Inside Circle Track

NASCAR watches its Playoff dream come true with Xfinity finish

Daniel Hemric stood atop his car and did a successful backflip off in celebration of the last lap pass that not only earned him his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win but also the season championship for that tour. And if they were capable of doing so, it’s likely that some high ranking NASCAR officials would have been doing the same thing from atop their desks, sofas, or luxury suite seats at the end of the Xfinity Series Championship Race on Saturday night at the Phoenix Raceway. The leaders of the sport got everything they hoped for when they devised the…

Ben Rhodes earns NCWTS title; Chandler Smith wins Phoenix race

November 5, 2021 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – A bantamweight boxer in the training room, Ben Rhodes punched like a heavyweight on Friday at Phoenix Raceway. On Lap 142 of 150 in the Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship race, Rhodes tapped the tailgate of Zane Smith’s Chevrolet with the nose of his No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota, nudged Smith up the track in Turn 2 and made the pass that secured his first title. At the time, the pass was for fourth place—as Chandler Smith was running away to victory in a…

If not this year, how many more opportunities will Denny Hamlin have?

There is no doubt that Denny Hamlin is one of the top drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Chesterfield, Virginia native has scored a total of race 46 victories at the top level of the sport including three Daytona 500 triumphs. And more, the Joe Gibbs Racing pilot is a perennial championship contender. That said, however, the 40-year-old star has never been able to parlay his ability to contend for a championship into an actual championship. Hamlin’s placements in the final series standings throughout his career have been nothing short of remarkable. He was second in the final rundown…

Championship contenders have to let Martinsville go

From a fan’s perspective, having the final cutoff race of the season at the Martinsville Speedway provides for great excitement and entertainment. From a competitor’s perspective, having that final cutoff race on the paper clip shaped half-mile track must be a gut wrenching experience. Martinsville is a track where virtually anything can and does happen. And, it’s almost a certainty that sheet metal is going to be wrinkled, feelings are going to be hurt, and tempers are going to reach the boiling point on that short track in such a high pressure situation. Once a driver and team have cleared…

Playoff system meant to reward winning sometimes rewards not winning

The old NASCAR points system that was used up until the end of the 2003 season was one that rewarded consistency. Designed in the early days of the sport, the sanctioning body sought to have a format that would encourage drivers to run the entire schedule so points were distributed in such a way that those who showed up most often would place highly in the standings while those who might win races but not run the full circuit would have little chance of winning a championship. However, it was decided that such a system was not exciting enough in…

Noah Gragson earns Xfinity Championship 4 spot with dramatic Martinsville win

October 30, 2021 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – To get to the Championship 4, you have to drive like a champion. That’s what Noah Gragson did on Saturday night in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race Dead On Tools 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Faced with the necessity of winning the race to keep his NASCAR Xfinity Series title hopes alive, Gragson did just that, pulling off a dramatic pass of Daniel Hemric from the outside lane in the first attempt at overtime and holding off series leader Austin Cindric in the second extra period. With Cindric’s…

Zane Smith captures wild Truck Series race at Martinsville; Championship 4 set

October 30, 2021 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – On a track strewn with spinning trucks and broken hearts, Zane Smith catapulted into the Championship 4 with a thrilling overtime victory in Saturday’s United Rentals 200 at Martinsville Speedway. In a no-holds-barred race that featured 14 cautions for 89 laps, Smith won under yellow after he, Stewart Friesen and Todd Gilliland raced three-wide—yes, three-wide at Martinsville—off Turn 4 on the first lap of overtime. Contact from Friesen’s Toyota sent Gilliland’s Ford spinning across the start/finish line to start the final lap. As Friesen moved down the track…

Stewart Friesen looking forward to testing NextGen car at Wythe Raceway

With the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series campaign winding down and the first season with the NextGen car fast approaching, the testing of that new machine has ramped up. Well documented practice sessions on the Charlotte Roval and the quarter-mile paved oval of Bowman-Gray Stadium have recently taken place. But those are not the only types of tracks the NASCAR’s top division will compete on in 2022. As was the case in 2021, there will be one race for the sport’s premier series on a dirt surface. Once more, the Bristol Motor Speedway will be covered in clay for its spring…

What if Kyle Larson doesn’t win the championship?

The best driver over a given season should be the one to win the NASCAR Cup Series championship, right? While it would seem that such should be the case. However, a look back at the way the NASCAR Playoffs have played out over the past few years indicates that the best driver over the course of a season does not always win the title. In reality, it might seem as if the opposite is more likely to be true. Just look back at the 2020 season as an example. Kevin Harvick won a total of nine races but did not…

Right strategy play in Martinsville will make the difference in advancing or not

NASCAR is getting exactly what it wants this weekend in the Xfinity 500 event at the Martinsville Speedway in a race that will decide the Championship 4 for the season finale. Consider that the scenario with the greatest possible drama will play out on the half-mile track located in southern Virginia on Sunday as only one driver will enter that race locked in as a certain championship contender while the other seven remaining hopefuls will have their fate decided over the course of the afternoon and evening. The sanctioning body could not have asked for more. Kyle Larson has assured…