Race Tracks in Virginia
Virginia's motorsport scene stretches from two NASCAR Cup dates - Martinsville Speedway's short-track paperclip and Richmond Raceway's D-shaped three-quarter mile - down to a dense network of weekly short tracks and one of the country's best road courses. Virginia International Raceway in Alton hosts IMSA, SCCA, and NASA regional racing on a 3.27-mile, 17-turn layout carved into the Piedmont hills, while Dominion Raceway near Fredericksburg pairs a paved oval with its own 2-mile road course and karting facility. Weekly short-track racing runs deep here: South Boston Speedway and Langley Speedway both carry NASCAR Weekly Series sanctions, and Motor Mile Speedway, Natural Bridge Speedway, Virginia Motor Speedway, and Wythe Raceway all run regular late-model, modified, and dirt-class programs through the season. Drag racing centers on Virginia Motorsports Park near Petersburg, an NHRA-sanctioned quarter-mile now transitioning to IHRA ownership, after Richmond Dragway's 2020 closure left the Richmond area without a strip. Southside Speedway, shuttered since 2019, is working through a county-approved revival aimed at reopening by 2027.
16 venues listed across 5 categories. Venues with a full RaceTrackWorld guide are linked.
Road courses in Virginia
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia International Raceway | Alton | 3.27 mi | 17-turn permanent road course on the North Carolina border, host to IMSA, SCCA Runoffs, NASA, and extensive HPDE/club track-day programs across five configurations. |
| Dominion Raceway Road Course | Thornburg | 2 mi | 2-mile, 36-foot-wide road course on the Dominion Raceway campus alongside the oval and karting track; hosts SCCA Track Night, superkart, and amateur road racing. |
Ovals and speedways in Virginia
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsville Speedway | Ridgeway | 0.526 mi | The shortest track on the NASCAR Cup schedule, a flat paperclip oval hosting Cup, Xfinity, and Truck races every spring and fall since 1949. |
| Richmond Raceway | Richmond | 0.75 mi | D-shaped three-quarter-mile oval known as "America's premier short track," hosting two NASCAR Cup weekends a year. |
| South Boston Speedway | South Boston | 0.4 mi | Paved four-tenths-mile short track running the full NASCAR Weekly Series card (Late Model Stock, Limited Sportsman, Pure Stock, Hornets) plus SMART Modified Tour events. |
| Langley Speedway | Hampton | 0.395 mi | Paved short track in Hampton Roads running NASCAR Weekly Series divisions and broadcast on FloRacing. |
| Dominion Raceway Oval | Thornburg | 0.4 mi | Paved four-tenths-mile short track built in 2016, part of a multi-configuration Dominion Raceway & Entertainment complex with oval, road course, drag strip, and karting. |
| Motor Mile Speedway | Fairlawn | 0.4 mi | Formerly Pulaski County Speedway/New River Valley Speedway, renamed Motor Mile Speedway in 2004; hosts weekly Late Model racing and SMART Modified Tour dates alongside an on-site drag strip. |
| Virginia Motor Speedway | Jamaica | 0.5 mi | Half-mile dirt oval running Late Model, Sportsman, Modified, and Limited Stock classes; briefly paused racing operations for the 2025 season before resuming events. |
| Natural Bridge Speedway | Natural Bridge | 0.375 mi | Three-eighths-mile semi-banked clay oval in the Shenandoah Valley under Amanda Enterprises Speedway LLC ownership, running Late Model and Street Stock classes Saturday nights April through October. |
| Wythe Raceway | Rural Retreat | 0.5 mi | Family-owned half-mile clay oval since 1970, running dirt late model, open-wheel modified, super street, and pro mini classes April through October. |
| Southside SpeedwayDormant | Midlothian | 0.333 mi | One-third-mile paved oval closed since its final 2019 season; Chesterfield County approved a 20-year lease-to-own revival in 2026 with a target reopening around 2027. |
Drag strips in Virginia
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Motorsports Park | Dinwiddie | 0.25 mi | NHRA-sanctioned quarter-mile national event strip near Petersburg, also home to the Dirtplex mud-bog area; agreement announced in 2026 to transition ownership to the International Hot Rod Association. |
| Dominion Raceway Dragstrip | Thornburg | 0.25 mi | Eighth/quarter-mile drag strip on the Dominion Raceway campus running grudge, bracket, and test-and-tune events. |
Karting in Virginia
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominion Raceway Karting | Thornburg | — | Outdoor kart track on the Dominion Raceway property offering club and rental karting alongside the oval, road course, and drag strip. |
Closed and historic in Virginia
