Category: NASCAR Blogs

*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’s good that Denny Hamlin is embracing the role of villain, isn’t it? Richard: Racing, or any sport for that matter, needs a good villain. Fans not only need an individual or team to root for but also one to root against. However, it’s not easy to play the role of the ‘bad guy’ because not many people want to get booed when their name is…

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Martin Truex Jr. will enter Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway 7 points out of the top-12 in the standings. With this being third contest held within the first round of the NASCAR Playoffs, the checkered flag will bring about the first set of cuts from the championship hunt. A total of four drivers will see their hopes of a title at season’s end evaporate. Despite having won three races so far in 2023 and being the regular season champion, finishes of 18th at Darlington and 36th at Kansas have landed Truex in the 13th…

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NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer announced recently that stage breaks, which had been eliminated for the road course races held so far in 2023, will be put back in place for the upcoming Bank of America ROVAL 400 on the road course at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Senior Vice President of Competition pointed out that the sanctioning body, along with participants and other partners, were in agreement for the sake of uniformity throughout the NASCAR Playoffs. Although there have been no yellow flags at the end of stages on road courses this season, points were still awarded after the predetermined number…

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*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. Tire wear makes racing better, right? Richard: The answer to this question is absolutely. More tire wear results in pit strategy becoming more of a factor. In Kansas we saw teams short pit, almost like they do in Formula 1, trying to hit pit road a couple of laps before the driver just ahead in hopes of getting back out on track and making up ground…

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*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. Is Rick Hendrick the greatest NASCAR team owner of all time? Richard: In his post-race media availability at Darlington on Sunday night, Southern 500 winner Kyle Larson stated that, “Rick has stamped himself as the greatest owner of all time.” That statement came as the result of a media member pointing out that Hendrick Motorsports is on the brink of reaching 300 NASCAR Cup Series wins….

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*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. What driver will make a deeper run in the NASCAR Playoffs than anyone is expecting? Richard: I’m not sure that a former champion who has as much experience as he does fits the question or not but I am going to say that Brad Keselowski makes it at least into the ‘Round of 8’. Even though it hasn’t been the No. 6 Ford doing the winning,…

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The quick and easy answer for the question posed in the headline of this piece is yes. So-called racing purists may argue that the Daytona International Speedway is known for massive crashes, unpredictable drafting that can push whoever happens to be fortunate enough to be in the lane with momentum to the front of the pack, and team/manufacturer groupings that cause those in each group to be obligated to follow the group-think strategy. Much of what happens to a particular driver is out of that driver’s control. Based on that explanation, a track that has so many variables outside one’s…

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*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. What has happened to the road courses? Richard: When the Next Gen came along it looked promising in the beginning. Racing on the much-scorned intermediate tracks seemed to improve. And if that proved to be a long-term fix, it would be great news for NASCAR. After all, the road courses and short tracks would take car of themselves, right? Well, that is not proving to be…

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*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. Indy RC vs Indy oval? Richard: It seems like the races held on the Indianapolis Road Course have been a bit hit or miss. The 2023 version had the feel-good story of Michael McDowell and his lesser financed Front Row Motorsports team winning to lock themselves into the NASCAR Playoffs, but in reality, the racing was pretty good though not necessarily great. Overall, it was a…

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Bubba Wallace entered last weekend’s ‘Verizon 200 at the Brickyard’ NASCAR Cup Series race in relatively good shape as far as making the NASCAR Playoffs is concerned. The 23XI Racing driver was 15th in the standings a full 36 points ahead of Michael McDowell(16th) and 38 markers above the cutline. However, that race held on the road course at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway proved to be a worst case scenario for the Mobile, Alabama native. Neither Wallace nor McDowell had a victory to their credit entering that event but due to the fact that, unlike last season, there had…

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