Dominion Raceway will host one of the richest Late Model Stock Car races in the country on a Thursday night in September.
Last week, the track announced they would be running a $10,000-to-win, 150 lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock Car race on Thursday, September 7th. With a $10,000 payout to the winner, the race will be one of only four Late Model Stock Car races paying $10,000 or more to win.
“Yeah, it’s a special night,” Dominion Raceway general manager Edwin Pardue told Race22.com. “Nobody else is running on a Thursday so it’s something we can do for the drivers and the fans.”
The event, which has been dubbed “W.O. Grubb Friends and Family Night”, will be held on the eve of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Richmond Raceway. With Dominion Raceway being located just off Interstate 95 in Thornburg, Virginia, which is about halfway between Richmond and Washington, D.C., Pardue feels the track will capture the attention of fans traveling to Richmond for the NASCAR event that serves as the regular season finale in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
“It’s the second year we’ve done a Thursday race,” Pardue explained. “We work with Richmond Raceway and the idea is, the fans get into town early so give them a Thursday night race at Dominion so they can come down Thursday night. We’ve done some cross marketing with Richmond Raceway. We kind of kick the weekend off with our race on Thursday. I think Richmond Raceway is here Saturday night to do some promotion with it.”
While a mid-week race featuring a hefty payout is not uncommon in other disciplines of short track racing, dirt and asphalt, it is unconventional in Southeast Asphalt Late Model racing where races are generally only held on Friday or Saturday nights with very few exceptions. Being held on a Thursday night, and leading into a NASCAR race, Pardue expects the race to bring some exposure to the Spotsylvania County track.
“It’s not the normal thing but we think it kicks the weekend off early,” Pardue remarked. “It’s unique for our fans and racers. We try to make this part of Virginia a hot bed for racing and we can take this early fall weekend and shine the spotlight on short track racing here and Richmond, it’s a win for fans, marketing partners, racers will have a fun time.”
Pardue has hefty expectations for the race, especially since Dominion Raceway has attracted heavy hitters all season long.
“You don’t know who is there until they roll in but I would expect a full field and then some. I would say, from a fan standpoint, I would put this with the must-see Late Model races … Peyton Sellers has been here, we’ve had some nice crowd. Those weekends when guys aren’t at their home tracks, they run with us. Great racing, great for our fans, great for our racers as well.”
Edwin Pardue comes to Dominion Raceway having previously worked with track owner Steve Britt at Old Dominion Speedway – the historic 3/8-mile Manassas, Virginia track that closed in 2012 and was eventually replaced by the astonishing Dominion facility. The goal for the track has been to entertain fans and do so in an evolving climate for short track racing.
“[Old Dominion Speedway] was a different era,” Pardue stated. “Now you have to look at what special stuff can you do for the fans to make coming out to the track more of an attractive event for them. We do pace car rides, fan fest, we try to make it more than coming out and watch. It’s more interactive. You see it in other motorsports, look at pre-show in other stuff, it’s got to be the whole thing. The racing here is unbelievable, it’s side-by-side, product is great. Now, how can we put the icing on the cake?”
The fan experience at Dominion Raceway is one-of-a-kind. The track features a VIP experience at a General Admission price.
“It’s like club level at a football game,” Pardue boasted. “You can sit at air-conditioned restaurant or bar, and then when it cools off and the sun sets, go outside and sit in the stands and watch. People will come early and eat dinner. It is a different program in that respect.”
Aside from its state of the art facilities that provide one of the most unique experiences in short track racing, Dominion Raceway, which is a progressively banked 4/10-mile oval, has become known for breathtaking racing and photofinishes.
“It’s insane, it’s really good,” Pardue said enthusiastically. “The track plays into that and then you’ve got super competitive drivers. The racing between Barnes, Oakley, Hughes and some guys who have visited, Cameron Burke has won a race and Logan Jones looks poised to win, you’ve got six to eight guys who can win.”
On top of paying $10,000-to-win, Pardue says Dominion Raceway will be making announcement in the days ahead about contingency awards and other incentives for racers to compete in the 150-lapper.
For more information about Dominion Raceway, visit the track’s website at http://ovaltrack.dominionraceway.com/.
