Inside Circle Track

What Better Place for a Throwback Race Than Hickory?

The past few years have seen throwback events show up on the schedules of various racing series across all forms of the sport. Perhaps best known of these is the Bojangles Southern 500 held annually at the Darlington Raceway on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. But growing quickly in popularity in the realm of throwback races is the “Throwback 276 presented by Baker Distributing” at the Hickory Motor Speedway sanctioned by the CARS Super Late Model Tour and the CARS Late Model Stock Tour. No track could be better suited for such an event as Hickory Motor Speedway. The…

Mike Marlar Set to Drive NASCAR Truck at Eldora

The entry list posted on the NASCAR-themed Jayski.com website for the upcoming 7th annual Eldora Dirt Derby event for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Trucks Series shows that veteran Dirt Late Model competitor Mike Marlar is listed as the driver for the No. 33 Reaume Brothers Racing Toyota Tundra. It had been previously announced that the Winfield, Tenn. native will also wheel a Big-Block Modified in the SuperDIRTcar Series race at the famed track located in Rossburg, OH on Wednesday evening. Marlar is a two-time winner of the prestigious Knoxville Late Model Nationals held annually at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville,…

Layne Riggs looking for CARS Tour Throwback victory in father’s scheme

Although Layne Riggs grew up in a racing family, he didn’t necessarily always have the notion to become a race car driver. While his dad, Scott Riggs, was competing and winning in NASCAR’s top divisions, the young son was certainly paying attention but was not particularly looking to follow in his father’s footsteps by climbing into the driver’s seat. But like many who have been surrounded by racing at young ages, a spark came that lit his passion for the sport. “When I was younger I didn’t care anything about race cars and racing,” Riggs explained in an interview with…

Pressure Mounts on Stewart Friesen Heading to Eldora

Whenever the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series makes its annual trek to the Eldora Speedway much attention is typically focused on driver Stewart Friesen and his Halmar Friesen Racing team. The Canadian driver is regarded as one of the top Big-Block Modified racers on dirt and many believe those skills will serve him well on the famed half-mile track located in Rossburg, OH. And that faith in the 36-year-old appears to be well placed as he has recorded finishes of second and third in his last two appearances at the Tony Stewart-owned facility. This year, Friesen enters the Eldora Dirt…

Kyle Strickler to race DGR-Crosley truck at Eldora

Kyle Strickler has impressed numerous observers in the dirt racing world after recently moving into the Dirt Late Model ranks. The longtime star in Dirt Modifieds, who has won some of the biggest events that form of racing has to offer, has been driving a Longhorn Chassis for David and Eric Wells throughout much of 2019. The 35-year-old Pennsylvania native rose to prominence earlier this season when he led much of the first half of the prestigious Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway back in June. Strickler has taken to Late Model racing quickly as evidenced by that Eldora…

A Weekend Worth Forgetting for Hendrick Motorsports

In the movie Men in Black the characters played by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith had a device they could click that would erase the memories of those it was directed toward. No doubt, the folks from one particular Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team would like to borrow that device. Without question Hendrick Motorsports is one of the most successful organizations in the history of NASCAR. A visit to their campus located near Charlotte Motor Speedway will reveal scores of race winning cars, trophies and memorabilia dedicated to the race wins and championships collected by their drivers. However,…

It’s Not Just a Matter of Cup Drivers vs Xfinity Drivers

During Saturday’s Roxor 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway there was a bumping match that took place between drivers Paul Menard and Harrison Burton that ultimately ended with Burton’s car spinning and tagging the outside wall in turn one on lap 155. Multiple television replays provided by NBCSN were used to show the progression of events that eventually led to the final outcome. Radio conversation between Menard and his crew left little doubt that the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular had intentionally bumped Burton as payback for previous contact. After the race, the much younger…

Six NASCAR Drivers Who NEED to Win a Race

Every driver and team on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wants to win. However, there are several drivers who NEED to win, and they need to win very soon for multiple reasons. Obviously, a win at some point during this stretch of seven events leading up to the NASCAR Playoffs would serve a driver and his team well by essentially assuring them of a spot in those playoffs. Further, the contract status of some drivers going beyond this current season may be undecided and a win could show their current team or a prospective future team that he is capable…

Bryson Dennis enjoying transition from dirt to pavement

Bryson Dennis has been racing for a number of years and has participated in multiple forms of the sport. But primarily, the 22-year-old driver has applied his talents in Dirt Late Models and Asphalt Late Models. Currently the Greeneville, Tenn. native is a regular competitor in the Late Model Stock Car division at Kingsport(TN) Speedway but he has also raced on the dirt at the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. in a Crate Late Model. Dennis comes a family tradition of racing and that led him to the track. His father, Bobby Dennis, was a racer when Bryson was…

Daytona: The World Center of Feel-Good Stories

The Daytona International Speedway is often referred to the as the ‘World Center of Racing’ but this past Independence Day weekend the track located in the Atlantic coastal town of Daytona Beach, Fla. could have been more aptly named the ‘World Center of Feel Good Stories’ based on the way its two NASCAR sanctioned races played out. And who doesn’t love a feel-good story, right? Since the middle of 2018 watermelon farmer turned racer Ross Chastain has become the hero of many who have longed to pursue a dream. The Florida native got the chance of a lifetime and made…