HSR NASCAR Classic Celebrates First Anniversary Where the Historic Stock Car Series Debuted
VIR Follows Next Weekend’s HSR NASCAR Classic at the Go Bowling at The Glen, August 8-10, at Watkins Glen International
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – The HSR NASCAR Classic presented by Goodyear marks its first anniversary this September when it returns to the site of its series’ debut last year at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR), and that’s worth a celebration!
Officials from VIR and HSR announced today that the HSR NASCAR Classic presented by Goodyear Celebration will be among the featured races at the HSR VIR Historics, September 5-7, on the 3.27-mile Southern Virginia road course.
The HSR VIR Historics is the first full-series HSR event on the competitor-favorite circuit since 2018, and the HSR NASCAR Classic presented by Goodyear series will be one of the main events in the race-weekend spotlight.
The return engagement brings HSR NASCAR Classic back to the track where the series premiered last year in a support role on the IMSA Michelin GT Challenge race weekend.
Open to stock cars that have been retired from active competition, last year’s HSR NASCAR Classic presented by Goodyear introduction was in response to the increasing popularity of the Group 8 Historic Stock Cars category with HSR competitors and fans alike. The series was an instant hit, building a must-see buzz throughout the IMSA paddock and with the solid crowd of spectators in attendance last year at the VIR debut.
“The HSR NASCAR Classic series was a success last year on our IMSA Michelin GT Challenge weekend, and we expect the enthusiasm and following for the championship to be even stronger as part of the returning HSR VIR Historics,” said VIR Owner and CEO Connie Nyholm. “We have been working closely with our friends and colleagues in Daytona Beach the last couple of years to bring a full HSR race weekend back to VIR, and we were finally able to make it happen, just in time for our 25th Anniversary, Reborn! The bonus comes with the addition of the new NASCAR Classic series to the weekend, which will be very popular with our race fans and competitors here in stock car country.”
Located just on the border of North Carolina, VIR is in a “target rich” location due to the sheer number of NASCAR Classic eligible cars and loyal stock car racing fans in the surrounding and nearby regions.
“We are so excited to return to VIR for a full weekend of HSR competition, including the HSR NASCAR Classic presented by Goodyear after last year’s outstanding series debut,” said HSR President John Doonan. “The three words that come to mind when I think of the NASCAR Classic presented by Goodyear Celebration at VIR are ‘location, location, location!’ This area is very much a part of the heart of the NASCAR community, and you even go through North Carolina a bit just a couple of miles before the VIR main gate in the drive to the track. We are working closely with Connie Nyholm, Kerrigan Smith, and everyone on the VIR team to get the word out now on the VIR Historics and NASCAR Classic and look forward to a great turnout of competitors and race fans in September at VIR.”
The NASCAR Classic Celebration is among the headline events on the packed VIR Historics weekend that also includes HSR’s Run Group 4 division for historic open-wheel cars, points-paying rounds of the HSR WeatherTech Sprint and B.R.M. Endurance Challenge series and feature series races such as the SascoSports International/American Challenge presented by Hoosier and HSR Global GT.
A private test day for HSR competitors on Thursday, September 4, sets the stage for three full days of official competition at VIR Friday through Sunday.
The new VIR Historics date brings HSR to town later in the year than the most recent trio of HSR race weekends at the track held on or around Memorial Day weekend from 2016 through 2018, but the early-autumn date works perfectly for the HSR NASCAR Classic series.
Tickets for the HSR VIR Historics, September 5-7, are available at http://www.VIRNow.com.
Next up for the HSR NASCAR Classic presented by Goodyear is next weekend’s Go Bowling at The Glen full NASCAR event at Watkins Glen International, August 8-9. This year’s race marks the third-straight appearance for HSR historic stock cars on the New York track’s NASCAR weekend following last year’s NASCAR Classic debut and a demonstration race in 2023.