A new, digital platform, RacingVirginia.com, will launch as part of an unprecedented collaboration among Virginia’s motor sports venues. The Racing Virginia website and social channels will provide exclusive news and information about racing action in the Commonwealth. Racing Virginia’s presenting sponsor is Who’s Your Driver. The website will officially launch on Monday, April 3.
Racing in Virginia comes in many forms, from running on dirt tracks, to paved ovals, on drag strips and even on road courses. In 2017, there are over 25 motorsports facilities in operation throughout the Commonwealth with more than half a million fans expected to attend racing events from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.
NASCAR is the only annual major professional sport that calls Virginia home, hosting a pair of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekends at Martinsville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway each year. With weekly races at local tracks around The Commonwealth, there are over 400 racing events on the calendar for 2017.
“Racing Virginia is an initiative to support the growth of motorsports in the Commonwealth,” said Richmond President Dennis Bickmeier. “The new platform will make it easier for fans to follow motor racing in Virginia and provide exclusive state-based content to better connect with the core audience of NASCAR. It will also support the grass roots level of our sport that is mission critical to the overall health of the racing industry. This is our commitment to help it grow, and flourish here in Virginia.”
The presenting sponsor of Racing Virginia is “Who’s Your Driver?”, which is a public information and education campaign targeting 21 to 35-year-old male drivers in Virginia. The project is a partnership between DRIVE SMART Virginia, Department of Motor Vehicles’ Highway Safety Office, and Richmond International Raceway to encourage people to choose a sober driver and buckle up.
“Who’s your Driver?” is the presenting sponsor of Martinsville Speedway’s STP 500 race weekend on March 31 to April 2 and Richmond’s fall race weekend, which will crown the inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season champion on September 8-9. To learn more about Who’s Your Driver, visit whosyourdriver.org.
“’Who’s your Driver?’ is delighted to work with Richmond International Raceway on the creation of racingvirginia.com as we ask fans at all race tracks in Virginia, from Abingdon to Saluda, ‘Who’s Your Driver?,’” said DRIVE SMART Virginia’s Executive Director, Janet Brooking. “Our message is simple but important: ‘Choose a sober driver and buckle up.’ The Racing Virginia platform will help us further deliver our important message and save lives.”
The Racing Virginia platform will share news and information from racing venues from Langley to Lonesome Pine, making it easy for fans to have access to news, schedules, and tickets. In the coming months, there will be bio pages developed for local drivers, which will give these racers an opportunity, at no cost, to promote themselves, their activity, and most importantly, their local sponsors who help them go racing every weekend.
The comprehensive master schedule of racing events in the Commonwealth is a one of a kind showcase of motorsports activity in Virginia. Whether you are logging on to the website from your home computer, or your phone, you will be able to connect with racing events nearly every weekend of the year.
“Racing is the only annual major league sport in the Commonwealth. Be it on dirt, drag, road or paved, cars, bikes, or event carts – ever since there have been motors moving people around, Virginians have been out there trying to go faster than someone else,” said Richmond Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Mike Waddell. “Racing Virginia is going to tell the stories of today, along with sharing the rich history of Virginia’s storied racing past, bringing the racing community together like never before.”
Racing Virginia will showcase exclusive original content each week from regular contributors including two of the most respected personalities in the sport, Joe Moore and Randy Hallman.
Joe Moore will pen a weekly feature focusing on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The long-time resident of Norfolk is no stranger to the racing life, having started his nationally syndicated television show, “RACELINE” on WPEN-TV in Hampton Roads back in 1993. That was the year Joe started covering local racing at Langley Speedway, Dixieland Speedway and Virginia Raceway. Since 1983 Joe has been a member of the Motor Racing Network’s broadcast team, and is now the co-anchor of the top series in the sport. You can catch Joe’s weekly piece on Friday’s.
Veteran Virginia Journalist, Randy Hallman, will bring his more than 45 years of sports writing experience to RacingVirginia.com. Hallman retired from the Richmond Times-Dispatch (RTD) in February, 2016, but continues to write a weekly NASCAR column for the paper. He began his journalism career in 1972 at the Richmond News Leader, then joined the RTD when the two papers merged in 1992. He has also authored several books on NASCAR. Randy’s weekly column will run on Sunday’s.
Racing Virginia has established a presence on social media with pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can LIKE the platform on Facebook at Facebook.com/RacingVirginia, follow on Twitter at Twitter.com/RacingVirginia, and follow on Instagram at Instagram.com/RacingVirginia.
NASCAR racing returns to the Capital of the Commonwealth on April 28, 29 and 30 for Toyota’s spring race weekend. The action starts with Pole Day on April 28, followed by the ToyotaCare 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash4Cash race on Saturday, April 29 at 1 p.m. Kids 12 and younger are admitted free in general admission seating areas for the ToyotaCare 250. The weekend concludes with NASCAR’s best in the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, April 30 at 2 p.m.
Richmond’s fall race weekend, presented by Who’s Your Driver, will crown the inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season champion over Fan Appreciation Weekend on September 8-9. Witness history in the Federated Auto Parts 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday, September 9 as a regular season champion will be crowned. On Friday, September 8, the rising stars of tomorrow will compete in the Virginia529 College Savings 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race.
Tickets are on sale now. Visit rir.com or call 866-455-7223 to purchase.
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