Tag: VIR

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…)

Two weeks. The state of Virginia is on the eve of two solid weeks of racing and it is as diverse as it is tense. NASCAR closes in on Richmond International Raceway for September 7-8 and the checkered flag will determine the championship “Chase” field.

The following weekend should be just as tense as points are close for the contenders in the American Le Mans Series which is making a first appearance at Virginia International Raceway. Following VIR, they will close the season at Road Atlanta so time is short to gain points for championships which sums up to good racing.

This is two weeks in Virginia which could make or break season hopes for both NASCAR and ALMS. Race fans could, and should, take a look at both events. (more…)

Has racing become too “predictable”? We hear it sometimes… Lap after lap… Left after left… Yeah…

We had an opportunity to check out a fairly new series of racing over the weekend of August 11-12 at Virginia International Raceway. “Chump Car” racing puts a lot of folks behind the wheel and on the track with real racing and, compared to NASCAR or other national series, little investment. It is grass roots racing with a “run what you brung and have some fun” attitude.

The premise is basic. Get your hands on a cheap car. Throw in the roll cage and basic safety stuff so you don’t damage yourself. Leave the engine and suspension alone for the most part. Go to a drivers’ meeting and get the rules and such for the day and “go racing”!

How simple is that? Anybody can race as long as their car falls inside the fairly loose regulations. The goal is fun, safety, and clean competition. (more…)

Southside Virginia has been hosting some classes with a fast learning curve. Drivers and teams are finding the ins, the outs, the tricks and the lines for the picturesque straights and turns of Virginia International Raceway.

American Le Mans will be racing here in September. Five classes of cars ranging from custom shell prototypes to modified production touring cars will be mixing it up among the trees and the twists when they pull off the grid with the green flag. As this will be their first race at VIR the teams are anxious for track time to find all they can about how to get around as fast as possible. With long straight runs, hard braking, downhill bends and some narrow sections the challenge of driving here is multiplied many times with unfamiliarity.

With that in mind, ALMS has paid a few visits to VIR with a variety of their series to find what all the fuss is about concerning this road course in Virginia. NASCAR tests here. Grand-Am has raced here. SCCA and AMA race here. Movie, TV and music stars have driven here. All have fond words of praise for the experience. Now, American Le Mans takes their turn with a first visit as part of the 2012 race schedule. (more…)

You would think the folks from MUFON should be getting calls from Southside Virginia as the area just east of Danville and a rock throw from the North Carolina line was occupied by “greys” and UFOs. The UFOs, or “Unidentified Fast Objects”, were hypothetically occupied and operated by NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series drivers. The “greys”, in this particular context, were often seen moving about in the larger groups of UFOs…

An invasion it may have been but it was not extraterrestrial. For several years, NASCAR teams descend on Virginia International Raceway and take over the rolling, countryside road course to test their ability to build cars that can, amazing as it may sound, turn right as well as left. This visit to VIR has become somewhat of a tradition as the season winds close to the road courses of Sonoma and Watkins Glen. NASCAR rules and regs do not allow teams to test set-ups at “sanctioned” tracks (as in the ones they will be racing on) except on specified times and days associated with the race schedule at that venue. However, there is no such rule concerning testing at a facility that is, in many ways, very similar to the sanctioned and scheduled  raceways.

Open the gates and man the flag stations, we’re making right turns in 750 horsepower machines that have the handling characteristics of a lead-lined brick. (more…)

Virginia International Raceway had some tangles in 2011. The AMA “Suzuki White Lightning” event was pulled from the August date basically from a lack of communication, contract verbiage and an issue with promotions. Fingers pointed both ways. The end picture is that a big weekend at VIR was out.

Follow that with the announcement from the Grand-Am ROLEX Series that VIR would not be on the schedule for 2012.  New Jersey gets an earlier date and Belle Isle Park in Detroit is added to the mix. The Grand-Am race has been a showcase nationwide coverage event for VIR for several years.
Two big events that went a long way to re-establish Virginia International Raceway as a destination for fans and racing were out of the picture as 2011 came to a close.

This would seem to put a kink in the potential for 2012. Hit the brakes and stop the presses, so to speak. However, the folks at VIR have some surprises in store that may have blown by while you were watching the last turn… (more…)

Here’s a Missed Gear Auto Quiz. What do you get when you take 3.2 miles of pavement, 1200 acres of scenic views, 4 or 5 divisions of high technology, a healthy dose of speed and a touch of nostalgia and mix them all together? You get a splendid automotive playground tucked away just east of Danville, VA known as VIR.  Virginia International Raceway has a historic beginning with the SCCA and names like Carl Haas and Carroll Shelby. Now, however, VIR hosts some national racing events while still playing host as a SCCA proving ground.

Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes at VIR
Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes at VIR

This past April 24, 25 and 26 VIR hosted the Grand-Am Rolex Series with Daytona Prototypes and GT cars racing for points and highlighted on SPEED Network for the world to see. (See pictures from raceday here!) Through the course of three days of laps, qualifying and racing, VIR also hosted the Skip Barber Racing School, the BMW Championship Series, the Star Mazda Racing Series and the innovative VW TDI Racing Series.

Grand-Am Rolex Series GT Class @ VIR
Grand-Am Rolex Series GT Class @ VIR

Your ticket to VIR, which won’t cost you even the slightest bit of skin from a favored body part, gets you access to all of this racing, the paddock and no assigned seats. From a driver or car owner standpoint, VIR offers facilities for performance engine and chassis tuning. For developing racers, the VW TDI facilities are based out of VIR. One of the fastest consumer-ready enthusiast cars is built on the grounds. The Ariel Atom boasts 300+ horsepower and 0-60 in under 3 seconds. There is rental housing, condo ownership, garage facilities and so much more.

Volkswagen TDI diesel racing based from facilities at VIR
Volkswagen TDI diesel racing based from facilities at VIR

VIR remains a premiere destination for club racers, enthusiasts and car lovers. Now, however, VIR is a fan destination for sports car racing and motorcycle racing events. Tickets are cheap. The racing is exciting. The views are beautiful. You can even see NASCAR road course testing and an air show! VIR is a petrol payground no racing fan should skip so take the opportunity to go racing in Southside Virginia. You will be glad you did.