Missed Gear – Page 4

IMSA – Super Car Heat at VIR

August 29, 2023August 31, 2023 Missed Gear

Virginia Is For Lovers… That’s how it goes… Country Lovers, Mountain Lovers, Scenery Lovers, Car Lovers… It’s all there with a visit to Virginia International Raceway. The “spectator” event season showcases several events but the real “international” comes into play on IMSA WeatherTech weekend.

It helps to know a little about the racing and who is driving what and leading in the points across the series on track but, honestly, it is not necessary. The variety, speed and close up action offers plenty to keep up with. The weekend is as much a celebration of racing as it is a celebration of the track itself. Is it necessary to know that a VIR win could shake things up for most of the series racing? Do you need to know that Corvette Racing is in striking distance of Lexus or that Aston Martin is chasing down BMW…? Who’s leading in the Lambo Trofeo or MX-5…? Does it matter to the fans who have come to see beautiful sports cars race in a beautiful setting…?

It does to some… People always have favorites. On a hot August weekend they all gathered for the cars, the drivers, the colors and the views.

It is possible that nobody is as proud as CEO Connie Nyholm of the unlikely yet impressive racing showplace that is the current incarnation of Virginia International Raceway. She has been with it from the purchase, update and re-introduction to the racing community around the year 2000. It is nothing short of phenomenal that the track, originally opened in 1957 and shut to the public in the 1970s, is now recognized as a jewel in the schedule of premiere racing series such as IMSA, FIA, GTWC, Moto America, NASA and others. Club racing is popular as ever and VIR is a hot challenge for aspiring drivers. It is determination and a little luck that has brought VIR to the status it has.

For IMSA weekend, the schedule falls later in the season. Points are a premium and the challenge of the course is a true test of drivers and teams. Full results on the races and the points can be found at IMSA online: Click for IMSA results and updates.

The fan experience continues to be expanded at VIR. The brand and performance variety on the track also sets the backdrop for a fan base as diversified as the paddock. The exotics of Lamborghini, Aston Martin or McLaren are mixed with Honda, Hyundai, Ford and Chevy. The cars are the stars and the drivers are open and approachable.

The headline race Saturday afternoon featured the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge running the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix. For the finale on Sunday, The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship raced the Michelin GT Challenge. The VP Prototype/Sports Car Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Mazda MX-5 Cup filled both days with racing from morning to the main event green flag.

New options on food and beverage were available this time around taking pressure off of the little paddock diner. The Pagoda Grill is still there but food trucks have been given space to take some of the demand and expand the dining experience. The Oak Tree Tavern is, of course, also available with a touch of class and excellent dining.

The IMSA season still has Indianapolis and Road Atlanta and points are getting tight in the top spots. For VIR, there is more to come also. The SCCA has a week long series late in September and the VIR SpeedTour comes in October. The SpeedTour in particular is another big variety weekend with GT, TransAm, Open Wheel and Classic / Vintage racing. There is also one of the largest rock music festivals in the country on tap.

Virginia International Raceway is a multi-faceted destination. It is often difficult to explain to race fans who have only visited stadium style oval tracks. It is worth a visit to find it all for yourself.

Photo Gallery – Virginia International Raceway – Saturday August 26

Photo Gallery – Virginia International Raceway – Sunday August 27

Race Day Showcase

Mazdas Buzz Martinsville

August 22, 2023August 22, 2023 Missed Gear

It’s just a few days from IMSA weekend at Virginia International Raceway and, somehow, Martinsville Speedway grabs some of the attention!

Consider, for a moment, a bunch of tuned Mazda MX-5 Cup race cars taking a couple of days to run hot laps around the historic oval. Yes… That is exactly what they did.

Racing history is combined as cars commonly running on the twisted track of VIR take laps around Martinsville. This merges names like Carroll Shelby and Paul Newman with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

Speaking of, by the way… Dale Earnhardt, Jr and Bobby Labonte were on hand from NASCAR history to lend a lap or two in the Mazda Motorsport testing. Speedway President Clay Campbell also climbed in and put his driving to the test with the Mazda crew.

