NASCAR Features – Inside Circle Track

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Jeremy Clements: “I just want to be competitive”

Jeremy Clements posted a solid season in 2019. The Spartanburg, SC native’s four top-10 finishes were more than he had scored in any single season of his career. Further, the driver who completed his ninth season as a NASCAR Xfinity Series regular had an average finishing position of 16.9 which was another career best. And consider too that the small family operation’s success came after getting a late start going into the campaign compared to their competitors. In the end, Clements managed a 14th place finish in the final Xfinity Series standings with a best race finish of fourth coming…

Which of this Solid Rookie Class Will Come Out on Top?

The class set to compete for 2020 Rookie of the Year honors on the NASCAR Cup Series is one of the most talented groups of first year drivers the sport has seen in a while. And what’s more, the four young stars seeking that title will be supported by some of the sport’s top organizations. Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Cole Custer and John Hunter Nemechek have indicted their intentions of collecting the trophy previously earned by the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch. While there have been talented classes to seek…

Don’t consider Kevin Harvick an underdog just because he isn’t with JGR

Three of the drivers that make up the Championship 4 going into the season finale and title deciding Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway have something in common. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex, Jr. all drive for Joe Gibbs Racing and it doesn’t take much of a math wizard to deduce that the organization owned by the legendary football coach has a 75% chance of claiming the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series trophy. As a result of there being three of the four drivers still standing with a shot at earning one of auto racing’s most prestigious crowns…

The pieces are falling into place for Stewart Friesen to grab NGOTS title

By virtue of his win this past weekend at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Stewart Friesen will go into the Ford EcoBoost 200 with a chance to win the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship. The Canadian driver will be making his first run at a series title on Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway up against two-time NGOTS champion Matt Crafton, defending series champion Brett Moffitt, and three-time race winner Ross Chastain. Friesen himself has scored two victories in 2019 with the first coming on the dirt surface of Eldora Speedway prior to last week’s triumph in Arizona. With that, the…

Ty Majeski pleased with 2019 season ahead of NGOTS debut

Ty Majeski will be making his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut this weekend at ISM Raceway in Phoenix. And with all the success this racer has enjoyed, it would be very difficult to argue that the 25-year-old hasn’t earned the opportunity placed before him. The Seymour, Wis. native is in the midst of a great racing season that has seen him score major victories on the ARCA Menards Series as well as in Asphalt Late Model competition. Majeski will drive the No. 44 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports in Phoenix as a teammate to NGOTS championship contender Ross Chastain. Majeski…

Kevin Harvick and Team Fighting to Again Contend for a Title

Kevin Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing team are on somewhat unfamiliar ground as the AAA Texas 500 approaches this weekend. After having qualified as one of the four drivers to compete for a title in four of the past five season, the No. 4 crew is currently outside the NASCAR Playoffs cutoff with Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway and next week’s event at ISM Raceway in Phoenix remaining before the four racers who will contest the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship are decided. With Martin Truex, Jr. already locked into the Championship 4 by virtue of his win…

Mike Marlar hoping for more NASCAR opportunities

Mike Marlar is one of the most accomplished Dirt Late Model racers in America today. During the 2018 season he was crowned as the World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion which, added to major event victories such as his two Knoxville Late Model Nationals triumphs and his two Hillbilly 100 victories, gives the pilot of the No. 157 car a résumé that would be the envy of many in the sport. But even with all of those accomplishments, the Winfield, Tenn. driver wanted to add even more to his list of achievements. And this past summer, he did exactly…

The Numbers Indicate That Talladega Could Upset the Playoff Balance

Virtually every driver who is still involved in the NASCAR Playoffs has at some point mentioned their concern about this weekend’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 at the Talladega Super Speedway. This track, like no other within the playoff mix, holds the ability to completely shake up the standings during this ‘Round of 12’ segment of the championship deciding run toward the final race of the 2019 season in November. Simply having the best car, an outstanding pit crew, a well thought out strategy, or even a great driver may not be enough on this track to assure a win or even a…

Joey Logano needs to pick up performance in order to defend title

Joey Logano came into the 2019 version of the NASCAR Playoffs as the defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion. And after the first round of three races within the championship series of events he remains alive in hopes of capturing a second consecutive title. However, a look at the recent finishes compiled by the No. 22 Team Penske Ford might offer a bit of troubling evidence that the hope of claiming the top prize at the end of the day at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in November could be in jeopardy. Over the last ten races Logano has managed only…

Has Clint Bowyer done enough to remain with Stewart-Haas Racing?

After reading the headline of this piece you may have thought this would be about Clint Bowyer’s fourth place run on Sunday in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on the road course portion of the Charlotte Motor Speedway. And indeed, the 40-year-old driver did turn in a solid effort that lifted him from below the NASCAR Playoffs cut-line coming into the race to a position that would allow him to advance on to the ‘Round of 12’ moving forward. However, life on the modern-day Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is only partially considered successful based on a driver’s on-track…