Virginia International Raceway (VIR), Racing Circuit

Virginia International Raceway, universally known as VIR, is a permanent road course straddling the Virginia-North Carolina state line near Alton, around 12 miles east of Danville. The track was created by a group of North Carolina enthusiasts and opened in 1957 as one of the longest permanent circuits of its era, hugging the contours of the land with fast straights, blind crests and a signature hairpin built around an oak tree. After early success on the SCCA and IMSA scene, financial pressures and the 1973 fuel crisis forced its closure in 1974, and the crumbling tarmac lay abandoned for a quarter of a century. Investors Connie Nyholm and Harvey Siegel resurrected the venue as a country-club-style motorsport resort, repaving and widening the original layout and adding new course variants before it reopened in 2000. The 3.27-mile Full Course is defined by its demanding Climbing Esses and the plunging Roller Coaster, with the famed Oak Tree corner among its best-known landmarks. Independent North and South courses, plus an internal Patriot Course, allow multiple configurations and simultaneous use. Today VIR hosts top-tier US road racing including the IMSA SportsCar Championship, GT World Challenge America, Trans-Am, MotoAmerica and the SCCA Runoffs. The facility also offers full resort amenities, with hotels, restaurants, karting and other activities on site. Connie Nyholm became one of the only female majority owners of a US racetrack, and her resort model has been widely copied elsewhere.

Operated by: Harvey Siegel