MX-5 Cup series drivers were on hand for Monday to dial the cars in. Campbell and the NASCAR guys came in Tuesday to throw their Martinsville racing experience behind the wheel.

The stage is early but all of this opened the door for the possibility of the MX-5 Cup series actually racing at Martinsville Speedway. Logistics are many but the test made a mark on all involved.

Dale Jr referenced the advancement of iRacing and how that virtual platform raises the bar. He said you can put any car on any track and the technology is such that the simulation is eye-opening. The difference on track from a NASCAR Cup car or Late Model is in the turns, he referenced. The Mazda is as fast in the turns but the entry and exit is different on the shifting. The Cup cars have the straights but these are close in the corners.

We’ve seen Bobby Labonte in the SMART Mods and SRX this year and now in Mazdas at Martinsville. He was just straight up having fun in the MX-5 dropping the power of SRX or a Modified for the low ride and easy handling convertible. His experience in multiple series aided his input on the testing.

Clay Campbell noted the speed of the Mazda through the turn. These are lighter so the brakes don’t play the major role like they do in a Cup or Late Model car. He said you stand on the brakes in those Cup cars and these it’s more in the downshift and easy entry in the turns. The low driving position also puts your perspective of the speed right on the edge.

The series drivers on their way to VIR this weekend said the tuning was not as much as they thought for the oval. There will be some camber and steering adjustments to get them back to turning right as easy as left but the mechanics of the MX-5 are the same.

Who knows for sure when, or if, the MX-5 Cup will race at Martinsville. This testing, however, showed that if they do it is going to be a fun watch. The size of the car would allow for some lanes of racing that larger, more powerful cars can not run in a race setting. The sound of these and the quick handling nature could be a race fan experience for sure.

*There were, unfortunately, no famous hot dogs available for the Mazda MX-5 crews to test.
**Ross Chastain was either unavailable or not invited to this test.

PHOTOS from Mazda MX-5 Cup testing at Martinsville Speedway (August 21-22/2023)

Race Day Showcase

Chasing Racing Points At Pulaski

August 13, 2023August 14, 2023 Missed Gear

It wasn’t long ago we chased SuperStar Racing Experience stars such as Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer and Josef Newgarden (plus many more) at Pulaski County Motorsports Park.

Now, we’re back chasing the local stars in their division points battles. Season racing is coming into the final schedule so every lap and every position matter. Regional race fans are missing out if they don’t check out one of the remaining points races at Pulaski. Mixed in on the upcoming schedule is Monster Trucks and the SMART Modified Tour so there is plenty of variety still on the calendar.

For this Saturday (8-12-2023), the sun set with a colorful backdrop on the evening of racing. The schedule set twin Late Models and twin Sportsman races. Super Street, Mod-4 and Pure-4. The original schedule was switched just a bit as the DCT Towing Super Streets took the track first. Racing from P4 it was Jimmy Mullins up front at the checkers.

The twin Price’s Body Shop Late Model races were almost mirror images. Kyle Dudley started near the back and raced up to challenge pole sitter Mike Looney. The second race later that evening had Looney chasing through the field trying to catch Dudley. The two traded wins.

Daryn Cockram was another racer driving from several rows back to take wins in both of the Collision Plus Sportsman races. A packed track produced lap traffic but he raced from P5 in the first and P7 in the second to sweep the night.

The Total Car Care Mod-4 division was won by Rocky Yates.

The Blue Ridge Church Pure-4 division was won by Larry Yeary.

There is more racing coming up. Later this month the championship is up for the Stock-6 division with the other divisions chasing points to add up. Late Models, Sportsman, Super Street and Pure-4 are on track to put on a show on August 26th.

Photo Gallery – August 12, 2023 – Pulaski County Motorsports Park

Race Day Showcase

Chris Buescher Hot Win At Richmond

July 31, 2023August 6, 2023 Missed Gear

The NASCAR Cup race on Sunday, July 30th, at Richmond Raceway went by with calculated strategy rather than “hit and run” havoc. The temperatures were still quite hot with in-car readings reaching 130 degrees. The pressure was on for a win as the Playoff season is coming fast. (The cut off race is Daytona at the end of August).

