Inside Circle Track

Will dirt racing experience finally pay off in Bristol?

The first two versions of the Food City Dirt race on the clay covered Bristol Motor Speedway have been won by drivers with very little dirt racing familiarity. Joey Logano won the inaugural running of this event back in 2021 then Kyle Busch took advantage of a spin in the final set of turns by two drivers with previous dirt experience to capture the checkered flag in 2022. Going into the 2023 version of the only dirt race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, there are several drivers who have logged more than a few laps on dirt tracks in…

Bristol should continue as a dirt track beyond 2023 unless …

I’ll admit it. I got spoiled over the last couple of years getting to watch the biggest stars in Dirt Late Model and Sprint Car racing do battle on the high banks of the Bristol Motor Speedway. Big purses and the lure of one of the most iconic venues in all of motorsports was hard to resist for competitors which made covering those races a thrill. However, the usage of the legendary track during the time it has been covered in clay was greatly reduced this time around. A pair of events featuring the American All-Stars Pro Late Model Series…

Richmond provided statement win for Kyle Larson

It would be hard to imagine that anyone doubted the NASCAR Playoffs chances of Kyle Larson going into the 2023 season. However, a massive points penalty doled out to all four Hendrick Motorsports teams for an issue related to the hood louvers on the their Chevrolets, a suspension of crew chief Cliff Daniels, and consecutive runs that featured mishaps at least allowed some uncertainty to creep in. Following finishes of 18th and 29th in the Daytona 500 and at Fontana, California to kick off the season, Larson and the No. 5 team turned things around with results of 2nd and…

Is Richmond really a short track?

What exactly makes a racing venue a short track? One obvious answer to that question is the size of the track. The typically accepted measurement of a short track is most often thought to be a racing facility in which a lap covers less than one-mile in length. But another possible answer has to do with the style of racing that takes place on the track. It could be argued that short track racing features close-quarter action in a compact space that sometimes results in a little sheet metal rubbing. So even if a speedway measures less than one mile…

Striking similarities as Davenport and Busch go outside their comfort zones

Jonathan Davenport is very good when he is working within his comfort zone of a Dirt Late Model cockpit. Kyle Busch is very good when he is working within his comfort zone of a NASCAR cockpit. However, both of those highly accomplished racers are about to step outside their respective comfort zones when they participate in a much less familiar form of competition in the very near future. The 39-year-old Davenport will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series-sanctioned Food City Dirt Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway on April 9th driving a third Chevrolet entry for Kaulig Racing as a…

Bubba Wallace fighting “slippery slope of self-doubt”

For the second week in a row on the NASCAR Cup Series, driver Bubba Wallace experienced self-inflicted issues that ruined his day. And the 29-year-old 23XI Racing pilot expressed difficulty dealing that reality. On Sunday in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, the No. 23 Toyota was involved in an incident that ultimately resulted in an early end to his day and a 37th place finish. That issue came one week after Wallace spun without contact from any other car on lap 10 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway then tagged the inside…

It’s been quite a year for Ross Chastain

also Won Talladega Run ins with Hamlin, Elliott and this past weekend with Harvick 2 Xfinity wins- won at Vegas in 2018; won at Daytona for Kaulig in 2019 Looked like he was on his way until Sponsor debacle- DC Solar Went to truck series in 2019 and won 3 races and finished 2nd in standings for Niece Motorsports One year ago, Ross Chastain entered the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas without a win in the sport’s top division. But on that March 27th day, the Trackhouse Racing driver claimed his first…

Austin Hill making bid to show Cup teams he is worthy

There is no doubt that whenever a NASCAR Xfinity Series race is held on one of the super speedway style tracks Austin Hill will be among the contenders for the win. The 28-year-old driver’s victory on Saturday in the Raptor King of Tough 250 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway was his third triumph out of five races so far in 2023 and his second(combined with Daytona) on the tracks that call for drafting and pack racing. In all, Hill has amassed five wins at Daytona and Atlanta(since the reconfiguration) in the Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The…

Ford dominates Atlanta qualifying

After Chevrolet won the first four NASCAR Cup Series races of the 2023 season, Ford team roared to life during qualifying on Saturday afternoon at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The ‘Blue Oval’ machines for Team Penske grabbed the first three starting positions for Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 on the 1.5-mile track with Joey Logano’s lap of 177.374mph leading the way over Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney. The Ford teams of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing took the next five positions on the starting grid. The only Chevrolet represented in the final round of time-trials was the Hendrick Motorsports…

Penalties for Hendrick, Kaulig harsh but necessary

I will start this piece by saying that I am typically not in favor of having an abundance of rules in racing and over regulation. But NASCAR doesn’t care what I think, and in reality, neither should you. That said, however, the recent penalties issued to Hendrick Motorsports and Kaulig Racing were necessary. Whether you, I or anyone else like or don’t like the number of rules and restrictions instituted by NASCAR regarding the Next Gen car does not matter. There are rules and when those rules are violated there have to be consequences, and sometimes, those consequences must be…