Missed Gear – Page 10

Craftsman Trucks Set Playoffs At Richmond

August 11, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

The major NASCAR series took a break for two weeks as broadcast partner NBC filled their schedules with the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and the Craftsman Trucks essentially had a bit of a vacation that came back to the track at Richmond Raceway with Cup and Craftsman. Xfinity is set to return coming up at Michigan.

The trucks had quite a bit on the line for their return to racing as the season points were set for the playoffs with the checkers at Richmond. Drivers with wins were locked with a handful that had untouchable points leads coming into the Clean Harbors 250.

Corey Heim had a definite playoff lead with five season wins. Christian Eckes came to Richmond with three wins. Nicholas Sanchez carried two as Ty Majeski and Rajah Caruth brought one each. The challenge put more stress on points drivers coming in with no wins yet.

For Richmond, Christian Eckes started on the pole spot with Ty Majeski in the second. The 250 laps presented challenging racing with 12 lead changes and 9 cautions. Stage one was taken by Eckes and Grant Enfinger took the second. It was Ty Majeski, after coming back from an early pit road penalty, who was in position for a late race restart to take the lead and run up front to the win.

This put a second season win on the books for Majeski. With finishes and points totaled, the top 10 moving into the Craftsman Truck Playoffs was set.

Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, Nicholas Sanchez, Raja Caruth are in with wins and Grant Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum, Taylor Gray, Ben Rhodes and Daniel Dye are advancing with points.

The next race is up in two weeks at the Milwaukee Mile.

The Saturday track events for Clean Harbors 250 race day also ran the practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Cook Out 400 for Sunday evening. Denny Hamlin will be taking the field to the green flag.

Photos from Saturday, August 10, 2024 at Richmond Raceway are below

2024 Race Day Showcase

The Bikes Are Back In Town at VIR

August 4, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Motorcycles have again taken the track at Virginia International Raceway. The bikes had taken a season break from VIR with other event conflicts on the books for 2023. For 2024, The ASRA series brought the speed of two wheels back the weekend of August 3-4. The VIR weekend seems to have been a late addition as little fanfare was available up to about a month before.

The American Superbike Racing Association brought a good showing of racers from across the spectrum. There are several classes based on bike size and rider skill levels. The physics of motorcycles at speed aside, it is a bit of an amazing thing to see in person. Gravity and down force and tire contact size make the speed on track even more amazing. Across all classes, the riders brought their best skill and speed to the track.

Practices ran Saturday morning with the first series of racing in the afternoon. Sunday ran the second round of racing. The track at VIR was set standard for motorcycle racing running the “north course” which turns off the uphill esses just after the track bridge. The bikes go up the hill and rejoin the main course at the top of “roller coaster”.

Essentially, I made a day of it on Saturday and checked the view from several points along the circuit. Watching the bikes is an exercise of both awe and fascination as I’ve ridden before but never at this level. The photo set from Saturday is as close as I get these days. Results from the VIR event are online with the ASRA website.

ASRA Photos – Saturday August 3, 2024 – Virginia International Raceway

2024 Race Day Showcase

World News Sneaks Into Fanatec GT at VIR

July 23, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Have you ever gone off to race weekend with no real agenda but to see and watch exotic cars go fast…? The plan is no real plan. The intention is to wander through the paddock and see the teams working on engines and chassis before taking the car out for hot laps. The only real concern is speed and blurs of color and some pleasant rhythms of engines…

The last thing on your mind is the world beyond the green and checkered flags. On this weekend, however, the news broke through with reality a bit close to the action. The SRO-Fanatec GT World Challenge was wide open for racing at Virginia International Raceway and the non-racing news was looming large over the activities.

First off, it seems a certain United States President who had been under intense scrutiny for some apparent lapses and losses had stepped away from the bid for the next election. This elevated the current Vice President to the position of leading party candidate. Time well play this out…

But that wasn’t so much the thing at the track. The SRO-Fanatec GT is “powered by AWS” which spelled out is “Amazon Web Services”. Along with that is “CrowdStrike” which is a cloud security system. Well….

It seems there was some kind of software update which did not mesh well with host Microsoft systems and there were some problems multiplied with cascading failures. It was a news thing. A big, international news thing. A travel, banking, internet, stock market thing… A Windows blue screen news thing…

Fans walk around tracks and events and see banners and displays showing the connection of sponsors. This weekend, however, the news broke through with “AWS” and “CrowdStrike” on banners, on cars, on racing suits, on the side of trucks and trailers… It made these connections a little more real, or possibly, a little too real. However it plays out the result is that folks around the track know a bit more about the sponsors and have made real world connections where, usually, it is a case of visual, commercial reinforcement.

The track activities went on as normal. There was some rain but it came and went. The racing celebrations on the podium sprayed the champagne. The fans saw some fast track action with a large variety of cars from a world of manufacturers and even got some close up time with drivers for autographs. The SRO-GT weekend is a bit of an IMSA preview for VIR with similar styles and racing formats. IMSA may have a larger profile but the SRO show is also a fun track fan experience. There is variety, color and real speed with position challenges and plenty of close racing.

