Richard Allen – Inside Circle Track

Articles posted by Richard Allen

Racing doesn’t want to be “that guy”

Everyone knows a person who is often thought of as “that guy”. He’s the one who seems to always make a mistake that winds up costing others more work or hardship. No one ever wants to be “that guy”. Along that line, if there is anyone out there who wants racing to return more than I do, I would like to meet that person … from a safe distance, of course. Even with a great desire by many to see cars circling race tracks at high speed, the likelihood of such a thing actually happening in the very near future…

Will iRacing experience the same boost NASCAR got from the 1979 Daytona 500?

Many consider the 1979 Daytona 500 to be the most important race in the history of NASCAR. There were so many things to go right for the sport on that February day that it almost seemed as if a perfect Hollywood script had been written with everything falling perfectly into place just like the ending of a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. A hard fought battle throughout the full distance of the race ended with a last lap crash and a fight between drivers Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison that was ultimately joined by Bobby Allison. Furthermore, the sport’s most legendary…

We Are in the Process of Redefining Everything We Know

Who would have thought, even as recently as three weeks ago, we would have all been sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon watching a virtual race at a time when a NASCAR Cup Series race was scheduled? Well, that’s the world we now live in, at least for the next several weeks at best. But as this world-wide outbreak of COVID-19 carries on, there will no doubt be even more re-definitions of those things we thought we once knew taking place. Things we had previously taken for granted such as live sports on television are now, for the time…

Postponements could provide opportunities to experiment with NASCAR’s schedule

While there is certainly much to lament as far as the loss of races is concerned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR could potentially be able to use the aftermath of the restrictions on social gatherings that have resulted in postponements and cancellations as a testing ground for long talked about ideas. Obviously, not playing a part in the further spread of the illness is the immediate priority for all sports leagues, including NASCAR. But when this crisis ends and life returns to some degree of normalcy, the NASCAR events lost will potentially be rescheduled. So far, NASCAR has been…

What will become of the NASCAR free agent class of 2020?

Every year there are drivers who find themselves as free agents looking to either keep their current ride or land a new one. However, 2020 has a somewhat large group of pilots who find themselves in that very position as the season plays out. So throughout this campaign there will be plenty of jockeying as both drivers and teams work to position themselves in the best possible situations for the years to come. And while we’re only heading into the fifth racing weekend of the season, it’s never too early to start thinking about what will happen beyond this year….

NASCAR’s short track package calmed some fears in Phoenix

It is easy to criticize NASCAR for the things we don’t like. And last year after the race held at Phoenix Raceway in November there was plenty of criticism going around, including from this writer. The aerodynamic changes that had been made to the cars coming into the 2019 season had seemingly improved the racing on the 1.5 to 2-mile race tracks, which was badly needed. However, that same package appeared to have hurt racing on the short tracks and road courses, where the competition had been quite good prior to the new stipulations. When NASCAR released its 2020 schedule…

Corey Heim set for run with CARS “Touring 12”

Corey Heim may only be 17 years old but he has already built an impressive résumé as a race car driver. The Marietta, GA rising star scored a big Super Late Model win in the SpeedFest 200 in his home state at Watermelon Capital Speedway back in January. As for the remainder of 2020 season the young driver looks to take on a varied schedule that will include some starts on the ARCA Menards Series as well as in his Super Late Model. The victory at Watermelon Capital was particularly thrilling as Heim edged Kyle Plott by inches at the…

Derek Griffith working toward more opportunities in ARCA ride

Coming into February’s World Series of Asphalt held at the New Smyrna Speedway many who follow short track racing knew the name of Hudson, New Hampshire driver Derek Griffith. Following that series of races that took place over nine days at the Florida track many more knew the name of Derek Griffith. The 23-year-old racer won the World Series of Asphalt championship in the Super Late Model division by scoring one feature win and stringing together five podium finishes with no result worse than seventh in the seven contested events for that class. But the race that perhaps garnered the…

Is it more important to have a great car or a great driver?

Whether it be media members or fans, we all have a tendency to give certain drivers too much credit or too little credit when they win races. At the same time, there is a tendency by some to lavish all credit on the car and the team when a particular driver succeeds while offering little acknowledgement to the person behind the steering wheel. “Driver X wins so many races because he has the best car” is a phrase often used when it is believed that a person considered to be a less talented driver scores victories. Conversely, “Driver X is…

This writer owes Ryan Newman for reviving my interest in dirt racing

In the fall of 2006 I was serving as the cross country coach at Seymour High School when the sports editor for the local newspaper in Sevier County, Tennessee came to do a pre-season story on the team. During our conversation the reporter remarked that he did not know for sure when the story would run being that he was very overworked as the only sports journalist in a county with four high schools, each with multiple sports teams, trying to fill his section of The Mountain Press. I thought about that conversation for a couple of days then decided…