It’s a little hard to consider as time rolls on but HyperFest has been a thing for over 20 years. Nine of those from 2015 on, including this one in May of 2025 (Pandemic 2020…?) have been at Virginia International Raceway. It actually began as a thought and event in 2002 at Summit Point which is just north of Virginia in that little bit of West Virginia keeping Maryland stable. It came to VIR in 2015.
The various incarnations and automotive delights continue to make HyperFest a car party destination. This year some weather leading in put a bit of a damper on “Dirt World” which intended to be an off-road jamboree but it came to life a little later on. Weather also made an additional, but brief, Friday appearance. Some high winds came through and dissipated just as quickly but not before turning pop-ups and other displays into a show of tubular metal pop art.
It cleared and normal came back. That may be relative for what “normal” is at HyperFest.
Testing, tuning, some qualifying rolled through Friday for the NASA racing schedule on the main, full course. Drifting was on with smoke and rubber on the inner “Patriot” course. The “Koni Downhill Power Wheels Attack” set the stage to begin the Friday evening party once the winds went and the brief rain fell.
Saturday weather was much kinder. The racing, the drifting, the demos and shows on the skid pad all went on without a real worry. Last year there were motorcycles jumping over drifters. This year, it was a giant wheeled, over powered VW Beetle. The bikes were there but doing skids, wheelies, drifting and standing. The drifting was well on with a competition climax of Monster Energy Drink retention and burnout donut points shows.
Sunday was drift and race finale with an “All In” attitude on the track, the course and the pad. There were leftover and busted up tent frames and odd remnants of car body bits in small rubbish piles scattered about. This was not really evidence of some weather but more of a time well spent with a car party gone wild.
That is, or was, HyperFest 2025. What is in the planning for the next one? With the pandemic year taken in, will 2026 be the “official” ten year anniversary at VIR? What new bit of excitement will be there to carry the torch forward?
We’ll see… The photos below give a glimpse of this year as HyperFest is best experienced as an “in person” experience. With that, we’ll look ahead to the next one!
That was a long day. There are tougher ways to spend a day. Twelve hours with a hammer or a shovel or even a paint brush would be much harder than twelve hours wearing two cameras around two race tracks…
But it was still a long day…
First was the bracket racing opening day for the Natural Bridge Drag Strip. The facility actually had the switch flipped in late 2024 after being dormant since 2019. (The dirt oval down the hill has been running continuously, even if with some drama, during that time.)
There were a handful of action days in ’24. For 2025, there seems to be a much harder push to get things moving on with some sense of sustainability. The manager / organizer is G.W. Fitzgerald and he is actively pushing and pulling the place into the light.
The lights along the track are working, by the way… At least, they seemed to be from the view later down on the oval…
Family and friends seem to be very invested with Fitzgerald to make racing there a going concern. The current owners at the speedway dirt oval have been pushing that facility forward with all sorts of improvements. The drag strip is set for its own push ahead. The start line “tower” building is in good enough shape. The racing surface took traction and burnouts well enough. Staging and lane lines were all marked. The “tree” worked as needed. Audio over loudspeakers for announcements was clear enough. Someone thought to have a food tent there. Staffing for staging to starting was coordinated well. The restrooms worked…
What else do you need…? What is not there yet….? Well… The sensors are there at the finish but the results scoring are still dark. Racers times are available on printed tabs at the tower.
Who won…? No idea… Not really the purpose for being there. My reasons were based on seeing what condition things were in (not bad, really…) and to see how well things were put together. To be flat out honest it was a pleasant surprise. The drag strip is several steps ahead of what I expected and I’ll look forward to getting back.
For the oval the progress continues. Improvements to the concessions and lighting were in place for an earlier visit. Infield fencing and track barriers are advancing. The entrance and exit for racers is much improved and uniform. The track scoring board is still working.
More to the point is the fan experience. There can always be more at any event but the fans are turning out in cars, in their own lawn chairs and in the bleachers. The show on the track is lively enough and the racing is close and fast.
For this particular Saturday, five divisions were racing. Street Stock, three divisions of Late Model and Stock 4. Hot laps and qualifying got underway a little after 6pm with opening ceremonies for competition around 8pm.
Going forward there could be a bit of a logistics challenge with the two tracks acting, more or less, as different facilities. The oval and the drag strip are not really operated as a single entity so parking and admission could conflict. However, big events for either track would be coordinated around each other. The drag strip should be an active addition back into the region. It doesn’t look as if the facility in Radford VA is making moves any time soon. The oval is running steady so far. It may be time to check out some speed at Natural Bridge.
