Inside Circle Track

Will the Coca-Cola 600 provide William Byron with his Jeff Gordon moment?

The similarities are remarkable. William Byron will start the 2019 Coca-Cola 600 from the pole position on Sunday as he seeks his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Despite having noteworthy credentials coming into his current opportunity, there have been some who have questioned whether the 21-year-old driver should even be where he is during his first year-and-a-half in the No. 24 Chevrolet. Poor finishes were somewhat the norm for Byron during his rookie campaign as he would prove to be the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to miss the NASCAR Playoffs ultimately finishing in the…

600 Miles is the Right Distance for this Race … but how about others?

In an article posted recently by Motorsport.com Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin stated his belief that the Coca-Cola 600 race held annually on Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway has outlived its purpose in terms of distance. The winner of this year’s Daytona 500 suggested that the traditional event would hold as much prestige at a distance of 300 miles as it does at its current distance of 600 miles. “The sport doesn’t ‘need’ any particular thing. I don’t think that anything is totally necessary,” Hamlin said in the article. “If the race was 300 miles,…

Looking at the 2019 Cup season at the All-Star break

The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series has reach its traditional All-Star break in the schedule. The break is a time for the teams evaluate where they are at this point of the season. There have been some interesting story lines and surprises as the Coca-Cola 600 approaches this weekend. The main story of the 2018 season was the “Big 3”, how Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. were winning nearly all of the races. As the playoffs approached, the “Big 3” weren’t winning as much and it was Joey Logano that knocked off all three in the finale…

Turn 2 Blog: New Aero Package Improving ‘Cookie Cutters’ but Hurting Short Tracks?

*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. Richard: There was much talk and speculation coming into the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season regarding the implementation of a new package teams would have to use on the race cars. Horsepower limitations and various aerodynamic adjustments were mandated by NASCAR with the hope that the on-track product would be improved. And while those at the top of the sanctioning body might not say…

Chandler Smith racing his way up the ladder of success

Few race car drivers have been as highly regarded at such a young age as 16-year-old Chandler Smith. The Georgia native pilots a Toyota on the ARCA Menard’s Series for Venturini Motorsports and was recently chosen in a poll of media members conducted by short track racing website Speed51.com as the No. 1 choice in a draft of short track competitors. While his age has limited the number of starts he is allowed on the ARCA tour, the Toyota Racing Development driver has already taken two checkered flags and earned six poles in just 12 starts. His win at Madison…

Stephen Nasse Choosing His Own Path in the Racing World

Saying the name Stephen Nasse around a paved short-track just about anywhere in America is almost certain to draw a reaction. Not only is the 24-year-old one of the top Late Model drivers in the country but he is also a fiery competitor known for not holding anything back on or off the track. Indeed, the Pinellas Park, Florida native is not shy about voicing his opinions off the track and he is not shy about employing a hard charging style that has resulted in significant accomplishments in the short-track racing world while on the track. The roots of Nasse’s…

Josh Brock grabs North/South SLM Challenge win at Nashville

The North/South Super Late Model Challenge 100 took the green flag a day later than expected at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville on Sunday afternoon to contest an event co-sanctioned by the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the Southern Super Series, and the CARS SLM Tour. Persistent rains throughout the day on Saturday forced series officials to postpone the event, which ran along with the ARCA Menards Series, from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. At the end of the day it was Josh Brock, representing the ARCA/CRA Super Series, who left the Music City as the winner of the event held on…

Modified Photos from Bowman Gray Stadium

Here are photos taken of some of the Modified cars that raced in the Hayes Jewelers 200 at Bowman Gray Stadium on April 27, 2019. The race at the track known as the Madhouse was won by Brian Lofton. Read the race story here–> Brian Lofton upsets Bowman Gray favorites to win Hayes Jewelers 200

Chase Elliott’s win at Talladega was good for NASCAR in multiple ways

When Chase Elliott crossed the finish line ahead of the pack on Sunday afternoon in the Geico 500 at Talladega Super Speedway there were actually several winners. While it was the second generation driver’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of 2019 and his fourth overall, there were numerous people who felt the impact of that win. Going into the Talladega event, every one of the nine races held this season had been won by drivers from only two organizations. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex, Jr. had scored a total of six triumphs for the Toyota team…

Brian Lofton upsets Bowman Gray Favorites to win Hayes Jewelers 200

There were a number of drivers who would have been considered favorites to win the Hayes Jewelers 200 Modified race at Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday night but few would have placed Brian Lofton on that list. As a matter of fact, the driver did not even have a ride for the event contested on the Winston-Salem, NC track until the night before the race when his team’s original driver was unable to make it the event. But in the end, it was Lofton who beat out all contenders including more recognizable names such as nine-time Hayes Jewelers 200 winner…