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: Happy Birthday
Sometimes it’s weird how the world works. Bryan Clauson would have been 34 years old on Thursday and befitting such an occasion, Emerson Axsom “parked” the Clauson-Marshall Racing non-winged sprint car to victory lane in USAC sprint car competition at Pennsylvania’s Big Diamond Speedway. Happy Birthday BC!
Time Trials: Where’s Kyle?
It’s Friday morning on an off week for the NASCAR Cup Series and Kyle Larson hasn’t surfaced anywhere, driving any type of dirt car. The weekend is still ahead, but might dirt-track racing’s most beloved racer spend a weekend away from the track?
First Heat: Aggression
Read earlier this week where several of Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 colleagues said the two-time world champion isn’t as aggressive as he was in his younger days. Who needs to be aggressive when you win consecutive Grands Prix by 27 and 24 seconds, respectively?
Second Heat: Money Matters
How much money did NASCAR, drivers, crew members and team owners spend on exotic vacations during the off week? Judging by the Twitter posts, it was a lot.
Third Heat: Ten Years
If you are in the Indianapolis area this weekend and want to see some cool, old race cars, the Sportscar Vintage Racing Ass’n will make its annual appearance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. More than 300 vintage cars are expected to compete in various classes during the 10th annual event at the 14-turn, 2-439-mile road course.
Fourth Heat: Not Finished Yet
Though, he’s not racing on a regular basis any longer, 2013 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Daryn Pittman isn’t finished yet. Pittman has been hired to drive the Alex Bowman No. 55 in the Eldora Million and Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway July 12-15.
Fifth Heat: Vacation, All I Ever Wanted
If things seem a little quiet in the NASCAR world, that’s because they are. It’s the only off week in the 36-race season for the NASCAR Cup Series. As well, neither the Craftsman Truck Series or the Xfinity Series will race this weekend.
It’s a deserved break after 16 consecutive weekends of racing. The series is back next weekend at Nashville Superspeedway for the first of 20 consecutive weekends leading into the crowning of a champion Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway.
Dash: When One Door Closes, Another Opens
Despite the shock and disappointing aftermath of losing his NTT IndyCar Series ride with Ed Carpenter Racing, it seems Conor Daly just might be better off over time.
Within two weeks, Daly had already picked up rides in Nitrocross competition, taking part in the Visions Off-Road event this weekend, and for the upcoming NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Though Daly is 32, it never hurts to keep building a racing résumé.
B Main: High Bank Nationals
We’re only one week away from the High Bank Nationals at South Dakota’s Huset’s Speedway.
Featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, the event offers a $750,000 purse over four days of action June 21-24.
A trio of $20,000-to-win features will be followed by a Saturday night finale that offers $250,000 to the winner and $5,000 to every driver who starts the main event.
It may be called the High Bank Nationals, not because of the race track, but because somebody’s going to the bank!
Feature: Tuning Up
The All Star Circuit of Champions visit Eldora Speedway tonight for round seven of Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket. But neither the fact it is Speedweek or the $12,000 on the line for the winner are what’s important about this race.
The 30-lap event will be the last opportunity for winged sprint car competitors to tune up for the July 12-13 Eldora Million that will pay $1 million to the winner.
The World of Outlaws are racing in Wisconsin, but it will be interesting to see what other top competitors will make the tow to Eldora tonight.
Rico Abreu has won two of the most recent winged sprint car races at Eldora and he’s among those confirmed for tonight’s tilt.
Parting Shot
No NASCAR to watch on Sunday? Check out the ASA STARS National Tour Father’s Day 100 live from the legendary The Milwaukee Mile on SPEED SPORT affiliate MidwestTour.tv. Ty Majeski, Bubba Pollard, Casey Roderick, Luke Fenhaus, Carson Hocevar, Derek Kraus and Gio Ruggiero will be among those in the field.