Top five results for the speedway are below:
Street Stock (14 starters) Lee Herring #5 Keith Herring #50 Keith Nelson #45 Trafton Thompson #15 Ben Hamilton #22
Late Model (16 starters) Tyler Bare #00 Logan Roberson #17 Justin Williams #2W Joe Leavell #8 Derrick Rankin #72
602 Late Model (21 starters) Wyatt Coffey #2 Samuel Hamilton #22 Michael Ayers #8 Bryce Smith #4 Stephen Harrison #10H
604 Late Model (21 starters) Justin Williams #7W Ronnie Martin Jr #15JR Braeson Fulton #B6 Corey Almond #7A Logan Roberson #17
Stock 4 (7 starters) Wesley Givens #8 Gary Smith #97 John Burch #12 Corey Morales #51 Austin Guilliams #33G
Racing across platforms is always interesting. The first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby, fell on this particular race day at the Dominion Raceway Entertainment complex. Horsepower was the show at Dominion but the infield pit big screen was also showing some of the spectacle from Churchill Downs.
Throw in a high school prom and the day is complete… Right…?
Such was the case for “Clean Culture Derby Day” at Dominion. The facility can host quite a bit from oval points racing to “road course” and drag strip racing to concerts and showcase events. A local high school had the concert hall for the evening, local drivers were testing their skills on the road course and “American Racer” late models (with a few other divisions) were racing nose to fender on the oval. Dominion is a multi-faceted focal point for motorsport and entertainment with a schedule full of… Everything.
The plan in place was to make the drive in to Dominion. It was a short trip as the wife had brought us to a nearby campground for the weekend. The set up was to get her situated for her event and activities, get online and place some Derby bets then get up to Dominion to check out some racing.
Once on site at Dominion, there was time to catch a few drivers putting it on the road course. It snakes around the oval with space for the drag races incorporated. Clubs and “social” drivers can test their cars and their skills on this course.
For the oval, the practices had run and qualifying was getting under way. It was an afternoon event to make way for the “Enchantment Under The Sea” prom. (No – I don’t know that was the name but there were ocean inspired decorations…)
Twin “American Racer” Late Models, Dominion Stocks and a combined “Mini Stock” 8/6 AnyCar race made the schedule. There was some heat on the track and some threat of weather coming in but the racing was tight.
The two late model races were dominated by Chase Johnson with a quick lead in the first and a drive up to grab the lead from an inverted start in the second. The field was stacked up a few times from cautions in each allowing other drivers a shot but the #57 of Johnson was out front each time.
Todd Ruggles gave a good chase on Mike Lowe in the Dominion Stocks but couldn’t make the run to get by. The finish had Lowe out front by several lengths as Richard Powers went around out of the final turn to give up a third place to Gary Burke.
The opener pooled the AnyCar and Mini Stocks into one race. That put a good challenge of racing with competition traffic on the track. The Rileys were chasing their Minis up front with Keith in the #59 leading out. A late race caution restart allowed Joe in the #2 to catch and pass for the lead and the win. Richard Storm won the 8C AnyCar and James Johnson won the 6C AnyCar.
TOP FIVE in each category event below
50 laps Race #1 American Racer Late Model 1 #57 Chase Johnson 2 #31 Aaron Donnelly 3 #8c Conner Weddell 4 #82 Mike Ganoe 5 #41 Davey Callihan
50 laps Race #2 American Racer Late Model 1 #57 Chase Johnson 2 #45 Brady Penny 3 #41 Davey Callihan 4 #82 Mike Ganoe 5 #15 Kyle Terczak
40 laps Dominion Stocks 1 #88 Mike Lowe Dominion Stocks 2 #07 Todd Ruggles Dominion Stocks 3 #3 Gary Burke Dominion Stocks 4 #69 Tommy Smith Dominion Stocks 5 #57 Richard Powers III Dominion Stocks
Combined: 6 /8 Cyl Any Car & Mini Stock 1 #2 Joe Riley Mini Stock 2 #59 Keith Riley Mini Stock 3 #43 Kevin Davis Mini Stock 4 #07 Richard Storm Any Cars – 8 cyl 5 #9 James Johnson Any Car 6 – Cyl 6 #K9 John Andrews – 8 cyl Any Car 6 – Cyl 7 #77 Michael Pifer Any Cars – 8 cyl
Photo Gallery – Clean Culture Derby Day – Dominion Raceway – May 3, 2025
Ironic..? Or maybe a little unexpected..? Or maybe, it’s just gone unnoticed until I followed one in.
