A Living History of Virginia International Raceway
by William J. King
This history lesson was originally set to be published in segments, and we reviewed the first of those back in May of 2013. That plan has now been abandoned, however, and the entire project finished at once, so that we recently received a full set of pages taking the story from the earliest days of the site, way back in the 19th century, through to its resurrection from disuse and decay at the turn of the 21st century.
As we wrote nearly two years ago: author “King’s narrative, intimately illustrated by a fine selection of photographs and maps from the VIR archives, begins by reviewing the ownership records of the land for the venue as it passed from hand to hand in the various families that wrote its history.”
The new parts of the book take the reader from the track’s inaugural weekend in 1957 through to its closure in 1974, then fill in any missing bits with Appendices addressing Lap Records, Race Winners, famed drivers and SCCA National Champions who raced there, a Tribute to the Volunteer Workers who made it all possible, and a closing segment with comments about the place. The full ring-bound volume is available directly from the track for $70 at http://virnow.com/about-vir/merchandise/. If you previously ordered the first installment, you should be able to get the rest for $35.
