They say that Virginia is for lovers. Well, if you’re a lover of Modifieds, then you have to love that this weekend is a big doubleheader for pavement Modifieds in the Commonwealth.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Richmond Raceway in the state capital for the second year in a row on Friday night for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150. Then on Saturday, the SMART Modified Tour takes on the legendary South Boston Speedway for 99 laps of action in the Flyin’ VA 99.

Three-time and defending champion Justin Bonsignore will be looking to rebound in a big way on Friday at Richmond after troubles at the season-opener at New Smyrna Speedway in February put him in an early hole.

Bonsignore’s main challenger for the championship in 2021, Patrick Emerling, is also on the entry list for Friday’s race at Richmond. Emerling is hoping for better fortune this time as mechanical issues put him out of the race early the last time the Modified Tour rolled into Richmond last September.

Multi-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Ryan Newman is making his return to the Modified field as well on Friday night. Newman has a Cup Series win on his resume at Richmond coming back in 2003. Newman finished fourth in last year’s Modified race at Richmond. He’s seeking his first Modified victory since 2011.

VIDEO: Eric Goodale will also be a contender after a runner-up finish to start the year at New Smyrna. 

Returning to the seat of a Modified after a lengthy absence is two-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, Donny Lia. Lia has not competed in a NASCAR Modified race since 2017. He will be piloting the legendary Boehler Racing Enterprises No. 3 machine, affectionately known as “Ole Blue.”

On Saturday, the SMART Modified Tour will pay tribute to southern Modified racing legend, Ray Hendrick at South Boston.

Headlining the entry list is Pennsylvania’s Matt Hirschman, who has two wins in three SMART races already this season to go along with his four wins at New Smyrna Speedway’s World Series of Asphalt back in February.

Also on the entry list is the most recent series winner, Caleb Heady. Heady held off defending series champion Burt Myers and Hirschman on old tires to win the most recent series race at Caraway Speedway.

A couple of drivers are actually expected to do double-duty at both Richmond and South Boston. Kyle Ebersole is expected to bring his No. 5 FURY Race Cars machine from Richmond to South Boston on Saturday, and joining him will be Florida’s Jeremy Gerstner. However, Gerstner will be racing for two different teams throughout the weekend.

All in all, Modified fans are getting 249 scheduled laps of racing between Richmond Raceway and South Boston Speedway on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Race fans can watch both events live on FloRacing each night. If you’re a lover of Modifieds, it’s hard not to love that.