Granted, it isn’t really crucial for race day but it does show a level of “getting serious” that some pockets are just not deep enough for. Many are stretched to keep the car competitive and may have some spare bits on hand to fill available space on a trailer, or in a trailer, or perhaps a flatbed hauler. There is also a “getting serious” step up as I couldn’t help but notice as I drove into Natural Bridge Speedway.
Here’s the thing. Natural Bridge is kind of… Rural. The race track is a 3/8 mile dirt oval.
It’s located back off and away from Route 11 which is off and away from Interstate 81 in an area between Buchanan and Lexington in Virginia. There is a natural wonder (the namesake, as it is) with a classic hotel, a safari park and zoo (still open…?), some kind of dinosaur adventure…
However, a financial metropolis it is not. So, as I drove in behind a full bore camper cab, fifth wheel Kenworth tractor with full size NASCAR style hauler, I thought “Wow! This one is serious!”. Once I got parked and started getting around and looking… I mean really looking for it… There were others with big rigs and full trailers. Yes, of course there were a lot of pickups with hitched trailers and hot and ready race cars but mixed in were these “serious” haulers.
Big rigs “getting serious” about bringing it in on race day
The point, perhaps, is to not think for a minute that a “dirt track” is second place or a step backwards from the conventional asphalt racing that is “common”. The racers are coming in barely on a budget or running a bankroll and every level in between. The fans are coming in the same way with broad backgrounds and economies. The racing is the common factor in all of it and the racing is fast, sideways and close. The track action is the show and what brought the car in is just a package.
Coming in behind a big hauler, perhaps, was a little distracting but the track went hot and the racing went green and the show went on. There was a brief halt after hot lap practices and qualifying for kids to find some Easter eggs. (From the looks of it… Every kid came away with a haul)
The racing schedule put five divisions on the track with Street Stock, 602 Late Model, Pure Stock, Late Model and the Rookies.
Street Stock: Ben Hamilton (#22) and Howard Hall (#23) were top of the field for the 20 lap run but it was always Hamilton that kept the edge out front. Chris Cordle (#282) and Keith Herring (#50) ran a good battle for 3rd but some hard turns, contact and a spin put them back to 4th and 5th as Lee Herring (#5) drove up to finish 3rd.
602 Late Model: The race had the bulk of the 20+ car field chasing the top five. Cautions and restarts shook the order but Kendal Tucker (#00) kept the lead to take the win. Tim Stalnaker (#11) had a good early run to catch Tucker but fell back for 5th at the end. Wyatt Coffey (#2) came up to run in 2nd and hold to the end. The 3rd and 4th slots were battled by Michael Ayers (#8) and Bryce Smith (#4)
Pure Stock: The race seemed to be for who was going to be 2nd. Jacob McCormick (#08) dominated but Donald Keesee (#2K) gave him a good run getting inside shots but could not get it by. Aiden Meade (#38) held back challenges to hang onto 3rd. Robert Tyree (#11) and Matthew Hamilton (#22) were driving top five but fell back as Braddick Pruett (#17) stayed in it for 4th and Parker Flint (#200) drove through some cautions to claim 5th.
Late Model: It was clear early on that Tyler Bare (#B8) had the car and was going to be the one to chase down in the 19 car challenge. He was out front coming out of turn two on every restart but the first. Derrick Rankin (#72) had the first or 2nd lap lead but Bare quickly took over and held it. Rankin fell back and was running 4th and 5th for most of the rest but dropped back to 6th by the finish. Logan Roberson (#17) became the 2nd place chaser early on and held that spot to the checkers. Justin Williams (#2W) and Joe Leavell (#8) ran the 3rd and 4th for a big part of the race to the finish. Jack Brown (#26) was able to claim the 5th as a late race restart shook the middle of the field.
Rookie: The way on the track at Natural Bridge is starting out in the “rookie” class. Give it a shot… Who knows…? The field is open for newcomers. This evening, there were two challengers, Owen Drewry (#111) and Kaden Cunningham (#18), who put their foot in it to close it out.
Natural Bridge runs weekly, mostly. There are some good touring shows coming through and the drive to the track is a pleasant one. Skip the McD’s on the way in and have a burger or a dog at the re-set concessions. Parking is on each side of the track but check the signs as some of those spots are reserved..
