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Richmond International Raceway officially rebrands as Richmond Raceway (Richmond) reflecting a bold brand identity to forge a greater connection to the local roots of racing in RVA and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The new brand logo unites the past and present to showcase the vibrant future of the sport at Richmond Raceway.

The new Richmond Raceway brand identity has a simplified color palette of red and black. Pantone® Black represents the track’s iconic Richmond night racing experience. Red (Pantone® 185C) signifies the red stripes that are part of the past and present of the track walls and logo. The double RR’s in the logo are inspired by the organization’s Richmond International Raceway logo introduced in 1988 designed by Sam Bass, who is NASCAR’s first officially licensed artist. Bass is a Hopewell, V.A. native and Virginia Commonwealth University graduate. 

The new Richmond wall badge announced before the spring race is the foundation of the new brand logo showing the prominence and importance of the region to the future of the track. The red block around the double RR’s is a direct correlation to the red stripes, which returned to the track walls for the first time since 1988.

The checkered flag pattern next to “Raceway” in the logo is a connection to the flag in the vintage Richmond Raceway Fairgrounds logo. It is also a recognition of the Racing Virginia heritage in the Commonwealth as well as our loyal RICHMOND NATION members.

“The new Richmond Raceway brand identity represents the bold, bright future of the track while recognizing our historic legacy in motorsports,” said Richmond President Dennis Bickmeier. “When fans come to the track for our iconic racing experience, they will know they are part of the fabric of the greater Richmond region.”

The new Richmond Raceway brand identity was developed in cooperation with Madison+Main, a Richmond-based brand communications agency. Richmond Raceway is the first change to the organization’s name since it shifted from the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway to Richmond International Raceway in 1988. It is also the first new brand mark since the track’s “oval” logo was introduced in 2001.

“This rebranding project was a great collaborative effort, and one that our entire team is especially proud of,” said David Saunders, Chief Idea Officer of Madison+Main. “Richmond Raceway is an iconic, legendary brand and we wanted to create a simple, bold mark — built on its successful history and vision — in order to create a brand identity that works now and in the future.” In addition to the new Richmond Raceway logo, new brand marks are being introduced for the Richmond Raceway Complex and The Classic Amphitheater. The new Richmond Raceway branding will also extend to additional logos associated with the track including RICHMOND NATION and 3-Wide Hospitality. The Raceway’s charitable arm, RIR Cares, will also undergo a brand change at a later date.

Richmond Raceway’s digital properties have been updated as part of the rebrand. The track’s website has changed from rir.com to richmondraceway.com. Staff email addresses have also changed from ending in @rir.com to @richmondraceway.com. Existing URLs and emails will redirect or forward, respectively. @RIRInsider across most social platforms has also changed to @RichmondRaceway. For the full list of rebranded social channels, visit richmondraceway.com/socialmedia.

To learn more about the new Richmond Raceway brand, visit richmondraceway.com/rebrand. The webpage includes additional information about the rebrand as well as a downloadable style guide and logo assets.

Chaos returns to Richmond with two nights of racing “under the lights” on Sept. 8-9. The NASCAR fall race weekend, presented by Who’s Your Driver, will showcase 14-time most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his final, career, two-race appearance at America’s Premier Short Track.

The weekend gets started on Friday, Sept. 8, with on-track practice for both series and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Pole Qualifying for both weekend races. The action then dials up as the rising stars of tomorrow compete in the Virginia529 College Savings 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at 7:30 p.m.