Inside Circle Track

Kyle Larson wowed by first trip to Tazewell Speedway

Most people are quite amazed when they see the Tazewell Speedway for the first time. The third-mile dirt track which features incredibly steep banking has long been loved by fans for its high speed excitement. At the same, some competitors also love the facility referred to as ‘The Bad Fast Taz’ while others who race there have a very different opinion of the clay oval. Count NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson among those who loves racing on the track located in the upper northeastern corner of Tennessee. The Elk Grove, CA driver made his first trip to Tazewell on…

NASCAR has to either go all in or all out on dirt

It is incredibly easy, albeit unfair, to “armchair quarterback” in some situations and I suppose the attempt by NASCAR to put its Cup Series back on dirt for the first time since 1970 can be considered one of those situations. Still, I am going to use my 20/20 hindsight and do exactly that here. Going into the weekend of the Food City Dirt Race, I had a number of concerns about how all of this would play out. As someone who covers approximately 50-60 dirt track races each year, I feel as if I am qualified to some degree at…

Christopher Bell can go all out on Bristol dirt with playoffs secured

When it was first announced that the NASCAR Cup Series would stage its first dirt race since 1970, there were a few names that immediately stood out as the most serious contenders to claim victory. One of those names was Christopher Bell. Although only 26 years of age, the native of Norman, Oklahoma is one of the most accomplished dirt racers currently competing on a regular basis in NASCAR. Bell won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on dirt at the Eldora Speedway in 2015 then followed that up with a runner-up finish in the Eldora Dirt Derby the…

Briscoe and Reddick need to use dirt experience to turn lackluster seasons around

The NASCAR Cup Series schedule contains a few “oddities” on the 2021 calendar. There are more road courses slated for the tour than every before, a first-time trip for the series to the Nashville Super Speedway, a repeat of the double-header weekend at Pocono, multiple dates for the venerable old tracks in Atlanta and Darlington, and perhaps the “oddest” of all comes this weekend when the series races on dirt for the first time since the early 1970s on the clay covered Bristol Motor Speedway. Add to all of that the fact that NASCAR will, for the most part, continue…

Larson, Busch offer thoughts on Bristol’s racing surface

With the NASCAR Cup Series race on the dirt covered Bristol Motor Speedway fast approaching, one of the major concerns will be how the racing surface will hold up with heavy machines that have not raced on dirt in decades ripping around it for 250 laps. To prepare for the Food City Dirt Race, several NASCAR drivers entered last week’s Karl Kustoms Bristol Dirt Nationals to get a feel for the half-mile speedway. Among those drivers were Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch. On Friday night, Larson set the fast time in qualifying then went on to win his heat race…

Bloomquist, Davenport praise NASCAR stars for their dirt efforts

The fact that the NASCAR Cup Series will race on what is now a dirt covered Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend has driven numerous stars who normally spend most of their time on pavement to seek out opportunities on clay surfaces for the sake of gaining experience before racing in a points-paying contest. That led several top stars from NASCAR to the Karl Kustoms Bristol Dirt Nationals to hone their skills in the various classes that were in competition in that week-long event. Among those who competed in the Super Late Model division at the Bristol Motor Speedway were former…

Stewart Friesen ready for Bristol and return of trucks to dirt

Few drivers who compete regularly in any of the top NASCAR divisions are more accomplished at dirt racing than Stewart Friesen. The native of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada is a veteran of Big Block Modified racing and has won many of the top events contested in that form of competition on clay surfaces. So needless to say, when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series takes to the track on the dirt covered Bristol Motor Speedway later this week, the 37-year-old driver will be counted among the favorites to hoist the winner’s trophy. Aside from his prowess on dirt, there is ample…

Mixed results for Cup regulars on Friday night in Bristol Dirt Nationals

Three NASCAR Cup Series regulars entered the Karl Kustoms Bristol Dirt Nationals for Super Late Model machines on Friday night at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Each of those three competitors made it to the 25-lap feature out of the field of 53 cars that attempted to qualify and heat race with mixed results among them at the end of the evening. The most noteworthy NASCAR star with dirt racing experience is likely Kyle Larson. After competing almost exclusively on dirt last season following a suspension by NASCAR and a release from his ride with Chip Ganassi Racing, the Elk Grove,…

Decision to keep Austin Cindric in Xfinity Series for additional year paying off

There is sometimes a tendency to rush young race car drivers up to the highest levels of the sport too quickly. History offers numerous examples of those who were pushed up the ladder to the NASCAR Cup Series before they were ready then ultimately came crashing down. However, Team Penske fought the temptation to do that very thing with 22-year-old Austin Cindric after he was crowned the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. Instead, the driver was left on that tour for another year to add to his experience level and to build confidence. Now five races into the 2021 season,…

Cup Series champions lead NASCAR contingent into Bristol Dirt Nationals

There will certainly be no shortage of star power in the Karl’s Kustoms Bristol Dirt Nationals during the coming week at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway. No fewer than three former NASCAR Cup Series champions as well as a former Daytona 500 winner and the hottest name in all of racing will be among the drivers competing on the clay covered high banks of the track located in the northeastern corner of Tennessee. When the decision was made to cover the normally concrete-surfaced half-mile track with dirt for the purpose of hosting NASCAR’s first Cup Series dirt race since the…