If that’s not enough, on a side note, you can enjoy the American Le Mans on Saturday, October 5th, then make a full weekend of it with a short drive to Martinsville for the late model “Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300” on Sunday, October 6th.

Racing is on. Go get some!

PHOTOS: 2012 American Le Mans at VIR

Half way through January and watching some beautiful, classic cars roll over the stage of the Barrett-Jackson auction on SPEED made us jump at another thought. The thought of the exotic and new cars taking Daytona by storm for the Grand-Am opening ROLEX 24.

They have already been out turning laps. Just as NASCAR rolls out and does some testing and adjustments in mid-January, Grand-Am does the same with the “Roar before the 24”. The ROLEX folks, however, are out that first weekend of January. The new year hangover is barely down to a throb and they are turning laps approaching 200 mph. They give NASCAR an extra week…

In the interim, SPEED has been airing the Barrett-Jackson auction showcasing people with loads of extra cash going after classic and collectable cars showcasing the best of the best days of Destroit. It is a fun diversion to watch. However, on the days leading up to the ROLEX 24 we had a discussion with ourselves… (more…)

A few months ago we had no idea what “Muscle Milk” was…

It is a health, body building, protein supplement for athletes and active, athletic people. “Muscle Milk” is also the sponsor for the Picket Racing #6 ARX-03a P1 Class Prototype.

If the stuff works as good as the team did at Virginia International Raceway perhaps we should grab a bottle or two…

It was as if “Dark Helmet” from “Spaceballs” pushed the “Ludicrous Speed” button… (more…)

Hey Virginia Race Fans!

…and North Carolina, for that matter…

Don’t go anywhere! There is more racing to be had this weekend! Richmond International Raceway put on a good show. Despite rain they held out and ran all 400 laps for the last race to the Chase with the Federated Auto Parts 400.

This weekend, however, Virginia International Raceway hosts the American Le Mans Series! On course as well are the IMSA GT3 Cup, Playboy MX5, USF2000 and the Cooper Prototype Lites series. Sports cars. Fast, sexy and ready to race… (more…)

Some of the best racing at The Brickyard was Friday evening, and the grandstands were all but empty. There were people about the place, but for the most part the seating looked more like aluminum storage.

This first visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway by the ROLEX Grand-Am series showcased everything that defines motor racing and few, a very few, even bothered to give the race an eye.

When the green flag drops on Sunday’s Curtiss Shaver 400, the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, the grandstands will be crowded, filled and full of “race” fans. Or should we say “NASCAR” fans… They aren’t “race” fans. The proof was the empty aluminum on Friday. With that omission, they deprived themselves of a great event. (more…)

Michael Shank Racing went from driver to owner to the podium at Daytona. The #60 Ford / Riley Daytona Prototype dominated the course to take the checkered with a comfortable margin over the next car to cross, also a Ford. The drivers kept cool heads and fast lap times while the entire team put in the effort to take the win. AJ Allmendinger, Ozz Negri, John Pew and Justin Wilson put in a great performance with Allmendinger (NASCAR) at the wheel at the finish. AJ maintained the lead for several hours leading to the end. Fords rolled over the line 1-2-3 with Michael Shank Racing taking the first and third spots with Starworks Motorsport in the second slot. (more…)