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Gentleman,
Start Your Engines
Virginia
has what it takes to be a contender in motor sports. A
little help from the state could jump start local
development of this fast-growing industry.
The
Commonwealth of Virginia has a rich tradition in the
field of motor sports. Each year, hundreds of thousands
of visitors come to partake in what has become one of
America’s favorite pastimes. When it comes to motor
sports, Virginia can satisfy virtually every race fan.
If
you like Nascar Winston Cup, which has become the number
one spectator sport in America, the Commonwealth hosts
the top series four times per year, twice each at
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) and Martinsville
Speedway (plus twice right across the border in Bristol,
Tennessee). Big Daddy’s South Boston Speedway has
Nascar late model stocks and hosts the Nascar Craftsmen
Truck Series once per year. For open wheel fans, RIR
also plays host to the Indy Racing League and the USAC
Silver Crown cars. The Sawyers, the original developers
of RIR, have a new venture: bringing traditional dirt
track racing to Virginia fans at Virginia Motor Speedway
in Saluda.
For
road race enthusiasts, Virginia International Raceway (VIR)
near Danville has a complete schedule of road racing
including: vintage racing, featuring historic racing
cars from Formula 1 to Ferraris; the Grand Am Rolex
series, featuring sports prototypes and Porsches,
Corvettes and Ferraris; and events sanctioned by the
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). For drag racing fans,
Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) in Dinwiddie hosts a
national event of the International Hot Rod Association
(IHRA). Motorcycle fans can watch the AMA Superbikes at
VIR, the AMA Prostar Series at VMP and can compete in
motorcross at VMP and several other tracks around the
state.
According
to the National Speedway Directory, there are 27
racetracks in the Commonwealth, divided about equally
into ovals that feature stock cars and modifieds and
drag strips that have a wide range of car and bike
competition. Virtually every weekend, some form of
racing is taking place across the state, from the Scope
Arena in Norfolk to Lonesome Pine International Speedway
in Coeburn. The tourism benefits of motor sports isn't
limited to event spectators -- it includes the
participants. Thousands of people per year come to
Virginia every year to compete in the complete spectrum
of racing, from near professional level racing to club
events.
The
Commonwealth has wisely invested over the years to
promote motor sports for its tourism benefits. Modest
funding has leveraged promotional activities through
programs like the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s
Cooperative Advertising Program, a victim,
unfortunately, of the budget shortfall this year.
Moreover, the state recently has provided infrastructure
assistance at two racetracks in Southside Virginia, both
utilizing funds from the Tobacco Indemnification and
Community Revitalization Commission.
Motor
sports, however, is about more than tourism. Countless
businesses in the Commonwealth exist to support motor
sports. Examples include the well-known Nascar teams
like the Wood Brothers and Morgan McClure Motorsports,
as well as lesser known businesses like Arrington
Engines in Martinsville, which builds Nascar engines,
and Sasco Motorsports at VIR, which prepares race cars
and sells race tires.
Quietly
and behind the scenes, a bipartisan effort is underway
to utilize our abundant motor sports assets to foster
economic development. Secretary of Commerce and Trade
Michael J. Schewel and Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville,
who owns a race team and is an accomplished racer, U.S.
Rep. Virgil Goode, R-5th, and others are leading a move
to develop a strategy for expanding the motor sports
industry. While the focus is initially on Southside,
because of the dramatic job losses and high unemployment
rates affecting that part of the state, the initiative
has statewide aspects.
Look
across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom as an example
of how to use existing assets to bring more jobs to the
Commonwealth. According the Virginia Economic
Development Partnership, the motor sports industry in
the U.K. has grown substantially in the past decade, and
has led more than 4,000 companies with about 150,000
employees to cluster within an 850-square-mile crescent
in the south-midland region.
Here
in Virginia, the city of Hampton is seeking to
capitalize on the rapid growth expected in the motor
sports field. Partnering with NASA Langley Research
Center and Old Dominion University, Hampton is seeking
to promote NASA's wind tunnels, technology resources and
industry expertise to the high-performance automotive
industry. From industry trade shows to joint marketing
materials, the Hampton effort seeks to increase
awareness of motor sports assets in Hampton and the
region.
Motor
sports is a growth industry, and several states are
trying to position themselves as the location for motor
sports businesses. None of these efforts has taken a
clear lead yet, and Virginia should work to position
itself as the industrial capital of motor sports. Or
even better, this might be an area where a multi-state
effort -- always very difficult to foster in the
winner-takes-all world of economic development -- should
be developed, to position the Southeast as a world
capital of motor sports industry.
Among
the kinds of programs that would assist Virginia would
be tax incentives and other economic development tools
to entice motor sports entities and ancillary industries
to the region. Government needs to examine what
additional hard assets would enhance the region’s
competitiveness for motor sports entities and ancillary
industries. Moreover, a dedicated marketing team at the
Virginia Economic Development Partnership could market
the Commonwealth around the world in this specialized
field.
Virginia
has great institutions of higher education and a
talented labor pool. When it comes to motor racing, the
race tracks and fan base are there. With the right
combination of government assistance and private sector
investment, Virginia can take the checkered flag in this
growing area of economic development.
--
May 19, 2003
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