Inside Circle Track

Brad Keselowski believes positive energy at RFK bodes well for team’s future

Brad Keselowski became a co-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing prior to the start of the 2022 season. Since that time, the organization has risen from the ranks of the mid-pack to front runners. The numbers clearly bear that out with the most obvious improvement coming from the fact that both of their cars have earned a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs which was the first time either of their teams had entered the “post season” with a chance for the championship since Ryan Newman in 2019 and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2017. This past Saturday night, Chris Buescher drove…

Turn 2 Blog: Who won’t survive past the first round?

*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. What driver will make a deeper run in the NASCAR Playoffs than anyone is expecting? Richard: I’m not sure that a former champion who has as much experience as he does fits the question or not but I am going to say that Brad Keselowski makes it at least into the ‘Round of 8’. Even though it hasn’t been the No. 6 Ford doing the winning,…

Is Daytona the right place for a Playoff deciding race?

The quick and easy answer for the question posed in the headline of this piece is yes. So-called racing purists may argue that the Daytona International Speedway is known for massive crashes, unpredictable drafting that can push whoever happens to be fortunate enough to be in the lane with momentum to the front of the pack, and team/manufacturer groupings that cause those in each group to be obligated to follow the group-think strategy. Much of what happens to a particular driver is out of that driver’s control. Based on that explanation, a track that has so many variables outside one’s…

Chad Finchum looking for fresh start

Chad Finchum is no different than hundreds of other race car drivers across the country – looking to make it in NASCAR. The Knoxville, Tennessee native hopes his new opportunity will lead to bigger and better things in NASCAR. Finchum announced earlier this week he will be driving in three races for SS Greenlight Racing in the Xfinity series. Finchum will compete next weekend at Darlington plus races at Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. Finchum’s career started out promising. After winning the K&N East race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016, then car owner Eric McClure helped him get…

Turn 2 Blog: What happened to the road courses? & Dude, why you so mad?

*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. What has happened to the road courses? Richard: When the Next Gen came along it looked promising in the beginning. Racing on the much-scorned intermediate tracks seemed to improve. And if that proved to be a long-term fix, it would be great news for NASCAR. After all, the road courses and short tracks would take car of themselves, right? Well, that is not proving to be…

Turn 2 Blog: Indy Oval or Indy RC? & Can Van Gisbergen make it here?

*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. Indy RC vs Indy oval? Richard: It seems like the races held on the Indianapolis Road Course have been a bit hit or miss. The 2023 version had the feel-good story of Michael McDowell and his lesser financed Front Row Motorsports team winning to lock themselves into the NASCAR Playoffs, but in reality, the racing was pretty good though not necessarily great. Overall, it was a…

An OK day might not be OK for Bubba Wallace at Watkins Glen

Bubba Wallace entered last weekend’s ‘Verizon 200 at the Brickyard’ NASCAR Cup Series race in relatively good shape as far as making the NASCAR Playoffs is concerned. The 23XI Racing driver was 15th in the standings a full 36 points ahead of Michael McDowell(16th) and 38 markers above the cutline. However, that race held on the road course at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway proved to be a worst case scenario for the Mobile, Alabama native. Neither Wallace nor McDowell had a victory to their credit entering that event but due to the fact that, unlike last season, there had…

It all comes down to Watkins Glen for Chase Elliott

If Chase Elliott were to be placed in a do or die type scenario to save his NASCAR Cup Series life in terms of making it into the NASCAR Playoffs or not, Watkins Glen International would almost certainly be the track any fan of the popular driver would want for that race. And this weekend, that is pretty much the scenario at hand. After missing six races due to an injury suffered as the result of a snowboarding accident and one event due to suspension, Elliott currently ranks 19th in the Cup Series standings 80 points behind Bubba Wallace, who…

Here’s why Chris Buescher is a real threat to make a deep Playoff run

Chris Buescher missed the NASCAR Playoffs in 2022 because he had not won a race prior to the cutoff point for the championship run. However, he made some noise after the ‘regular season’ had ended by scoring a win at the Bristol Motor Speedway and an additional four top-15 finishes during that final 10-race span. Now, Buescher has emerged as a serious threat to make a deep Playoff run. Making it as one of the sixteen drivers for a championship run is no longer a question considering that the No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford has now won consecutive…

No one to blame for his suspension other than Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson has never been one to shy away from controversy, and on Saturday morning, his own actions have once again placed him in the eye of a storm. It was revealed that the driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet’s own team, Legacy Motor Club, had suspended him for actions that, as the press release announcing the suspension said, “do not represent the values of our team”. The organization stated at that time the rookie pilot would be replaced for Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway by NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry. NASCAR then took the team’s…