Reserved season parking. That’s “getting serious”!
Full photo gallery – Natural Bridge Speedway – April 19, 2025
There is always a bit more than what is visible at any race track. Staffing behind the scenes and safety settings with training to be seamless with on track activity mesh with the racing package that is presented to fans on any race day.
The racing is at center stage for the fans for the popular showcase events. The personalities of the drivers and the variety on the track mix for an exciting automotive show. These are big events that carry national, often international, prestige and highlight the widespread enthusiasm of motorsport. The race schedule at Virginia International Raceway has many of these big events but that doesn’t fill the entire calendar. Between the fan fare weekends, the VIR program is open to, in a large part, the heartbeat that pumps the hot laps around the track.
Fans buy tickets and keep the talk going but it’s the car clubs that fill a big part of the season. Porsche Club, BMW Club, Sports Car Club of America, Skip Barber Racing School… Regional variations and independent car clubs… Race training, driver training… Motorcycles even…
There is so much activity on the track the calendar is full beyond what the fans see. Some of these clubs do offer public access through their own publicity and it is actually a fun visit. It is relaxed and it is open and it is friendly. Car people will talk about cars… to practically anyone. The track is open with easy views and the low key spirit of camaraderie centered around a common love of driving.
The “open to the public” part of the club experience was there with the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) Hoosier Super Tour. Several classes of cars racing from Formula open wheel to Mazda to vintage. It is this variety and atmosphere that make “club” events, mixed with fans or family, a mainstay of race tracks everywhere.
VIR offers this wide open track time with car clubs and track days while many other tracks offer short track racing on paved and dirt tracks. Racing is often a family excursion and fan involvement on any level serves to raise the bar on the excitement.
Go racing. Bring family or a friend… Or friends… The more the merrier!
SCCA Hoosier Super Tour – Virginia International Raceway – April 4-6, 2025
Do feelings really matter? Chris Gabehart, formerly the #11 crew chief and current JGR competition director, had a feeling for Denny Hamlin to bring another clock home.
That feeling was on target. Was it a confidence boost, luck of the day or a combination of all odds to make it happen? Who knows… The result for Martinsville Speedway and the Cookout 400 was a win for Denny Hamlin and the #11 Progressive Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing team.
Team mate Christopher Bell started on the pole and had a good run that left him one behind Hamlin at the checkers. The Wood Brothers and Josh Berry had a good early race but pit road contact with Wallace and the #23 created electrical issues that the #21 could not overcome.
The Wood Brothers and the Motorcraft #21 Ford up front was a good show even as the team is being celebrated at Martinsville for 75 years of racing. The track infield tunnel showcases the years that the Wood Brothers have been in, and influenced, NASCAR.
For the high half of the race, it was Denny Hamlin out in front and to the finish for the win. It was his 6th win at Martinsville and, even with previous season wins across the schedule, his first win here for 10 years. (Last Martinsville win Spring of 2015)
This was the first win for the #11 for the 2025 season. Team mate Christopher Bell drobe in second, Hamlin’s #23 with Bubba Wallace came in third, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five.
Full Photo Gallery – Cookout 400 – Martinsville Speedway – March 30, 2025
The track, the racing, the history… It all adds up like an equation to be filled with variables as they show up. The one constant is tension. The low degree on the turns, the mix of concrete and asphalt and the compact distance and pit road style combine for tension like a tight rubber band. So it was for the Xfinity Series US Marine Corps 250.
The variables were very active Saturday evening (March 29, 2025) at Martinsville Speedway with 14 cautions. Rewards were on the line as well. There was the $100,000 payout for the Dash 4 Cash award and a 100 milestone Xfinity win for Richard Childress Racing.
It came to pass with a wildcard win for Austin Hill. Those tensions were building and those variables were making moves to push to the front. Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith bumped with Smith rebumping in turn three and into the final, overtime turn. Cars buckled and went towards the wall. Racing under with just a bit of a tap on the breaking #7 of Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill pushed through to the front, the front stretch and the win.
Hill was up front for less than a quarter of a lap. He was the 14th leader and the winner. Behind his win the jumble of cars mixed and mashed up into a mess on the front stretch.
Sheldon Creed and Justin Allgaier were in line for second and third. Brennan Poole and Sam Mayer filled out the top five.
Full Photo Gallery – US Marine Corps 250 – Martinsville Speedway – March 29, 2025
