Dominion Raceway is a motorsport complex currently operating in
Thornburg, Virginia
Thornburg is an unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, Spotsylvania County in the U.S. state of Virginia. Thornburg is centered on the intersection of the Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1 in Virginia, U.S. 1) with Morris, M ...
. The facility includes 4/10-mile oval track, a 2-mile road course, and a 1/8-mile drag strip. The track hosts
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
, SCCA, and Superkart events along with amateur road course and street racing events.
New location
The motorsport complex at the new location broke ground in 2013 and opened in 2016 at 6510 Dominion Raceway Ave. in
Thornburg, Virginia
Thornburg is an unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, Spotsylvania County in the U.S. state of Virginia. Thornburg is centered on the intersection of the Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 1 in Virginia, U.S. 1) with Morris, M ...
.
Inaugural Winners
Inaugural Race Winners
Old Dominion Speedway
Old Dominion Speedway (ODS) was a motorsport complex located in
Prince William County
Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas ...
, just south of
Manassas, Virginia
Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County, although the two are separate jurisdi ...
. The complex closed in 2012.
The dragstrip hosted Friday night drag races and Wednesday evening Test and Tunes. Weekly divisions included: Super Pro, Foot Brake, Motorcycle, Quick 16, and Top Street 5.8. The drag strip, when first used in 1953, was originally a 1/8th-mile dirt track, and the first officially sanctioned drag strip on the East Coast. The 3/8-mile track hosted Late Models, INEX Legends, Mini Modifieds, UCARSet Stocks, Bandoleros, and UCARS. The track was built as a dirt track in 1952 and was paved in 1953.
Old Dominion was also the birthplace of the Late Model Stock Car, "The Late Model Sportsman and Limited Sportsman divisions, along with some support classes ran until 1979, when track promoter Dick Gore came up with an idea for a class that would become one of the fastest growing divisions in
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
. 'They said it would never work', says Gore, referring to the Late Model Stock Car division. But work it did as it became one of the most popular divisions, spreading throughout the country."
and later became the
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
.
Late Model Track Champions
*1979: Billy Earl
*1980–1982: ''Not held''
*1983: Charlie Ford
*1984: Curtis Markham
*1985: Curtis Markham
*1986: Danny Fair
*1987: Eddie Johnson
*1988: Charlie Ford
*1989: Charlie Ford
*1990: Danny Fair
*1991: Eddie Johnson
*1992: Danny Fair
*1993: Brandon Butler
*1994: Danny Fair
*1995: Charlie Ford
*1996: Wes Troup
*1997: Wes Troup
*1998: Dale Delozier
*1999: Dale Delozier
*2000: Mark McFarland
*2001: Dustin Storm
*2002: Mike Darne
*2003: Mark McFarland
*2004: Brandon Butler
*2005: Franklin Butler III
*2006: Frank Deiny Jr.
*2007: Michael Hardin
*2008: Willard Lawrence
*2009: Willard Lawrence
*2010: Adam Brenner
*2011: David Polenz
*2012: Doug Liberman
Old Dominion Kart Series
The speedway also hosted a karting series. Divisions include Jr. Sportsman, Kid Kart, Bandelero, Senior Champ, Cadet, Stock Lite, Jr. Stock, and Jr. Champ. Ran by DJ Powell, Ryan, Joshua, and Jonathan Pritt and many more.
Special events
The track hosted
monster truck
A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock pic ...
s, a
U.S. Drift sanctioned
drifting event, and car shows. The Speedway also hosted six Virginia Sprint races and five Shenandoah Mini Cup Races. They also hosted a Rolling Thunder Modified Race. The premier event at Old Dominion was "The Big One" held at the end of the season. It sees the highest car counts, biggest purse, and more spectators than most events. It was a non-points race for the Late Models, allowing the drivers to go all out to win.
In 2010, the "Big One" was the final race of the season at ODS. It was also the final race in the battle for the Virginia State Championship. CE Falk entered the race, needing to win the race to win the Virginia Championship. Despite leading early, he was not able to secure the victory paving the road for Justin Johnson to win the Championship. Adam Brenner won the track championship with a solid finish and the race win went to Mike Darne.
