Yes, Virginia, your racing season is on!

The racing season is winding down but the tension is rising. Just have a look at NASCAR. The last few races have seen the variety of winners with circumstances rotating through the points lead. Currently, the lead is on with Greg Biffle who also held it early in the season.

Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth have also rotated through the lead. The last few races have change off on leader points like right front tires on pit stops. The season is in high gear and the state of Virginia gets the lion’s share of the action.

Bristol is this weekend. Anything can happen here as the “Chase” winds through the final points races to get in. Face it, Bristol is a strip of pavement in a fishbowl. Throw in 43 cars looking for a win with a good portion of them looking for “Chase” points and you get eggs in a blender. Bristol is one for Virginia fans.

Yes, Tennessee, we know. But what is a few miles, really?

Richmond. The final race to set the “Chase”. Turn up the heat on that curved front stretch as it will literally be down to the wire when they come to Richmond in September. The win, the points and the championship run all mix together for a smorgasbord of racing action. Throw in special driver packages for the fans including Q&A sessions with drivers such as Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin along with other packages and Richmond has the red carpet out for the introduction of the “Chase”.

Martinsville. Within the championship run and always a “fan” track with acceleration, brakes and turns throwing cars around on a slingshot, Martinsville can make or break the “Chase”. One spin, one wall, one hit and watch points slip away. The historic “paperclip” of pavement is set to run all out and fans will have plenty to call for as it is likely the “Chase” will be populated with some of the most popular drivers in NASCAR. Throw in the hopes of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with a chance at going for it and Martinsville could get shake the “Chase” like a salad shooter.

Don’t miss the “Virginia is For Racing Lovers 300” the week before at Martinsville. They have changed up the qualifying with everyone having to “race in” through heat races before the main event. Late model stock car teams from all over the region sweep into Martinsville to make this one. Race fans should not let this one slip by.

The races that go with Sprint Cup, the Nationwide and Camping World series, are also tight and will be good racing to watch. Don’t skip out on them, go racing with them!

NASCAR is not all there is, either. Virginia International Raceway brings American Le Mans to the state with top tier sports car racing and fast variety. The Playboy MX-5 Cup, Porsche GT3 and Indy support open wheel racing comes to VIR with American Le Mans for a full weekend in September. For race fans and auto enthusiasts, road racing with this kind of variety and exotic eye candy is a rare show with plenty to see in the trees and hills of Southside Virginia. Three classes of Prototype plus GT fielding Aston-Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Lotus, Corvette… Pretty things going really fast! Racing is on at Virginia International Raceway.

Throw in all of the “weekend warrior” tracks from dirt to pavement and you get no shortage of heavy metal doing laps. There are tracks all over the state with good competition and fender to bumper racing. These drivers race line to line every time and always put on a show.

There you go, Virginia. The race is on from the Big Dogs to the locals. NASCAR, Le Mans, Late Model, Weekenders… Points are at a premium. Drama is high in the pits and on the track. Every win is a conclusion to a good show. Check your calendar and mark it up with some dates to go racing!