Richard Allen – Page 3 – Inside Circle Track

Articles posted by Richard Allen (Page 3)

Turn 2 Blog: Too much teamwork? & Roval or Oval?

*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. Do teams and/or manufacturers get too caught up in working together on the drafting tracks? Richard: I think they absolutely do in the closing laps of the races held at Talladega and Daytona. I don’t blame the teams and manufacturers for working together during the first 450 miles of a race but once that last pit stop has been made, it’s every driver for himself. Trying…

Aric Almirola leads Ford charge in Talladega qualifying

Virtually everyone except the pole winner will discount the importance of qualifying at Talladega Super Speedway. On Saturday afternoon, it would be Stewart-Haas Racing and driver Aric Almirola who would be able to claim the bragging rights for their efforts in time-trials on the giant 2.66-mile track. The No. 10 Ford made it into the second round of the session then turned the fastest lap when it counted most to earn the right to lead the field to green on Sunday afternoon in the YellaWood 500. The 39-year-old native of Tampa, Florida was quick to praise his team as well…

Is Talladega really that random?

Whenever Talladega Super Speedway comes up in some NASCAR-related conversation, the notion that the winners there are totally random is usually brought up. “You could draw the winner’s name out of a hat” is something people will often say when asked to make a prediction. But are the races on the 2.66-mile high-banked track really that random? Yes, there are almost always big wrecks there that claim multiple cars at a time. Still, someone will survive those crashes and will go on to take the checkered flag at the front of the field. But do you really think one of…

How much is a NASCAR team worth compared to other sports?

Want to get into professional sports as an owner? If the answer to that question is yes then you better have a major source of revenue backing that desire because it takes what for the vast majority of us would be unthinkable amounts of money to get involved with an NFL, NBA or MLB franchise. By the time a potential owner acquired a franchise in one of those sports then began paying salaries of players, coaches and management, the cost would run well into the billions of dollars. NFL teams appear to come with the highest valuations among the sports…

John Hunter Nemechek focused on Xfinity title as Cup opportunity awaits

After a lackluster 2020 season in the NASCAR Cup Series with Front Row Motorsports, driver John Hunter Nemechek opted to leave the sport’s top division to accept a ride in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports thinking it would be better to run up front at a lower level than to run mid-pack at the top. At the time of that move, some questioned the decision but the Mooresville, North Carolina native quickly silenced the doubters by scoring five wins and placing third in the final 2021 Truck Series standings. Now, Nemechek is in prime position to…

Bubba Wallace grabs Texas pole

After the two rounds that made up NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, it was Bubba Wallace who topped the charts earning the No. 1 starting position for Sunday’s race. It was the 23XI Racing Toyota driver’s first pole of the 2023 season and his second such career achievement. The race at the Fort Worth, Texas track will be the first of three in the ‘Round of 12’ portion of the NASCAR Playoffs. “It feels great,” Wallace told USA reporter Kim Coon following his effort. “I appreciate everybody on this 23…

Texas might be more of a wild card than people think

When fans, media and competitors consider which of the races within the second round could be one with the potential to turn the NASCAR Playoffs upside down, they typically think of the second race in the set at Talladega Super Speedway or the third on the makeshift road course known as the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But perhaps not enough credit is given to the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at the Texas Motor Speedway as a possible fly in the ointment. Yes, Talladega with its pack drafting and the ever present danger of the ‘Big One’ along with Charlotte…

Turn 2 Blog: Denny Hamlin embracing the villain role is a good thing

*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. It’s good that Denny Hamlin is embracing the role of villain, isn’t it? Richard: Racing, or any sport for that matter, needs a good villain. Fans not only need an individual or team to root for but also one to root against. However, it’s not easy to play the role of the ‘bad guy’ because not many people want to get booed when their name is…

Trevor Bayne on his limited racing opportunities: “We’re only here to win”

If you think you have had some hectic days, you might need to check with Trevor Bayne and let him tell you about this last Thursday and Friday. Within a 24-hour time period the 32-year-old driver from Knoxville, Tennessee was in a maternity unit witnessing the birth of his fifth child then running 300 laps in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the high banks of the Bristol Motor Speedway. It was a wild series of events for the former Daytona 500 winner making only his second NASCAR start of the 2023 season for Joe Gibbs Racing. “It has, it’s…

Christopher Bell earns Bristol Night Race pole; Start time moved up

Christopher Bell turned the fastest lap in the final round of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway to earn the pole starting position for Saturday’s 500-lap Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol. The start time for the event, originally slated for 7:30, has been moved up to 6:30 due to the possibility of rain during the evening hours. The race will be aired live by the USA Network and the NBC Sports App as well as by PRN Radio. Starting Lineup: 1. Christopher Bell, 2. Denny Hamlin, 3. William Byron, 4. Michael McDowell, 5. Martin…