In 2011, Dustin Storm led the most laps. He had to charge through the field after changing a tire before he crossed the line. After the fans filed out and the majority of the media left, Dustin Storm was disqualified and Doug Liberman was awarded the win.
In 2012, Michael Hardin won the race before a packed house in what would end up being the final race ever held at the Old Dominion Speedway oval.
;"ODS The Big One" winners:
*2006: Dustin Storm
*2007: Dustin Storm
*2008: ''Not held''
*2009: David Polenz
*2010: Mike Darne
*2011: Doug Liberman
*2012: Michael Hardin
;Joe Gibbs Youth for Tomorrow 150 winners:
*2010: Mike Darne
*2011: Mike Darne
*2012: Dustin Storm
NASCAR history
The track was called Longview Speedway before the Gore family purchased it. The track hosted
Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series:
*National-level stock car series:
**NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...
races in 1958 and from 1963 to 1966.
NASCAR Track Grand National History
Retrieved February 25, 2007 Former racing greats such as Lee Petty
Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first superstars. He was NASCAR's first three-time Cup ch ...
, Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...
, Ralph Earnhardt
Ralph Lee Earnhardt (February 23, 1928 – September 26, 1973) was an American stock car racer. He was the father of 7 time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt, grandfather of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Dale Earnhardt Jr., a ...
, Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion.
Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of former drivers Glenn Jar ...
, Bobby Allison
Robert Arthur Allison (born December 3, 1937) is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant short track ...
, Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports analyst, author, former national television broadcaster, and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series (known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series dur ...
, and Lennie Pond
Lennie Wayne Pond (August 11, 1940 – February 10, 2016) was an American NASCAR driver. He won NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors in 1973, and won his only race at Talladega Superspeedway in 1978 for Ronnie Elder and Harry Ranier. Pond ...
, have raced at ODS. In recent years, Mark McFarland
Mark M. McFarland (born February 1, 1978) is a former NASCAR driver who works for Kyle Busch Motorsports as the crew chief for their No. 18 car in the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East. In 2021, he won championships in both series ...
won several track championships and Denny Hamlin
James Dennis Alan Hamlin (born November 18, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver and NASCAR team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He co-owns and oper ...
raced there. The current driver for the No. 88 Champion Spark Plugs Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car of the Chevr ...
in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series
The CARS Solid Rock Carriers Tour (formerly known as the USARacing Pro Cup Series, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, CARS Pro Cup Series, Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series, CARS X1-R Pro Cup Series) is a stock car auto racing series in the United States. It is s ...
, Richard Boswell
Richard Warner Boswell II (born April 14, 1984) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and crew chief. He works for Stewart-Haas Racing as a crew chief for their No. 98 car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driven by Riley Herbs ...
also made his start at this track. Many other USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series
The CARS Solid Rock Carriers Tour (formerly known as the USARacing Pro Cup Series, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, CARS Pro Cup Series, Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series, CARS X1-R Pro Cup Series) is a stock car auto racing series in the United States. It is s ...
drivers, such as Jack Bailey, Trevor Bayne, and Charlie Ford have also raced at ODS. In 2006, Albert Anderson became the first African-American to win a race at Old Dominion Speedway.
;Winners
* 1958: Frankie Schneider
Frank E. Schneider (August 11, 1926 – November 11, 2018) was a stock car, modified, midget, and sprint car racer. He had one NASCAR Grand National Series victory at Old Dominion Speedway in 1958 driving a 1957 Chevrolet. He also won the 1952 NA ...
* 1963: Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...
* 1964: Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion.
Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of former drivers Glenn Jar ...
* 1964: Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion.
Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of former drivers Glenn Jar ...
* 1965: Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. (June 28, 1931 – December 20, 2019), better known as Junior Johnson, was an American NASCAR driver of the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became ...
* 1965: Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...
* 1966: Elmo Langley
Elmo Harold Langley (August 21, 1928 – November 21, 1996) was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number 64 on his race cars during his NASCAR career.
Racing career
Langley began his racing career racing modified cars in Vir ...
References
External links
*
{{NASCAR K&N Pro Series racetracks
NASCAR tracks
Buildings and structures in Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Motorsport venues in Virginia
Drag racing venues
Tourist attractions in Spotsylvania County, Virginia
2016 establishments in Virginia
Sports venues completed in 2016
Road courses in the United States