Inside Circle Track

The time has come to shorten the NASCAR schedule

The NASCAR Cup Series schedule calls for teams to make their way to 36 points-paying races and two additional exhibition events over the course of each season. And indications seem to point to the probability that such a long season is taking its toll on the competitors involved in the sport. This past season a respected driver and a championship winning crew chief that seemingly could have had multiple years remaining in the sport decided to step away with both citing a need to spend more time with family as a chief reason for leaving. Front Row Motorsports driver David…

Can Hailie Deegan become what Danica did not?

This week has brought the news that female racing sensation Hailie Deegan is now part of the development program for the Ford Motor Company’s racing arm. It is believed that the move to Ford Performance from Toyota Racing Development will speed the 18-year-old’s path toward putting her in a ride on one of NASCAR’s national series. The California native and second-generation racer will drive for DGR-Crosley Racing in 2020 on the ARCA Menard’s Series and will also pilot a car for Multimatic Motorsports in IMSA competition. Both of those organizations are supported by Ford. “I could not be more excited…

Gateway Nationals Further Uniting the Worlds of Dirt and NASCAR

This weekend’s Arizona Sport Shirts Gateway Dirt Nationals racing event held in the former home of the NFL’s Rams franchise when that team still played in St. Louis is bringing together two parts of the racing world that do not always fit on the same page. Competitors in Super Late Model, Modified, and Midget Sprint Cars will take to the make-shift track inside the Dome at the America’s Center for three nights of racing action beginning on Thursday. As part of that racing action, several very recognizable names from outside the ranks of dirt racing will be taking part. NASCAR…

Will Martin Truex remain a championship contender without Cole Pearn?

A somewhat surprising announcement recently came out of the Joe Gibbs Racing stables when former NASCAR Cup Series championship winning crew chief Cole Pearn revealed that he had decided to step down from his duties as the leader of the No. 19 Toyota team of driver Martin Truex, Jr. Together the pair has won 24 races and the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series title. Citing a need to spend more time with his family, Pearn stated that he would be pursuing opportunities outside of NASCAR for the foreseeable future. “This was an incredibly difficult decision,” Pearn said in a press release…

Ty Majeski to drive Niece Motorsports truck in 2020

On Monday night Ty Majeski appeared to be on his way to one of the biggest Late Model wins of his career until he found himself turned and heading toward the inside retaining wall during a late race restart at Florida’s Five Flags Speedway in the 52nd annual Snowball Derby. Instead of a carer-defining win, the Wisconsin driver ended his night with a battered race car and a 14th place finish. On Tuesday, Majeski’s fortunes turned as it was announced in a press release on NieceMotorsports.com that he would drive on a full-time basis for Niece Motorsports during the 2020…

Does NASCAR Really Need Street Racing?

Over the past couple of weeks the topic of NASCAR taking its sport to street courses has been tossed about on social media and various other sites where racing is discussed. And my simple one word response to that is- Why? Motives such as reaching new markets and racing in cool locales have been mentioned as reasons for the sudden desire to take NASCAR to the streets. However, little mention has been made of the racing that would actually take place on these makeshift courses potentially set to become new homes for a sport that has traditionally been contested on…

Stewart Friesen to campaign Toyota trucks in search of 2020 NGOTS title

Fresh off his first NASCAR Playoffs Championship 4 appearance last month at the Homestead-Miami Speedway driver Stewart Friesen and his Halmar-Friesen Racing team have announced a partnership with Toyota that will set the Canadian driver up for another run at the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series title in 2020. The No. 52 trucks will be purchased through Kyle Busch Motorsports and will be housed in a shop located in Statesville, NC. according to a press release posted on StewartFriesen.net on Tuesday. In previous seasons, HFR had campaigned Chevrolet trucks out of the GMS Racing stables. The 36-year-old Friesen…

Turn 2 Blog: Jimmie Johnson’s Farewell & Evaluating Driver Moves

*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. Richard: This off-season has gotten off to a fast start with some big news having already dropped and perhaps more still in the offing. I think we have to start with the announcement that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson plans to retire from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of the 2020 season. While this might not necessarily come as a shock to most,…

Stephen Nasse Poised for Snowball Derby Breakthrough

Every pavement Super Late Model racer has aspirations of winning one of the sport’s crown jewel events. Among those most coveted of races, and likely at the top of the list for most drivers and teams, is the Snowball Derby. That event is held each December at Five Flags Speedway in what many consider the ‘Super Bowl of Short Track Racing’. Now, the time has come for teams to make their yearly trek to Pensacola, Florida for the 52nd annual version of that storied short track race. Stephen Nasse is one of those drivers whose efforts have been pointing toward…

Would You Want a Top Ride in a Lesser Series or a Lesser Ride in a Top Series?

Since there is not so much actual racing going on in the NASCAR world right now, use your imagination for a moment and pretend that you are an up-and-coming race car driver who has been labeled as a “can’t miss” prospect. However, this imaginary scenario has one major drawback. While you’re the hot name on the lists of several car owners, there isn’t room for you in the driver lineup with any of the sport’s elite teams. Certainly you want to strike while the iron is hot in terms of moving up to the next tier but the move you…