CONNIE NYHOLM

Connie Nyholm had never set foot on a racetrack until 1998, when she and Harvey Siegel decided to resurrect Virginia International Raceway. The duo came to motorsports after successful real estate careers, though their motivations differed; Siegel was a racing enthusiast and competed in vintage racing events all over the country, while Nyholm wanted to live near Martinsville, where she grew up, after spending years in New York.

Soon, Nyholm caught the bug for the sport, and raced vintage cars for about 10 years. “It’s very exciting,” she says. “It’s all about finding that little edge to win.”

Big dreams have fueled the transformation of the raceway from the weed-infested facility she first acquired into one of the premier road courses in the U.S. VIR is now a motorsports resort — complete with two hotels, a motorsports country club, 13,000 square feet of meeting space, a pool and more. And Nyholm dreams it will become the most-recognized road course in the country.

“We’re on the way, we just have big dreams,” she says. “We’ll never run out of things to do.”

While the hundreds of events at the raceway give Nyholm plenty to do, she finds time for sailing and other adventure travel. She’s also passionate about mentorship opportunities, be it fostering the on-site small businesses that operate at VIR, seeing her own team excel or helping to create a welcoming environment in motorsports for other women. And she strives to set a simple example: “If you can see her, you can be her.”

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