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond DragwayClosed | Sandston | 0.25 mi | Closed 2020. Quarter-mile strip near Richmond International Airport, sold to a real-estate developer after the COVID-19 shutdown ended weekly racing; no reopening planned. |
Race tracks near the big cities in Virginia
Near Richmond
- Richmond Raceway · about 15 min
- Southside Speedway · about 25 min
- Virginia Motorsports Park · about 30 min
- Dominion Raceway Road Course · about 45 min
Near Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads
- Langley Speedway · about 20 min
- Virginia Motor Speedway · about 60 min
Near Washington D.C. exurbs (Northern Virginia)
- Dominion Raceway Road Course · about 60 min
Near Roanoke
- Motor Mile Speedway · about 40 min
- Natural Bridge Speedway · about 45 min
- Martinsville Speedway · about 55 min
- Wythe Raceway · about 70 min
Near Danville/South Boston
- South Boston Speedway · about 30 min
- Martinsville Speedway · about 55 min
- Virginia International Raceway · about 60 min
Major race weekends in Virginia
| Event | Venue | When | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup at Martinsville (spring) | Martinsville Speedway | April | NASCAR Cup |
| NASCAR Cup at Martinsville (Xfinity 500) | Martinsville Speedway | October/November | NASCAR Cup |
| Cook Out 400 | Richmond Raceway | August | NASCAR Cup |
| NFPA 250 / IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250 | Richmond Raceway | August | NASCAR Xfinity/Truck |
| IMSA / SCCA Runoffs weekends | Virginia International Raceway | Varies (spring-fall) | IMSA / SCCA |
| King of the Modifieds | South Boston Speedway | March | SMART Modified Tour |
Track days and driving experiences in Virginia
Virginia International Raceway is the region's premier destination for street-car track days, hosting NASA and SCCA regional weekends plus club HPDE days across several of its configurations most of the year - budget roughly $300-600 per day depending on group and run-time. Dominion Raceway's 2-mile road course near Fredericksburg runs SCCA Track Night in America sessions and superkart events for a more accessible midweek option closer to D.C. and Richmond. Karters get club racing at Dominion's outdoor kart track, and short-track hopefuls can inquire directly with South Boston, Langley, Motor Mile, Natural Bridge, and Wythe about rookie or practice sessions ahead of their weekly race nights.
Frequently asked questions
Does this page cover horse racing venues?+
No. This guide covers motor racing only. Virginia's Thoroughbred and steeplechase venues, such as Colonial Downs, are outside this page's scope.
Is Virginia International Raceway the same as VIRginia Motorsports Park?+
No, they're different facilities. Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton is a road course near the North Carolina border; Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie is an NHRA drag strip south of Richmond.
Where can I watch NASCAR racing in Virginia?+
Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway both host NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series weekends. South Boston Speedway and Langley Speedway run the grassroots NASCAR Weekly Series most Friday or Saturday nights in season.
Is Southside Speedway racing again?+
Not yet as of this writing. The Midlothian short track closed after 2019, but Chesterfield County approved a lease-to-own revival deal in 2026, with organizers targeting a reopening around 2027.
What happened to Richmond Dragway?+
It closed in 2020 after the COVID-19 shutdown and was sold to a real-estate developer. There is no NHRA/IHRA drag strip currently operating in the immediate Richmond area; Virginia Motorsports Park near Petersburg is the closest option.
Where can I find weekly dirt-track racing in Virginia?+
Natural Bridge Speedway, Virginia Motor Speedway, and Wythe Raceway all run regular Saturday-night dirt programs (late models, sportsman, and street classes) from spring through fall.
Venue list checked against 23 sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.
Virginia track guides on RaceTrackWorld
Martinsville Speedway
Address: 340 Speedway Rd Ridgeway, VA 24148 USA Website: https://www.martinsvillespeedway.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: 877-722-3849 ...
Richmond Raceway
Address: 600 E Laburnum Ave., Richmond VA 23222 USA Website: https://www.richmondraceway.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 866-455-72...
Virginia International Raceway
Address: 1245 Pine Tree Rd, Alton VA 24520 USA Website: https://virnow.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+)14348227700 Hotels Near Virgi...