NASCAR Truck Series: 5 tracks to add to the Truck Series schedule

Virginia International Raceway

Virginia International Raceway is located in Alton, Virginia. The facility has many configurations, ranging from 1.10 miles to 4.20 miles in length. Virginia International Raceway is arguably the wild card of the five race tracks discussed in this article.

Currently, it is not on any NASCAR-sanctioned series schedule. It last hosted a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race in 2016, a race that was won by current Xfinity Series driver Austin Cindric. At the moment, neither NASCAR nor Virginia International Raceway have shown any interest in adding the race track to the Truck Series schedule.

When the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East raced at Virginia International Raceway in 2016, that race consisted of 55 laps equating to 123.8 miles, as NASCAR used the 2.25-mile course. The race lasted a little over two hours.

The only other road course on the Truck Series schedule is Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Those races consist of 64 laps around the 2.459-mile track for a total of 157.376 miles. A 150-mile race at Virginia International Raceway, using the 2.25-mile configuration, equates to 67 laps. NASCAR would need to determine if that race length would be satisfactory for everyone involved.

The Truck Series races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park are often the most exciting. Another race at a road course would build on that popularity. For the race teams, it would be a second race to use their road course trucks.

Everyone involved would benefit from a Truck Series race at Virginia International Raceway. The track is located about two and a half hours from Charlotte, an hour away from Martinsville Speedway, three hours away from Richmond Raceway and four hours away from Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Xfinity Series and Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on a Friday and Saturday, respectively. I suggest a Truck Series race at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday to follow. NASCAR could also market that Sunday race as the culmination of the race weekend.

However, because NASCAR already races at other nearby tracks, is that market already sufficiently saturated? Combined, the three major NASCAR series race in the state of Virginia eight times. Would fans go to another race in that region, or would NASCAR rather give an existing road course such as Road America a Truck Series race date?

Although the Truck Series will not race in April 2019, the series competes at a variety of tracks to begin the season. Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway that often produces massive wrecks. Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway are 1.5-mile tracks. Those three tracks require quality equipment to maintain those high speeds.

Martinsville Speedway is a short track, so some trucks will probably receive damage. Added up, there is a possibility that many trucks will need repairs. Teams may use April 2019 to repair their trucks and prepare for the rest of the season.

As far as the infrastructure, Matt Weaver told me that “Any of the road courses, like VIR, could [host a Truck Series race] as long as it features the safety facilities and media/hospitality aspects NASCAR requires.”

Virginia International Raceway boasts that it was “recently chosen as one of Car and Driver Magazine’s top six road courses in the nation.” Andy Lally, praised for his road course racing abilities by David Starr, tweeted this about the track.

The track itself may need upgrades, though, as noted by Aaron Bearden. Fellow NASCAR driver Ryan Ellis tweeted this.

Still, with the right upgrades, the track may fulfill the requirements to host a Truck Series race. Furthermore, Truck Series drivers want another road course added to the schedule, so NASCAR may reach out to Virginia International Raceway to gauge the track’s interest in upgrading and hosting a NASCAR Truck Series race.