The calendar is quickly opening 2026 with tracks and racing going hot while the temperatures keep a chill. IMSA and the Rolex 24 are ready to go. NASCAR will have Bowman Gray and the Cookout Clash. The Daytona 500 is on the horizon.
Virginia tracks are getting ready. Rules and schedules are being published from South Boston to Winchester, from Dominion to Wythe, from Shenandoah to Elk Creek…
There are, however, some big news for Virginia racing in 2026…
The Pulaski County Motorsports Park (Motor Mile Speedway) has published their plans to go green for the 2026 racing season. The track went dark following 2023 with changes in ownership and management. The 0.416‑mile paved oval and adjacent drag strip were donated to Pulaski County by David Hagan and Larry Shelor in 2024. County planners are set to open the oval and the strip with a schedule to run March through September, featuring both local divisions and regional touring series. It’s also a recent announcement through published social media that the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) is taking a larger role at the facility including track management and the IHRA late model series for the region.
There is another track, much more than simply down for a couple of seasons like Pulaski but was all but swallowed by nature and forgotten, that is coming back to the land of the racing. This track is set between Roanoke and Martinsville off route 220 a bit. Oak Level (yeah… really) has been weeded and graded and re-carved from the roots and ruts that had taken over. A rough history as Fork Mountain and Oak Level has racing there in some form from the 1960s to 2013 (give or take). Now, early testing for 2026 is on with a schedule being set and division rules placed online.
One of the forces behind Oak Level had just recently pulled another dirt track back from the brink. Langley Austin is taking his experience with the Ararat Bullring revival to Oak Level. Coordinating schedules and resources between the two is a challenge he is pushing into 2026. Ararat also has schedules and rules published for the upcoming season.
But wait, there’s more…
The circumstances are cloudy but the management that dove in hard for 2025 at Franklin County with what looked like some success is stepping back. Langley Austin is picking up those strings once again to manage the Franklin County Speedway (name change back after a year as Franklin County Raceway). He had previously worked for several years to keep the track racing. An opening schedule is out for the new season with more information coming.
It’s challenging enough to run one track but Langley has his hands on three. His team will be pulling some of the weight of it all but it will be fan support that carries it.
Up in the mountains of Western Virginia, Lonesome Pine is making changes and plans. Announcements and activity are pointing to facility upgrades in preparation for the 2026 season. These changes are very significant including a full track repave and pit road improvements. Repairs to grandstands and concessions, new track lights and bleachers, a new press box and new bathrooms are on the agenda. The track will operate under a NASCAR Regional Sanction for 2026. With the upgrades and financial commitment, the new owners seem to be focused on the fans as well as the drivers and racing.
It was also announced in 2024 that Southside Speedway, a historic racing spot in southwest Richmond, had been leased with options and plans for bringing the facility back to life after closing in 2020. Upgrades and planning, as close as can tell, are still ongoing. There were discussions of racing this year (2026) but that is still a work in progress. It will be one to watch.
A little further south, Southampton Motor Speedway is also facing changes for the year. An ongoing challenge to bring the track back has had schedules with drifting and karting mixed with car shows and other events. There are potential name changes in the mix as Southampton Motorplex with a schedule out. The speedway website also mentions an upcoming schedule.
Natural Bridge continues to pace forward. There were some sketchy times a few years ago but concerned people took the lead and a new owner stepped in with upgrades that have put the dirt oval on a good foundation. The drag strip also showed life in 2025 and the new year plans are in the works (with a question… but hoping)
The options for motorsport fans in Virginia is wide open. NASCAR at Martinsville and Richmond, IMSA at Virginia International Raceway, NHRA at Virginia Motorsports Park… Plus the huge offering of local and grassroots racing… Go racing, Virginia!