VIR - May 1958 Pre-race Press
Virginia International Raceway - May 4-5, 1958
April 26, 1958
Photo -Walt Hansgen - Leader at VIR
Strong Field To Start
VIR Car Races May 3-4
DANVILLE, Va., April 26 (AP) - Unquestionably the strongest big car field ever entered at Virginia International Raceway will be on hand May 3-4 for the 1958 national championship spring sprint sports car road races, including the national leader, Walt Hansgen of Westfield, N.J.
Hansgen currently is listed to ride the D-Jaguar which took him to the 1957 title, but the Briggs Cunningham team might switch the stocky champion to the new Lister Jaguar as it did a week ago at Upper Marlboro, Md. Eddie Crawford of Chicago will also drive for the Jaguar team.
Lance Reventlow of Florida and California is a late entry in a specially built Corvette which will be running for the first time in the East, but this is only one of the top competitors in the feature hour race, which highlights the 5-1/2 hours of road racing at the 3.2-mile rolling read course east of here.
Bark Henry of Washington has a 300S Maserati which won at Nassau two years ago, and Duncan Black of Parkton, Md., drives the 4.5 Ferrari which took first President's Cup. Driving the same Ferrari Testa Rosa he did at Sebring will be Gaston Andrey of Newton, Mass., and young David Cunningham of New York has a brand new Ferrari GT. Other D-Jaguars will be piloted by Jim Robinson of Alexandria, Va., and George Constantine of Boston, Mass. The first Porsche RS Spyders will be driven by Bob Holbert of Warrington, Pa., and Roy Schechter of Miami.
Eight races are set, for Sunday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Saturday's practice runs and time trials begin at 10 a.m. and continue until dusk. President Ed Kemm announced that VIR was in top shape for the sports car grind.
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