The Skip Barber Racing School is coming to Virginia, with an $8.9 million project that will relocate the company’s headquarters to VIRginia International Raceway in Halifax County.
VIR will construct a 25,000-square-foot facility within the Motorsport Technology Park to lease to Skip Barber Racing School, billed as the world’s largest automotive education and entertainment company for the operation.
“Our relationship with Virginia started with VIRginia International Raceway. The more our team worked with Connie Nyholm and VIR, the more apparent it was that Virginia and Halifax Country would be the ideal location for our new headquarters,” said Anthony DeMonte, CEO of Skip Barber, which was founded in 1975 by the former Formula 1 driver.
The school counts as its alumni two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, current NASCAR Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger, and former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick.
The company also operates the Skip Barber Formula Race Series, fields championship race teams in TC and TC America, creates innovative OEM programs that elevate the finest automotive marques, and produces corporate programs that build teamwork and recognize outstanding achievement.
“This is an exciting addition to the VIRginia Motorsport Technology Park located on property at Virginia International Raceway,” Halifax County Administrator Scott Simpson said. “The Skip Barber Racing School’s decision to locate here and create 24 new jobs is tremendous. Halifax County and the IDA have been working very closely with VIR to add complementary business resources to the VIRginia Motorsport Technology Park, and Skip Barber will be an asset to the continued growth and expansion of our automotive and tourism sector in Halifax County and at VIR.”
VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road course located on a 1,300-acre parcel in Alton, near the Virginia-North Carolina border, that offers professional and amateur auto and motorcycle racing as well as a wide range of track events.
“We want to thank both the governor’s office and Halifax County for working so diligently with us to secure an opportunity for the Skip Barber Racing School to relocate their home to the VIRginia Motorsport Technology Park,” said Connie Nyholm, CEO and co-owner of VIR. “Motorsport runs deep in Southern Virginia, and this will add further depth to our already robust network of motorsport businesses here on-site and in Halifax County.”
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Halifax County, the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority, and the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to secure the project for Virginia.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin approved a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Halifax County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission has approved a grant for $32,500 from the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund for the project.
The company is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.
“We are proud to welcome Skip Barber Racing School to the Commonwealth, adding another corporate headquarters operation to our growing roster,” Youngkin said. “VIRginia International Raceway is an invaluable employer in Halifax County, a tourism and economic development driver in Southern Virginia, and a top road course in the nation. These assets helped attract Skip Barber, and we look forward to supporting the company as it boosts the Commonwealth’s growing auto racing industry and creates new, high-paying jobs.”
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Chris Graham
