A record 19 drivers have entered the fifth and sixth rounds of the 2011 Dodge Viper Cup series at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The two-race weekend will see a championship battle among race winners Ben Keating, Jeff Courtney and 21-year-old A.J. Morgan, a two-time winner in four races this season.

“At the midpoint of our second season, we’’re seeing some great competition in the Dodge Viper Cup series in 2011,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Street and Racing Technology and Motorsports. “With our largest field ever this weekend at VIR, it’s certainly setting up to be an exciting and close race to crown the series champion later this year at Daytona.”

Joining the race-hardened competitors on July 9-11 are three drivers, Brad Gorrondona, Bernie Katz and Marc Montour, all running in their first season of Viper Cup competition. The field will also be joined by two celebrity drivers, Chris Burandt and Brian Makse.

Burandt is a professional snowmobiler and back-country adventure guide. After acquiring the nickname “Big Air Burandt,” he used a newly-learned snowmobile back flip to help win Gold at the 2007 ESPN Winter X Games first-ever Snowmobile Freestyle event. He won the Winter X Games silver medal in 2010 and has been a two-time freestyle Rider of the Year.

Makse, an auto writer for major Canadian publications and a driving instructor and coach for decades. He won the 2009 and 2010 National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Great Lakes racing championships well as the 2010 NASA Great Lakes time trial championship. He holds 10 current track records as well.

Celebrity drivers are hand-picked and specially trained for the Viper Cup competition, which they do for charity. The highest finishing celebrity earns $2,000 and the next receives $1,000 for donation. In 2010, Dodge Motorsports donated almost $50,000 to various charities as part of the program.