Va. Tech unveils new racers for VIPER program

BLACKSBURG — The racecar that Petty Enterprises donated to Virginia Tech’s VIPER program was unveiled to the public Thursday before the Hokies’ game against Maryland.

The car sported Virginia Tech’s orange and maroon colors, and the famous No. 43 associated with racing legend Richard Petty was replaced with VT, according to a news release. An image of Tech’s Hokie Bird mascot was displayed on the car’s roof.

VIPER, which stands for Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research, is one of several mechanical engineering labs at Danville’s Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, a partner with Virginia Tech.

The VIPER Service vehicle received a new Dodge engine and other power-train parts making it ready for collecting track data for research projects.

Richard and Kyle Petty donated the car, and a twin, to the Virginia Tech Foundation, so mechanical engineering graduate students at VIPER’s facilities in Halifax County and at the Institute can get experience. The second car is Petty colors all the way.