HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Thousands of fans will descend upon the Richmond International Raceway this weekend as they have for almost 70 years, but the president is thinking of the future as Richmond International Raceway has hired two consulting firms to come up with potential plans for developing 1,000 plus acres.
“What does the next 70 years look like for Richmond International Raceway,” said RIR President Dennis Brickmeier during a radio interview on the Jimmy Barrett show on WRVA Friday morning.
Brickmeier says one of the firms, HOK, specializes in sports stadiums.
“HOK has designed some of the best stadiums and arenas around the country,” said Brickmeier.
The president even left the door open for a new stadium for the Flying Squirrels.
“Our relationship with the Squirrels is a fantastic one. We’ve had some very exploratory conversations with those guys,” said Brickmeier.
“The Richmond Flying Squirrels have had a longstanding relationship with the Richmond International Raceway and it continues to be strong, in fact, we’re looking forward to being at the races tonight and tomorrow,” said Squirrels COO Todd “Parney” Parnell.
Parnell says they’re still looking for a permanent home but are encouraged.
“The feelings that we’ve gotten from dealing with the counties and the city recently is we’re going to be able to move forward,” said Parnell.
“We are incredibly excited about the potential that exist at RIR,” said Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas.
Vithoulkas says it could have a huge impact on that area.
“It is all about revitalization. With sports tourism, the things that have very beneficial to Henrico and the entire region,” said Vithoulkas.
The county manager says even if the Flying Squirrels don’t end up there, the future looks very bright for that area.
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