Cup – Page 3 – Inside Circle Track

NASCAR Features Archive by category "Cup" (Page 3)

Harrison Burton searching for signs of better days ahead

Breaking into the NASCAR Cup Series, no matter how much experience and success a driver has had at other levels of motorsports, is never easy and Harrison Burton is finding that out during the first third of the 2022 campaign. The 21-year-old driver from Huntersville, North Carolina has seen his share of success by achieving four wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and and eleven more in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series but he now finds himself searching for the formula that will help those earlier triumphs translate to the top division of the sport. So far, that has…

Kyle Larson on how he transitions from one type of car to another so seamlessly

Kyle Larson has won a race this year in a NASCAR Cup Series car at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Along with that, he has also won on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series at the Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California, and he has won in a Dirt Late Model with the Castrol FloRacing Night in America Series at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The 29-year-old driver from Elk Grove, California is one of the most diverse racers of this or any generation. But it’s not like he has caught lightning in…

Dirt Late Model drivers describe Bristol track’s readiness for NASCAR

The NASCAR Cup Series raced on a dirt-surfaced track last year for the first time since 1970 when the high banked Bristol Motor Speedway had its concrete covered by a layer of clay. The 2021 version of the Food City Dirt Race faced a number of challenges as it was the first time dirt had been placed on the half-mile facility in two decades so there was a learning process to go through. Further, heavy rain fell leading into the events for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Cup Series which made the dirt more difficult to…

Photos of NASCAR Cup Series cars(No. 19-99)

Here are photos of every car numbered 19-99 entered in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway: Richard Allen has been covering NASCAR and other forms of motorsports since 2008. Respond to this piece on Twitter –> @RichardAllenIDR or on Facebook –> InsideCircleTrack/Facebook

Photos of NASCAR Cup Series cars(No. 1-18)

Here are photos of cars numbered 1-18 entered in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway: Richard Allen has been covering NASCAR and other forms of motorsports since 2008. Respond to this piece on Twitter –> @RichardAllenIDR or on Facebook –> InsideCircleTrack/Facebook

Kyle Larson: “Every time I get in a race car I get better”

Once the peak of Mt. Everest has been reached, the only way to go is downhill from there. In the minds of many, accomplishing the feat of claiming the NASCAR Cup Series championship is equivalent to reaching the peak of the tallest mountain in motorsports. But at least one driver does not necessarily see it that way. For those who might have wondered just how much dirt racing Kyle Larson would be able to to in 2022 as NASCAR resumes practice and qualifying, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion demonstrated this past weekend that he plans to do quite a…

Daniel Hemric ready to face the challenge of his new opportunity

For the better part of a decade, followers of NASCAR racing have thought that Daniel Hemric was a highly talented driver who was on the cusp of a major breakthrough season. That big win or that groundbreaking moment was due at any time was the belief of many. But when the Kannapolis, North Carolina driver landed a full-time ride in the NASCAR Cup Series in the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in 2019, the results fell short of expectations. Hemric’s one and only full season at the top level of the sport netted no wins and only one…

Might the Next Gen call for the use of the tandem draft at Daytona?

The words ‘tandem drafting’ will almost certainly elicit one response or another among those who followed the NASCAR Cup Series a few years ago. There was a time when two cars could run in tight nose-to-tail formation and gain significant speed for a short time at the venues then known as ‘plate tracks’. As a result, drivers found partners early on in races held at the Daytona International Speedway and the Talladega Super Speedway and rode right in front of or right behind that buddy for most of the day. The racing in those two-by-two formations looked a bit odd…

Jacques Villeneuve: Formula 1 champ hoping to achieve goal of Daytona 500 start

During his racing career, Jacques Villeneuve has accomplished what many racers can only dream about. The 50-year-old Canadian has succeeded at the highest levels of motorsports in terms of both race wins and championships. However, there is still one goal he hopes to achieve, and in 2022, he is taking steps toward doing exactly that. Villeneuve’s 1995 season was a remarkable one as the son of legendary racer Gilles Villeneuve earned the CART Series championship along with a win in the racing’s most prestigious event- the Indianapolis 500. From there, he stepped onto the world stage and earned the much…

How might a shortage of cars in the shop impact racing on the track?

While some fans may have concerns about how the Next Gen car will look or handle, there could be an even bigger issue regarding the new NASCAR Cup Series machine looming on the horizon. And that possible worry is that the sport’s teams may not have a deep enough inventory of the cars they will use during the 2022 season should they experience catastrophic disasters, especially during the early races on the schedule. It’s enough of a worry that some drivers addressed the situation during a recent NASCAR Media availability held during the test session last week at the Daytona…