It’s time for our weekly Friday morning tour around the racing world. From hot laps to the main event, here’s what’s on our mind this week.
Hot Laps: Recycling
Race team owners are among the best recyclers in the world. Instead of finding new talent, there seems to be an incredible propensity for handing the keys to drivers who’ve been there, done that, but not won very often.
Qualifying: Black Jack
After years and numerous close calls, Brian Brown finally got his crown jewel sprint car victory on Thursday night at Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway. Brown won the Tuscarora 50 and banked $60,000 after years of coming close in the Knoxville Nationals, Kings Royal and other big events.
First Heat: Top Stat
Thanks to longtime Lucas Oil late model announcer James Essex for this tidbit.
In the 42-year history of the Dirt Track World Championship, which will be run at Eldora Speedway for the first time next weekend, Tyler Reddick is the youngest driver to make the starting line-up.
Reddick was 14 when he made the field and finished 23rd in 2010.
Second Heat: The Hirschmans
It would be interesting to know who has won at more race tracks, current asphalt modified kingpin Matt Hirschman, or his dad, Tony, who was a frequent winner through the 1990s and early 2000s?
Matt Hirschman won last week’s NASCAR Modified Tour race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
Third Heat: Signatures?
One of the Charlotte television stations interviewed a man on Friday morning, who had been in line since 3 a.m. to get a ticket to an autograph session with Joe Gibbs Racing drivers. That’s a lot of dedication to get “Denny Hamlin” scribbled on paper.
Fourth: No Snow
It doesn’t matter the year or the host track, it seems the story of Super DIRT Week is almost the weather. Rain is bearing down on Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway and creating havoc with the 51st edition of the dirt modified classic. But, hey, at least it isn’t snow this time.
Dash: Still Winless
It’s Oct. 6 and Chase Elliott has yet to win a NASCAR Cup Series race this season.
B Main: Iowa Resurrection
Does anyone else find it interesting that Roger Penske and IndyCar Series officials, teams and sponsors put tons of time, effort and money into revitalizing Iowa Speedway and were rewarded by NASCAR scheduling its first Cup Series race at the track three weeks before the annual Indy car doubleheader at the seven-eighths-mile short track?
For the record, NASCAR owns Iowa Speedway and leases it to IndyCar.
Feature: No Dirt
I have mixed emotions over the fact that NASCAR did not schedule any dirt-track races for any of its three NASCAR national series for next season.
First of all, it’s sad that the country’s most prominent racing series doesn’t feature an event in line with the type of racing seen at hundreds of tracks across the country, which has spring boarded the careers of many of NASCAR’s past and present stars.
That said, the two Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway were hardly representative of what true dirt-track racing looks like.