It’s funny to me how fans, media, and competitors are acting like the late race contact we have seen this year as drivers race for wins is something new. I know I’m showing my age here but I was there when Dale Earnhardt wrecked Terry Labonte on the last lap at Bristol Motor Speedway … twice. I was there when Jeff Gordon executed the bump-and-run on Rusty Wallace to claim a win also at Bristol… and also twice. Drivers have moved other drivers out of the way for wins, or even just for position, since NASCAR began. It’s just part…

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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. This weekend saw the unusual circumstance of a NASCAR Cup Series race and a Formula 1 event running in the same country at the same time. Will more F1 races planned for the United States have any impact on NASCAR? Richard: Formula 1 is the trendy thing to do now in the U.S. for some because of the NetFlix docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’. It was unfortunate…

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This Sunday will be a remarkable day for motorsports in America. The NASCAR Cup Series will be in competition on one of its most historic tracks in one of its most anticipated annual events while Formula 1 will race on a newly created circuit in one of the most glamourous locations in the country. Two major auto races in the same country on the same day. What could possibly be wrong with that? Unfortunately, there is one problem. NASCAR’s much-loved Throwback Race at Darlington Raceway in which teams cover their cars in nostalgic schemes meant to remind fans of favorite…

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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. How important was it for Chase Elliott to finally get a win? Richard: After the Monday continuation of the Duramax Drydene 400 at Dover Motor Speedway the cycle has been completed for Hendrick Motorsports. Chase Elliott’s victory made him the fourth of the drivers on that four-car team to score a NASCAR Cup Series victory in the 2022 season. Although he came into the race as…

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We are now ten races into the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule which also means that drivers and teams are ten races into their adjustment period with the Next Gen car. And more, there have been races on Super Speedways, short tracks, a road course, intermediate tracks and even a race on dirt so there has been an opportunity to get a feel for the new machine on every type of venue on which the sport competes. One of the believed benefits of this new car was that it would place the smaller teams on more of a level playing…

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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 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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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 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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