Doug Fritz is in his 10th season as president at Richmond International Raceway, which will host the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 this Saturday night.

A 1981 graduate of Virginia Tech, Fritz talked recently about his two greatest passions away from work -- motorcycles and Virginia Tech Hokies' football -- and why he loves the special place RIR occupies on NASCAR's Cup schedule.

Question: Your fall race never fails to live up to expectations heading into the Chase. How excited are you about this year's event?

“

The emotions and the tempers around the garage are throughout the weekend prior to the race on Saturday, you just have a different feeling. You can sense the drivers' intensity.

”

-- DOUG FRITZ

Fritz: This is the sixth year we've been the last race before the Chase. What makes it neat is that the drivers are talking about Richmond when they open up the garage in Daytona (to start the season). They know where it's at on the schedule and what's involved, and that they want to be in the top 12 in points going into the final 10 races. They know that path leads right through Richmond.

So it's been great from a driver standpoint, from a fan standpoint, from a media standpoint. We think -- and a lot of people agree -- that this is the perfect race track to help set the field for the final 10 races that determine the championship. It truly is a fan favorite. We've seen some great, awesome racing the last five years in this last race to get into the Chase, and we expect a really good show again this year. You've got some guys trying to get in and some guys trying desperately to hold on and stay in the top 12. It's definitely going to get pretty dicey for some of those guys.

Q: When the Chase began in 2004, was there any apprehension on your part about being placed on the schedule as the last "regular-season race" as opposed to being in the actual Chase itself?

Fritz: When Brian France and Mike Helton and the NASCAR team developed this idea, immediately a light went off that this was really going to be good for Richmond fans and Richmond International Raceway. I think we immediately knew this had some real potential -- knowing the value of either you're going to be in the playoffs like in other major sports, or you're not going to make it. We knew we would be playing a critical role in that determination of teams being in or out.

From the beginning, it's just gotten bigger and better. I think the Chase has lived up to what NASCAR and the drivers expected it to be. We're just proud to be a part of it and glad to be on the schedule where we are. ... The emotions and the tempers around the garage are throughout the weekend prior to the race on Saturday, you just have a different feeling. You can sense the drivers' intensity and how important this is if you're on the bubble, and you have a chance of being in or getting knocked out. It's a lot of pressure on those race teams, and you can sense it in the garage area.

Q: Switching gears, let's talk about a couple of your off-the-track passions -- starting with riding your Harley motorcycles. How many do you have, and how long have you been riding?

Fritz: I've got two. I've got the original one I purchased and started riding in 1997 -- a Harley-Davidson Softail and I've also got a Harley-Davidson Road King as well, for longer trips. I enjoy getting away and the outdoors. It's been a pretty big passion of mine for a number of years.

Q: What are a couple of the more interesting places you've been able to ride to?

Fritz: Some buddies of mine from high school still stay in touch. We try to make two trips a year -- in the fall and in the spring. ... Most times we ride together through the mountains of southwest Virginia and North Carolina and Tennessee, down in that area. Just the opportunity to be riding through the mountains in the open air with a bunch of my high-school buddies is really neat experience. The scenery, especially in the fall when the foliage is changing colors, is really beautiful.

Q: So are you guys like the characters in the movie Wild Hogs?

Fritz isn't sure which 'wild hog' he is, but he knows it isn't John Travolta.

Fritz: (Laughing) I guess pretty close to that, I would say. That was indeed a good movie.

Q: Which character would you say you most closely resemble? Maybe the one played by actor John Travolta?

Fritz: I don't have the looks nor the dancing ability of John Travolta, so I'd probably be somewhere in the middle of those guys. I definitely wouldn't mess with any other bikers like they did in the movie. It was an entertaining show, but we try to avoid conflict when we can.

Q: Tell us how serious you are about one of your other off-the-track passions -- Virginia Tech football?

Fritz: We actually had a PR function a couple of weeks back with (driver) Denny Hamlin and Coach Frank Beamer down in Blacksburg, Va. It was a great opportunity for Denny Hamlin and myself to spend some time with the team and the coaching staff down there.

Q: Coach Beamer has even served as grand marshal of one of your races previously, right?

Fritz: He got the opportunity to wave the flag and still remembers that moment in the starter's stand. He's been here a number of times and is a big supporter of our program. And as you know, a lot of those athletes wind up on crews for race teams at various levels in NASCAR. So there is good synergy between college football players and the activities here at the race track.

Q: So you know Beamer pretty well?

Fritz: Real well. He's a close friend and, like I said, he's been here a number of times. We chat when I get the chance to go to some games down in Blacksburg, and talk on the phone from time to time. He's a big race fan and I'm a big Hokie fan, so we definitely have a lot in common.

Q: He might be a little busy this Saturday, so will he be able to make this race coming up?

Fritz: They've got an afternoon game against Marshall. If there was any way he could get up here for the Saturday night race, I know he'd do it. But right now he's focused on his football season and he said it's unlikely he'll be able to get up here for the race. If there is a way, though, I'm sure he'll try to do it. Typically he gets to come to our spring race and is a little too busy to come in the fall.