Team mates Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher were the race lap leaders for almost half of the Cookout 400. Keselowski is also an owner for the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team.

There were only 3 cautions and 2 were the stage finishes. The third came as the race was coming to a close setting up a 3 lap run for the checkers that had Buescher leading Denny Hamlin by half a second. The #17 Fastenal RFK Ford was well in front of the #11 of Hamlin before the caution.

Pit stops proved to be the “make it or break it” events for the race. Bubba Wallace had a good early run but a tire change mishap set him back. Pole sitter Tyler Reddick was flagged for a pit commitment violation and had to race back to a 16th place finish. Brad Keselowski also had a pit sequence which had him in the stall a bit too long with an odd angle going in forcing extra time on exit.

Tyler Reddick was the stage 1 winner. Brad Keselowski took stage 2.

Buescher’s win sets him into the playoffs. Denny Hamlin ran 2nd. Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Ryan Preece filled the top 5.

PHOTO GALLERY – NASCAR CUP – Richmond Raceway – Cookout 400 – July 30, 2023

Race Day Showcase

NASCAR Trucks Playoffs set at Richmond

July 31, 2023August 6, 2023 Missed Gear

NASCAR mid-summer weekend at Richmond Raceway was a hot one. Temperatures pushed well into the nineties and the racing brought a challenge to teams and drivers. The late July schedule brought the Craftsman Series Trucks and NASCAR Cup to the Virginia capitol city on Saturday, July 29th.

The trucks faced a deadline as the Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond was the last race to make the series Playoffs. A win to secure or a points ride sufficient to cling to a spot was essential. Ty Majeski was going for it with a pole start and both stage wins. However, a pit road speeding mistake put him back in the field. This proved to be the point that upset the evening for the #98 ThorSport Racing Ford.

Majeski was able to race back to the front but it cost him a late race pit stop so he was out on track racing against fresh rubber on competitors’ trucks as the laps wound down. Those newer tires allowed #42 Niece Motorsports Chevy driver, Carson Hocevar, driving with the title sponsor Worldwide Express on the panels, to take the lead with three laps to go. The Richmond win for Hocevar made his third of the season as he drove from a 17th place start to win the night.

Majeski still had season points to make the Playoffs. The win would have been a boost but Majeski, Nicholas Sanchez, Matt Dibenedetto and series veteran Matt Crafton just made it in on points.

Corey Heim, Zane Smith, Carson Hocevar, Christian Eckes, Grant Enfinger, Ty Majeski, Ben Rhodes and Nicholas Sanchez, Matt Dibenedetto and Matt Crafton are racing into the Round of Ten with their next race coming at Indianapolis.

PHOTO GALLERY – Worldwide Express 250 – Craftsman Series Trucks at Richmond Raceway

Race Day Showcase

Super Stars SRX at Pulaski County

July 28, 2023August 3, 2023 Missed Gear

Honestly… Well, it was a bit of a surprise. Pulaski County Motorsports Park has its share of history and holds a place for Virginia racing. That does not set aside certain realities of the facility. The season started as Motor Mile Speedway but was changed just weeks in to Pulaski County Motorsports Park.

The pieces fell together with a huge draw and a packed house for Thursday, July 27th. The name change highlights the region and the facility and the variety of attractions all together with a visit from a premiere racing series. The Matt Hagan connection to Tony Stewart / NHRA and the Motor Mile dealership cemented the foundation for the Superstar Racing Experience to wave a green flag over this racetrack with big time racing.

The SRX Racing show came in with a bang. The grandstands were packed. It was a pleasant site after seeing a season of open seating leading in. The showcase of a national spotlight and exiting racing should invite a few more fans to visit this track that does have a lot to offer.

(We’ll set aside some of the staffing issues that created some bottlenecks. We’ll also set aside our assistance for getting fans to their seats in the VIP viewing area housed under the control center. Our impression, after said and done, was that despite a few hiccups, the event went off very well and was quite a crowd pleaser.)

