SPOTSYLVANIA, VA :: Late Model Stock Car racing is coming back to Northern Virginia. The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday night to rezone the Dominion Raceway property and to approve a special use permit thus completing the approval process and paving the way for construction to begin and the track to open in 2014.
Dominion Raceway is hoping to have construction complete on an oval track, drag strip and road course in time to open for the 2014 racing season. Late last year, Old Dominion Speedway closed down. Track owner Steve Britt announced that he was planning on building a new track in another location.
While other locations were rumored for the track, Britt ultimately decided the Thornburg location was the only option for construction of the new Dominion Raceway complex.
The track did run in to opposition from a group of residents that called themselves “The Coalition to Preserve the Thornburg Countryside” but the group generally lacked a coherent and factual message. The group spoke often about environmental impacts while saying office parks were needed in the region. The Coalition to Preserve the Thornburg Countryside claimed that the track itself would not have many jobs – but in an economy where millions are unemployed, few jobs are seen more favorably than no jobs. They also claimed the sport was dangerous for spectators and children by citing extremely rare incidents at other racetracks.
Last year, Doug Liberman won the track championship in Old Dominion Speedway’s final season of competition while former track champion Michael Hardin won the track’s last race in September. Former track champions Dustin Storm and Mike Darne also scored victories in the final season.
The decision to approve Dominion Raceway represents a tectonic shift in politics in the Baltimore-Washington area. In the past, it had been common for racetracks to shut down or not get approved. In 2002, the American Le Mans Series ran a race at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, but the race ended up being a one-off deal despite its potential due to complaints from District residents. Since then, however, an IZOD IndyCar Series in Baltimore, MD and now a racetrack in Thornburg, VA have both been met with approval and support from their respective local governments.
