Inside Circle Track

Will 2019 be Chase Elliott’s Championship Year?

An old adage in racing declares that “The first one is the hardest one to get”. If that is indeed true Chase Elliott managed to break that wall down and then some in 2018. As a matter of fact, the Hendrick Motorsports pilot amassed a total of three victories during a season that ended with him in the sixth spot of the overall Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings. Further, the 23-year-old driver has shown that he can piece together the type of consistency that will always make him a championship threat as he has made his way into the…

NASCAR Needs A ‘Chili Bowl’

During the course of this week you probably have seen or will see social media posts aplenty regarding the Chili Bowl Nationals. The annual event held inside the River Spirit Expo Center each January for Midget Sprint Cars attracts attention from all over the racing world. Fans and competitors alike from all disciplines of the sport descend on Tulsa, Oklahoma every year to take in the racing action and to be a part of the atmosphere surrounding the week-long event. While the racing action is indeed a major part of the draw to the Chili Bowl Nationals, it’s the whole…

Has NASCAR Hit Rock Bottom Yet?

As a high school Psychology teacher, I have often read and heard that some believe that in order for recovery to occur among those who have serious problems the sufferer must first hit rock bottom. One must first experience the lowest of lows before making a turnaround that will lead to an upward climb that will eventually bring about full recovery according to this theory. If this line of thinking is in fact true for addicts or those afflicted with other types of disorders then one has to wonder if the same can be true of a sport as well….

Richard Childress Racing looking to carry late season momentum into 2019

One organization on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series that appeared to be gaining momentum at the end of the 2018 season was that of Richard Childress Racing. The Welcome, NC based organization ended the campaign by scoring as many top-15 finishes over the final third of the schedule as they had over the first two-thirds of the year. Drivers Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman proved to be consistently better during the closing races of the most recent season than they had been through the first twenty-two events that began the NASCAR grind. Of course, it has to be remembered…

Can William Byron become the next Joey Logano?

Some statements are so obvious that they don’t really need to be said, but they are often said anyway. Those comments are often said to be “as plain as the nose on your face” when made. The statement that William Byron is approaching a pivotal season in his racing career fits that description as the young Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver heads into his second full-time campaign as the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The entire Hendrick Motorsports organization saw its share of struggles in 2018 as only one of its drivers(Chase Elliott) won a Cup…

Kurt Busch, Ross Chastain look to lift Chip Ganassi organization in 2019

Every NASCAR off-season is filled with driver, sponsor, manufacture, and crew member moves and the 2018-19 version of “silly season” has been no different. And every year, those who follow the sport attempt to decipher those moves for the purpose of determining which organizations have most improved themselves with their maneuvering. This off-season there is one organization that almost certainly has lifted itself into an even stronger position as it prepares for the 2019 campaign. With the addition of Kurt Busch to its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team and Ross Chastain to its NASCAR Xfinity Series effort, Chip Ganassi…

Red Farmer and Jeff Gordon chosen for NMPA Hall of Fame honors

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Legendary drivers Charles “Red” Farmer and NASCAR Cup series champion Jeff Gordon make up the National Motorsports Press Association’s Hall of Fame Class of 2019. Each will be officially inducted during ceremonies scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 27 in Charlotte, N.C. Farmer, 86, was a NASCAR competitor from 1953 to 1975 and again in select events in 1991 and 1992. The Florida native and Hueytown, Ala. transplant won a Modified championship in 1956. Though he preferred racing in the Late Model Sportsman division, Farmer did run 36 premier series races, with a best finish of fourth (twice). Even…

Derek Griffith anxious to make Snowball Derby debut

The Snowball Derby held each year at the Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. is one of the crown jewel events in the world of Asphalt Late Model racing. Dating back to 1968, some of the most legendary names in American racing have graced victory lane at the conclusion of the main event. Darrell Waltrip, Donnie Allison, Butch Lindley, Jody Ridley, Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott are just a few of the recognizable figures to have taken the checkered flag from this historic race. Just making the show is a remarkable accomplishment for many of the entrants. And one driver…

Brandon Setzer making his own way in short-track racing

Dennis Setzer won races on what are now called the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as well as taking scores of checkered flags from short-tracks all over the southeast and other parts of the country. And now, Brandon Setzer is picking up right where his father left off as a driver and by earning a living within the racing industry. The 25-year-old Setzer has been a frequent visitor to victory lane at Hickory Motor Speedway, which is just minutes from his Newton, NC home. And more, the second generation driver has earned trophies racing with…

Matt Craig enjoying his racing life as a PASS South champion

For seven consecutive years between 2009 and 2015 the Pro All Stars Series South division had seven different drivers to claim the season-long championship for the pavement-based Super Late Model circuit. But beginning in 2016 Matt Craig began a streak that has now reached its third straight season in which he has laid siege to that touring series title. On Saturday at the Hickory(NC) Motor Speedway the Kannapolis, NC driver placed third in the Mason-Dixon Mega Meltdown 200-lap race which was good enough to secure yet another championship for the driver of the No. 54 machine. While Craig and his…