THORNBURG, Va. — You can catch a glimpse looking to your right while traveling north on Interstate 95, right around mile marker 119. Or, while fueling your car at the Sheetz off Exit 118, you can peek over the adjacent landscape and see the teaser that is “NASCAR” in bold letters distinguishing the top of an otherwise unsuspecting building in the distance.
The venue is relatively hidden to passersby. The view from the interstate is mostly obstructed by a line of trees. The rolling northeastern Virginia terrain conceals what’s located at the bottom of a hill off nearby Route 606.
Once discovered, though, Dominion Raceway leaves an incredible impression.
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Dominion Raceway is many things to many people. To NASCAR, it’s a top-of-the-line home track that hosts Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series competition. The 4/10-mile asphalt oval with uniform banking is prime for thrilling racing from the featured Late Model division, as well as Virginia Modifieds, Dominion Stocks, Legends, Bandoleros and more.
To others, Dominion Raceway is the area’s hub for entertainment. Yes, it’s Disney World for racing lovers, as the venue in addition to its short track features a two-mile road course and a 1/8-mile drag strip, that latter of which offers street racing every Friday night. Dominion also hosts concerts in its Groove Music Hall. Above that music hall is The 118 Bar & Grill, a full-service restaurant and bar.
The amusement factory is the brainchild of co-founders Jerry Evans and Steve Britt, the latter of whom managed Old Dominion Speedway in nearby Manassas before he sold the old track in 2012 in order to lay the groundwork for what would be called Dominion Raceway and Entertainment.
Britt, his wife Cari and his son Will all work events at Dominion, with Will being the venue’s do-it-all handy man. A large chunk of those who work with the Britts to manage operations at Dominion are life-long friends. They all had smiles on their faces throughout the night of March 30, their 2024 Weekly Series season-opener.
For the second year in a row, Dominion’s short-track racing schedule began with the Dickie Boswell Memorial. The 200-lap Late Model feature headlining the show offered $7,500 to the winner, with the purse of special awards a result of donations from businesses and fans.
Such a special race at such a magnificent venue is the perfect tribute to the late Boswell, a veteran short-track competitor and legend of the region who scored more than 50 wins at Old Dominion Speedway. Boswell passed away in 2021.
The 2024 running of the Dickie Boswell Memorial was arguably more special than the first, as it featured an appearance from Dickie’s son Richard, who serves as Chase Briscoe’s crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series. Briscoe was in attendance Saturday signing autographs.
“Richard had asked if I would be willing to go and just support the race,” Briscoe said. “Anything I can do to help the Boswell family, I want to do. They’ve been so good to me and super important to me.
“I’ve been with Richard since 2018, and I got to know Dickie. I just know how much Richard’s dad meant to him. How much he talks about him and how much losing Dickie affected them.”
Briscoe noted he actually wanted to run the 200-lap Late Model feature, but he wasn’t able to arrange a ride in time.
Even if he would have raced, the driver of the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series likely would have struggled to beat Doug Barnes Jr., the short-track racing star who’s won both Dickie Boswell Memorial 200s to date. Barnes utilized patience to surge to the front in the second half of Saturday’s race and cruise to the checkered flag.
“Air Doug” is one of several who compete at Dominion on a somewhat regular basis. The track is challenging, but it attracts many of the best short-track racers along the East Coast. It’s also the home track of ARCA Menards Series team Mullins Racing.
Dominion will continue to attract visitors like Briscoe, as well.
“I want us to continue aligning [the Dickie Boswell Memorial] with the Richmond [Cup Series] race,” communications director Brandon Fuller said. “We coordinated to get Richard Boswell at [Dominion] with his family, so maybe we can get a few more Cup drivers for an autograph session or in the actual race.”
Saturday’s event was a success in every regard. The parking lot that covers the massive stretch of land between the oval track and the service road was packed; overflow parking was required along that service road. The grandstands, suites and infield spots were full, as were the parking spaces for tailgaters outside the fence of Turns 3-4.
There were food trucks. There was music. There was a t-shirt cannon. One didn’t necessarily need hundreds of laps of racing to be entertained. The sensory overload was in full effect regardless.
That’s what makes Dominion Raceway so unique. There’s a something-for-everyone vibe that becomes immediately evident upon arrival. It’s the manifestation of the vision with which Evans and Britt operated as they cleared land for construction of the facility they opened in 2016.
Now they have the perfect place to honor a man like Dickie Boswell, who loved being part of the racing community. The communal nature of Dominion Raceway in itself is a tribute.