Old Dominion Speedway

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Old Dominion Speedway
Location Manassas, Virginia
Opened 1952
Major Events NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
Circuit Length 0.6 km (3/8 mi)

Old Dominion Speedway (ODS) is a 3/8 mile (0.6 km) NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and drag racing track in Manassas, Virginia (near Washington DC). The Potomac News reported in August 2006 that the track had been sold and that it would be leveled by developers in around a year.[1][2] In early 2007 the track announced that a slumping housing market caused the deal to fall through. No closing date is currently pending.[3]

Contents

[edit] Drag strip

The track hosts Friday night drag races and Wednesday evening Test and Tunes. Weekly divisions include: Super Pro, Foot Brake, Motorcycle, Quick 16, and Top Street 6.0. The drag strip was originally an 1/8 mile dirt strip that quite possibly held the first ever official sanctioned drag race.

[edit] Oval track

The 3/8 mile track hosts Saturday night Late Model, Mini Modifieds, and UCARS. The track recently combined the Grand Stock and Late Model divisions trying to gain car count in the feature division. The Late Models now run on 8 inch tires and there are a host of weight and carburator rules depending on what type of motor is in the car. The track will host INEX legends cars almost every week during the 2008 season, and will host a regional qualifier race for the national championship on July 5th. The track was built as a dirt track in 1952 and was paved in 1953.

[edit] Drifting

Slideways holds monthly drift practice and competition events at Old Dominion Speedway. The banked oval allows for some of the highest speed drifting on the east coast. US Drift also holds one of their competition series at ODS every year.

[edit] Special events

The track hosts monster trucks, a U.S. Drift sanctioned drifting event, and car shows. The premier event at Old Dominion is "The Big One" held at the end of the season. It sees the highest car counts, biggest purse, and more spectators than most events. It is a non points race for the Late Models, allowing the drivers to go all out to win. 2007's winners were as follows:

Late Model: Dustin Storm

Legends: Matt Cannon

U-Cars: Steve Purks

The 2008 "Big One" is tentativley scheduled for September 27th.

[edit] NASCAR history

The track was called Longview Speedway before the Gore family purchased it. The track hosted Grand National (now NEXTEL Cup) races in 1958 and from 1963 to 1966.[4] Former racing greats such as Richard Petty, Ralph Earnhardt, and Ned Jarrett have raced at ODS. In recent years, Mark McFarland won several track championships and Denny Hamlin raced there. Current driver for the #88 Champion Spark Plugs Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, Richard Boswell also made his start at this track. Many other USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series drivers, such as Jack Bailey, and Trevor Bayne have also raced at ODS.

[edit] NASCAR winners

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Old Dominion Speedway sold Staff reports Aug 02, 2006"; Matthew Stanmyre; Potomac News; Retrieved January 17, 2007
  2. ^ "ODS to keep racing - for now"; Matt Stanmyre; February 13, 2007 Potomac News; Retrieved February 25, 2007
  3. ^ "Old Dominion Speedway"; August 21, 2006 Potomac News; Retrieved January 17, 2007
  4. ^ NASCAR Track Grand National History; Retrieved February 25, 2007

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 38°43′27″N, 77°27′56″W