Some drivers quickly approaching “Must Win” status

As every reader of this post surely already knows, sixteen drivers will qualify for the NASCAR Playoffs when the final cut is made following the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the Daytona International Speedway in late August. Any driver eligible for NASCAR Cup Series points who has won a race up to that point will be among those vying for a championship provided that there have been sixteen or fewer race winners. If there are fewer than sixteen winners, the remaining spots will be filled by the winless drivers who have accumulated the most points. After the first 10 races…

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Turn 2 Blog: Do people watch Talladega just for the crashes?

*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideCircleTrack.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the NASCAR and pavement short track racing topics of the day. It seems pretty obvious over the past few years that the sport of NASCAR racing is in the midst of a major change. This season has marked the entry of a new car that seems to favor younger drivers as the under 30 crowd has won numerous races so far. With that said, it appears as if the bigger stars are being phased out. An example…

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Dirt racing at Bristol likely to continue into the future

When it was first announced that the Bristol Motor Speedway would be covered with dirt for the purpose of having the NASCAR Cup Series contest its first race on clay since 1970, there was a great deal of excitement as well as many questions on the parts of fans, media, and competitors. Ultimately, the 2021 version of the Food City Dirt Race played out to mixed reviews after being interrupted by heavy rain and then turning into a very dusty affair on a Monday afternoon. While some appreciated the move by the sanctioning body to make a return to dirt…

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Turn 2 Blog: Dirt experience doesn’t seem to matter at Bristol

*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideCircleTrack.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the NASCAR and pavement short track racing topics of the day. There have now been two NASCAR Cup Series and two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races held on the dirt surface at the Bristol Motor Speedway and none have been won by drivers with extensive dirt racing experience. Is having a dirt background really an advantage in these races? Richard: As the time approaches for the dirt races at Bristol to take place, I and probably…

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Mike Marlar set for another NASCAR Truck run at Bristol

Mike Marlar is making a habit of competing in NASCAR whenever that sanctioning body contests an event on dirt. The 44-year-old driver steered both a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ride and a NASCAR Cup Series machine around the dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway in 2021. Prior to that, the Winfield, Tennessee driver who earned the 2018 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series championship had driven to a 4th place finish in the 2019 Eldora Dirt Derby on the Truck Series at the Eldora Speedway in Ohio. Marlar will, as he did at Eldora in 2019, drive for Reaume…

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Dirt Late Model drivers describe Bristol track’s readiness for NASCAR

The NASCAR Cup Series raced on a dirt-surfaced track last year for the first time since 1970 when the high banked Bristol Motor Speedway had its concrete covered by a layer of clay. The 2021 version of the Food City Dirt Race faced a number of challenges as it was the first time dirt had been placed on the half-mile facility in two decades so there was a learning process to go through. Further, heavy rain fell leading into the events for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Cup Series which made the dirt more difficult to…

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Ty Gibbs: NASCAR’s newest villain?

Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch have multiple things in common. Each either was or is immensely talented behind the wheel of a race car. Each of these fierce competitors is ranked among the winningest drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history. Each of these drivers have won multiple championships. But also, each of these drivers, at least among certain portions of the NASCAR fanbase, was or has been regarded as a villain at one time or another. Racing needs that character in the black hat whose actions not only deter or even intimidate competitors but also riles…

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Turn 2 Blog: The Next Gen on Short Tracks & Does NASCAR Need Dirt?

*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideCircleTrack.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the NASCAR and pavement short track racing topics of the day. So far in the 2022 season there have been two NASCAR Cup Series short track races(Richmond & Martinsville) and both have been remarkably uneventful. While the Next Gen car seems to have improved the racing on the intermediate tracks, has it done so at the expense of the short tracks? Richard: The first two short track races of 2022 have been rather uneventful. There were a…

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Zane Smith and Front Row proving to be a strong Truck Series combination

Whenever a driver joins forces with a different team it seems logical to expect there to be an adjustment period to take place before that new combination can begin to enjoy success. That has definitely not been the case for driver Zane Smith and the Front Motorsports team early on in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. As a matter of fact, the new pairing has proven to be the class of the field up to this point in the 2022 campaign. Following a successful 2021 season that saw Todd Gilliland score a win along with ten top-five and…

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Late Race Contact: It’s either right or wrong and you can’t see it both ways

The topic of what is and isn’t acceptable in terms of contact between race cars on the last lap or during green/white/checkered finishes has been a hot topic of debate over the last two weekends. The wild endings in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race as well as NASCAR Cup Series event at the Circuit of the Americas along with the battle coming to the checkered flag in the NASCAR Xfinity Series show at the Richmond Raceway have stirred a good deal of conversation. And as is usually the case, it seems as if fans are deciding what is…

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