Legendary driver Herman Goddard has passed away. He was 90 years old. Goddard won over 500 races during his career at tracks all across East Tennessee including Atomic Speedway, Volunteer Speedway, and Smoky Mountain Speedway. He won his final race at the age of 68. Goddard was inducted into the East Tennessee Racing Hall of Fame in 1996 and was inducted into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame…
Shockwaves were sent around the racing community when it was announced that NASCAR’s Kyle Busch had passed away. Busch was hospitalized earlier in the day with an undisclosed illness. Later in the day, he was gone. Busch was a polarizing figure in the sport, mostly from his early days. He was brash, unapologetic, and won a lot of races across NASCAR’s top 3 series. Many compared him to Dale Earnhardt….
In this day of lower attendance, dwindling car counts, and rising costs, the last thing short track racing needed was another ugly incident. That happened this past weekend. The Best Plumber 604 Racing Series was at I-75 Speedway located outside of Sweetwater, Tennessee. Forty-two cars made their way to the 3/8-mile dirt oval. Cory Hedgecock was well in front of the field leaving Greg Martin and Matt Henderson to race…
The Food City 500 may have come and gone. But memories remain via photos from the event.
Since the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway went back to the concrete surface, there has been a myriad of dynamics that played a factor in the results. What will Sunday’s Cup Series race offer this time? Two years ago, the first year back on the concrete, tire wear was a huge factor in the race. Tires kept coming apart as cool weather did not allow rubber to be…
Stop if you have heard this before. A Tennessee racetrack will soon be no more. Mountain View Raceway in Spring City, Tennessee has a buyer and racing there is over. According to sources, an auction company is set to buy the property marking an end to racing at the 1/4-mile dirt track. Susan Hampton, one the track co-owners, confirmed the track has been sold and will no longer be used…
In 2002, a video game was released where players could start a racing career on dirt tracks and work their way up to the biggest stage of Daytona. Tyler Reddick has done just that. While NASCAR fans are familiar with Reddick’s rise through the NASCAR ranks, Reddick’s early racing was on the dirt tracks across the country. At the age of 13, Reddick became a well-known name to dirt racing…
Robert Walden, the long-time publicist at Volunteer Speedway, has passed away. The Johnson City, Tennessee native was 68 years old. Walden had been associated with Volunteer Speedway for most of its 51 years of racing. He was someone that worked behind the scenes but played a prominent role in helping put the Bulls Gap, Tennessee track on the national map. Walden knew most people in the East Tennessee racing scene…
It is the third week in January and dirt late model racing is about to kick into high gear. Don’t fool yourself. It has been in high gear since the Covid-era. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series wrapped up their season in October. The World of Outlaws Late Model Series finished up in November. Most regional series wrapped up in similar timelines. One would think the season is over…
Call it the postseason or The Chase, the new NASCAR format to decide a champion doesn’t go far enough. While the “playoff” drew its share of criticism, NASCAR heard the calls from former drivers and fans the system revamp the system. Many wanted to go back to a 36-race format with no gimmicks. Many knew that was unlikely to happen. The main reason: money. NASCAR sells the end of it…
