Canceled race means less money for Dan River Region

News that the AMA superbike racing event scheduled in August at Virginia International Raceway was canceled hit fans hard.

Many fans and some businesses also worried about the impact to the local economy as one of the largest VIR events usually fills Danville hotels and restaurants.

General Manager Bob Deislinger of Texas Steakhouse & Saloon said the cancellation “absolutely” will have an impact for local businesses. Texas Steakhouse was a sponsor of the event in the past when it was called the Big Kahuna.

During past AMA motorcycle race weekends, the restaurant was noticeably busier, he said. Deislinger would like to see the event return in the future.

“It definitely was a very good week for us,” he said. “To me, it’s comparable to the business generated by the Martinsville race.”

Aunt Millie’s in Milton, N.C., gets a lot of business from the AMA Pro Racing event as it does from all VIR events, said owner Gwen McGuire. The pizza is popular for Danvillians and VIR-goers.

McGuire didn’t want to comment specifically about the cancellation until she learned more. She hopes the event will continue in the future.

“We get a lot of business from the AMA,” McGuire said. “We look forward to them coming every year.”

Jason Wood, of Richmond, had planned on spending his vacation camping at VIR for the race weekend. The road race instructor for Cornerspeed had been coming for the past eight years. He teaches at VIR.

“This is just a big disappointment,” Wood said.

Wood hopes he can reschedule a camping vacation somewhere at the last minute. He and his six buddies won’t be making the trip to the region and won’t be spending any money here now.

When not as his campsite, he would also eat at VIR’s Oak Tree Tavern, Aunt Millie’s or Danville restaurants.

Kim Talley, of Fairfax, who races motorcycles at VIR for fun, was considering coming in to watch the pros at work on a track she knows well. She attended a few times in the past.

“The whole weekend is just a blast,” Talley said.

She would even book a Danville hotel room a year in advance to alleviate worry about finding a room, as all the hotels fill up by the AMA weekend.

“It’s a huge event. It brings a ton of people,” she said.

That meant people would shop the vendors associated with the event. Additionally, she can’t imagine the hit Danville businesses would take because even a small drop in revenue can hurt in a down economy.

Talley would eat at Biscuitville in the mornings and wait in line at the packed Danville restaurants with other race fans.

“You name it, we’ve eaten there in Danville,” she said.

Rob Doss, of Hurt, was upset when he heard about the cancellation and chatted with friends about possible reasons on Facebook on Monday night.

He had already been planning for it, including getting tents and food ready. He put it on his calendar every year for the past 10 years.

He knows local businesses will miss the extra economic stimulation. Now, he worries the cancellation could risk having the AMA at VIR in the future.

“It’s just a shame because there are only so many big-time sporting events we can get in this area,” Doss said.

Danville hotel owners or operators could not be reached for comment or declined comment.