Inside Circle Track

Sam Mayer sweeps ARCA Menards Series weekend in Toledo

BY JASON CHRISTLEY WWW.ARCARACING.COM AUGUST 2, 2020 TOLEDO, Ohio — It took an extra day, and one last restart, but Sam Mayer completed the weekend sweep at Toledo Speedway. Mayer took the lead on a late race restart just past halfway in the Menards 200 presented by Crosley Brands, and then hoisted his second winner’s trophy in three days when the ARCA Menards Series race was called on Lap 127 because of rain. The 17-year-old from Franklin, Wisconsin, picked up his first series win Friday night. After weather pushed Saturday’s scheduled event to Sunday, Mayer started third. He got by…

Bobby McCarty dominates CARS Tour LMSC race at Hickory

The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour made its way to the Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday evening for the Cloer Construction 250. Along with the CARS Super Late Model Tour, the two divisions would each contest 125-lap feature events to make up the full race distance. Bobby McCarty jumped to the lead at the start and would not be passed on his way to the win in the LMSC event that served as the night’s finale. McCarty is the two-time and defending CARS Tour LMSC champion. In previous years, this race has featured a throwback theme with…

Matt Craig sails to CARS Tour SLM victory at Hickory

The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Super Late Model Tour made its way to the Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday evening for the Cloer Construction 250. Along with the CARS Late Model Stock Tour, the two divisions would each contest 125-lap feature events to make up the full race distance. At the end of the night it would be Matt Craig who stood tall in victory lane and collected $10,000 for the SLM division win at the historic North Carolina facility. Craig is the defending CARS Tour champion and currently leads the series standings. In previous years, this race has featured…

Teenager Sam Mayer earns ARCA Menards Series win in Toledo

BY JASON CHRISTLEY WWW.ARCARACING.COM AUGUST 1, 2020 TOLEDO, Ohio – Sam Mayer has accomplished so much so soon into his stock car racing career, it’s hard to believe there was still something he hadn’t done. There was, but he checked those off Friday night at Toledo Speedway. The 17-year-old from Franklin, Wisconsin, dominated the Menards.com 200 presented by SPxE. It was Mayer’s first win in the ARCA Menards Series – and his first victory in the Sioux Chief Showdown. Mayer’s No. 21 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet led the last 97 laps and crossed the finish line 1.607 seconds ahead of Ty…

New Hampshire looks to provide another Harvick vs. Hamlin showdown

There is no doubt who the two most dominating figures of 2020 have been in the NASCAR Cup Series. Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick currently sits atop the series standings and has amassed a total of four wins throughout the coronavirus interrupted campaign. At the same time, Joe Gibbs Racing competitor Denny Hamlin ranks fourth in points and has piled up five victories so far. Out of 19 total races, these two are very near to taking 50% of the checkered flags having been offered at the sport’s top level. Last Thursday’s Super Start Batteries 400 at the Kansas Speedway…

CARS Tour event at Hickory will look a bit different this year

In 2017 the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour introduced what has become one of the most popular events in all of pavement-based Late Model racing when the Throwback 276 came to fruition at the Hickory Motor Speedway. The Late Model Stock Car division and the Super Late Model division, both sanctioned by the CARS Tour, have since shared the spotlight with both classed contesting 138-lap feature races. But what has made this event so special and popular, aside from the competition itself, was the fact that teams schemed their racing machines to look like famous race cars from the past….

Bret Holmes conquers Kansas for first ARCA Menards Series win

KANSAS CITY, Ks. — Finally. Following a string of strong runs, Bret Holmes finally got to experience the emotions of standing in Victory Lane in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned that with a dominating performance Friday night in the Dawn 150 at Kansas Speedway. The 23-year-old Munford, Alabama, driver put the family-owned No. 23 Holmes II Excavation Chevrolet out front for 82 laps and crossed the finish line 14.458 seconds ahead of runner-up Ryan Repko. It was the first career win in his 69th career start for Holmes, who began racing in the series as a 19-year-old in 2016….

No qualifying for the rest of 2020 is the appropriate policy for NASCAR

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series used to employ a format that had the top-2 drivers from each heat race go to a redraw that then placed those drivers in order on the starting grid for the feature race. If there were four heat races(which is common) then a total of eight drivers, obviously, would be involved in the redraw. That system was completely unfair in that a driver could set fast time in his qualifying group and win his heat race then be forced to start a short 50-lap feature from the eighth starting position if…

Pressure continues to mount for the likes of Bowyer, Jones and Byron

Two consecutive weeks have produced two unexpected winners on the NASCAR Cup Series. Cole Custer’s four-wide pass as the cars were taking the white flag at the Kentucky Speedway and Austin Dillon’s pit strategy combined with perfect restarts in the late stages of the race at Texas Motor Speedway earned checkered flags for those drivers. But at the same time, wins by drivers who were by no means guaranteed a spot in the upcoming NASCAR Playoffs further intensified the pressure for those who find themselves on the bubble. What’s more, two of those drivers who are flirting with not making…

What happens to NASCAR’s “new fans” when other sports return?

NASCAR has, for the most part, had the sports world all to itself since its return to action on May 17th from the conronavirus pandemic shutdown. And with significant occurrences such as the attention surrounding Bubba Wallace and the Black Lives Matter movement, the banning of the Confederate flag at its tracks, some exciting finishes, some heated tempers, and a couple of unexpected winners, NASCAR has garnered numerous headlines and highlights over the past two months. During the months of May, June and July it appears as if a number of new fans have been added to the roster of…