*Thank you, Mark, for getting us set where we were to get some work done on site. Thank you, Jasmine, for stepping up to fill some holes and get the edges smoothed over and for helping us help fans get to their spot. It is quite possible this event may have fallen into its own weight without Jasmine there to herd some cats and wrangle some ferrets…

The racing…? Well… It delivered on many fronts. The Collision Plus Sportsman ran with a 20 car field to start…. And then start again. In short, Kyle Barnes and Kyle Dudley were shuffled to the back but both made moves forward. Drew Bond had the starting pole but fell back as the 50 laps wound down. The shuffle for positions kept the racing lively but it was Brad Foy at the finish for the win with Karl Budzevski in for 2nd and Kyle Dudley racing back up to 3rd. Jacob Porter and Richard Caldwell rounded the top 5.

*Considering the short track attention, it would have been nive for ESPN to roll a 5 minute highlight recap of the support race before they got to the SRX main… But maybe we’re just wishing…

The SRX event was a ringer. Some cars were needing some heavy wrench time after the race was run. The next race is a bit of a haul to Michigan and Berlin raceway so the work on those cars will need as much time as they can get.

The heat races went off OK but Clint Bowyer had an engine go into “mystery mode” after heat 1 but got running hot enough to win heat 2. The car served well enough in the main to bring it in for 2nd place. Tony Stewart raced on for 3rd after being shuffled around a bit and taking a hit or two. Kyle Busch, making his SRX debut, drove it in for the win.

For the most part, the SRX racing is an exhibition, for fun, show for short track fans to see some of the biggest stars of racing turn laps on their home turf. However, the message does not always get to the drivers as the green flag drops and “race mode” is on. In short, some cars were damaged quite well. It made for exciting racing for the fans but an expensive fix for the next week.

A full house at Pulsaki County Motorsports Park was a sight to see. Having top tier racing stars come to the hills of southwest Virginia was a big deal. Some of these same drivers (Hailie Deegan, Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch) were headed to Richmond Raceway for NASCAR weekend. Some fans don’t get a chance to see drivers like this in person so the short track visits with SRX is an exciting boost.

The SuperStar Racing Experience is a short, summer series designed to highlight short tracks and fans. Yes, the drivers bring the name but the fans fill the seats. Let’s hope this attention to this part of Virginia racing boosts some attendance forward for the local stars that make it happen week in and week out!

PHOTO Gallery – SRX at Pulaski County Motorsports Park – July 27, 2023

Race Day Showcase

Yes, Virginia, The Drag Strip, Too

July 18, 2023July 19, 2023 Missed Gear

The “Motor Mile” name change is coming around to all aspects of the Radford, VA race facility. As with any change like this, it takes a little time for all the pieces to fall into place. The oval track had taken the name “Pulaski County Motorsports Park” early on this year (2023). With that was also the kart track and the “Rusty Wallace Racing Experience” availability for fans to get a taste of driving a stock car.

The drag strip took a little more time to show the new colors. The oval and strip are still separated with website domains but the “Pulaski County” moniker is now on both web and social media sites.

Schedules are full for both sides and all that is needed is a little more local support.

With that, we took a day to visit the strip during an “IHRA Sportsman Spectacular” event. The International Hot Rod Association has gone through some changes itself but the sponsors and participants are pushing forward with a charge.

There were plenty of entrants and variety of division and body style. Performance was tested up front with paired racing later in the day balanced with some handicap applied to starts. The “Sportsman Spectacular” did deliver over the day. It is all too easy for this format of racing to fall behind but the event flowed easy enough.

Well… The rain delay did hold things a bit… A bit over an hour… But they ran it well up to the next rain… Sunday may have a little more on the schedule…

The point is that racing is on at the drag strip side of Pulaski County Motorsports Park. The variety on the schedule and the level of competition is often on the edge. There is plenty of time left this season to make your way there.

On that… The last Thursday in July is a national showcase of the facility and the region as the Superstar Racing Experience comes to the oval. This will be the 3rd SRX race of the 2023 season and sure to be a “must see” for race fans.

The trick will be to push that attention into the remainder of the Pulaski County Motorsports Park season. Come on out and enjoy some “home town” racing.

Photos: IHRA Sportsman Spectacular – Saturday, July 15, 2023 – Pulaski County Motorsports Park