Virginia International Raceway - October ??, 1958
Newspaper Column, October 1958
The sports car craze has come South, as reflected by the field of entries for the Autumn Festival Sports Car Races at Virginia International Raceway this weekend.
Before the opening of VIR 18 months ago, a sports car in these parts was something at which to gape. That they now are taken in stride is shown by a score of entries from Virginia and North Carolina for this weekend's program.
The cars range from the souped-up Lister-Corvette of Fred Windridge, of the Alexandria area, to the tiny Berkleys of Henry Locke, of Raleigh, N. C., Ben Warren, of Danville, and Jack Davis, of Triangle.
The drivers range from novices like Robert Stewart, of Chapel Hill, N. C., who drives an Alfa Romeo, to such veteran national point leaders as Windridge and Col. Fred Moore, of Arlington (Austin Healey).
Coastal Virginia is especially well represented by: Frank Motley, Virginia Beach, Jaguar XK-140; John August, Newport News, Austin Healey; Walter L. Anderson, Norfolk, Austin-Healey; S. E. Clark, Norfolk, PBC; George Ragsdale, Norfolk, AC Bristol.
In addition to Moore and Windridge, others from northern Virginia are Bob Rosenthal, Arlington, Corvette, and W. M. Verbeck, Arlington, MG.
Others from North Carolina include Ed Welch and Alex Kyrus, of Winston-Salem, who team in AC Bristols, and Gene Parsons, of Chapel Hill, who drives an E-Modified Maserati.
Warren, who is Danville's first driver to receive his Sports Car Club of America competition license, plans to pilot his AC Bristol in Sunday's second race as well as his Berkley in the first race for smaller cars. More "local color" will be added by Madison McClintic, of Farmville, in a Triumph. Joe Grant, a Danville disc jockey, is seeking to qualify as a novice sports car jockey in time to enter his Austin Healey in Saturday's novice race.
In addition to Saturday's novice race, there will be hours of practice and trial runs. Sunday's program opens at 11:30 a. m. with three races scheduled, covering 224 miles. The track, one of America's finest, is located in a picturesque bend of Dan River 11 miles east of Danville.