Information on race results, rankings and schedules can be found on the series websites.
TC AMERICA POWERED BY SKIP BARBER
GT AMERICA POWERED BY AWS
PIRELLI GT4 AMERICA
Toyota GT86 TGRNA GR CUP
FANATEC GT WORLD CHALLENGE AMERICA POWERED BY AWS

Too many photos! Three Day (Friday to Sunday) gallery with track and podium photos!

2024 Race Day Showcase

Freedom 40 – July Hot Laps at Natural Bridge

July 15, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

The “Freedom 40″… It was a two night dirt track attack at Natural Bridge Speedway with big purses on the line. The $5000.00 Limited Late Model win prize was also backed with heat win money and support class prizes. The weekend of July 12-13 had the lights, and the action, turned on.

The Sportsman and Crate Late Models prepped the weekend with Friday night racing followed by open practices for the Saturday events. The evening drew in drivers and fans for a hot night of “tails out” racing. The winners from opening night were Bryce Viar in Sportsman and Braeson Fulton in the Crates.

For Saturday, that show brought more heat to the track even as the clouds cut drivers and fans a break from the direct heat of a July sun on overdrive. Street Stock, Pure Stock and Rookies drove the show as the Late Models ran heats and a 10 lap last chance advance.

The experience at Natural Bridge is keeping fans in the seats and a good roster of drivers and cars on the track. That was evident with the fans lining both hillsides to catch the action.

Hot lap practices set the stage for the evening. Qualifying also gave a hint for the racing ahead as the laps turned over with more fans coming in. An opening ceremony with USA Flags held up high as the Rookie class made honor laps for the National Anthem had everyone at attention.

The Late Model heats set the lineup for the later Main Event. The support races set off as the sun went below the horizon and the lights lit the track.

The Street Stocks ran their 20 once the LM heats were done. Bobby Thompson was chased by the others for the win. Howard Hall and Jesse Murray crossed second and third.

It was practically the same story for the Pure Stock as Bradick Wheeler ran the front for the 20 laps. The race was behind Wheeler as Robert Tyree and Jacob McCormick filled the top three.

The “race in” Late Model “B” Main ran quick enough followed by the Rookies. 15 laps of chasing and racing got a little rough in the final laps as Max Link managed to get up front for the win. Matthew Hamilton and Parker Flint rounded the top three.

The 40 lap Late Model Main Event turned laps on a crowded track. 24 cars and drivers were sideways and practically side by side but they were chasing Tyler Bare. The race behind Bare was a bit of a free for all for position but the fastest were in the top spots. Bare took the checkers with Russell Erwin and Justin Williams behind in second and third. Derick Quade and Joe Leavell rounded the top five.

Photos of Saturday, July 13 – Night Two of the “Freedom 40” at Natural Bridge Speedway

2024 Car People Showcase

Roanoke Drifting In Jappalachia

July 7, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

It is a fine thing when conditions lead to continuity. This particular continuity is also an automotive conundrum in several ways considering the current condition of the existence of the automobile.

What….??

The trend that has taken hold, especially here in these United States, is the popularity of the SUV, the crossover variations of five door hatches, the automatic transmission and front wheel drive. All of these would point to a humorless and drab driving culture of A to B with a soccer game or a grocery store on the agenda. The days of fun behind the wheel are drying up.

Or are they…?

There are a handful of new rear drives out there. Of those, fewer still have a manual transmission. This leads to the continuity of cars of the past being rebuilt and re-born by people who seek the slides and the sideways. Yes, America, drifting may be the saving grace of the manual, rear wheel drive car.

On a warm Wednesday tucked in the back corner of an industrial park I was there to bear witness to a mixture of car cultures. The recipe was a good mix of classic British “Top Gear”, American Motor Trend “Roadkill” and a heavy helping of the Japanese origins of drifting. The cars were budget sourced from the pre-owned market and rapidly made “drivable” over the past several days. Now they were here in this slightly barren environment to be compared on a mapped rally / drifting course by (can you guess…?) the same “tame” racing driver.

For the sake of a little background… This group of guys have a mission which is building on their combination of talents. What is the mission…? Loosely defined it is a mixture of Japan’s origin culture of drifting and the extreme styling of it with the back roads mountain attitude of American muscle cars. They call it “Jappalachia”. There have been trips to Japan with driving study in the origins of the legendary Daigo Saito drifting style. Japan is distinguished as the genesis of drifting even as the sport has expanded worlwide. The “Jappalachia” handle has been vetted during these visits with positive approvals.

The drift is no stranger to these men. A recent visit to NASA Haltech Hyperfest at Virginia International Raceway had a Nissan going tandem on the drift pad competition.

On this Wednesday, they have two cars ready to take on the course. These are not their “pro builds” but side projects for the practice and fun of it. One is a late ’80s Corvette and the other is a Nissan 240sx (’89…? ’90…? give or take…) Both of them had less than “garage kept” history. Both put up sideways and dusty shows. I think the Corvette took the time even with bottom scrapes, fuel delivery issues and a lost ass bumper. It was also driven after the 240 so one could say the previous lap in the Nissan gave a nudge of “practice” to the ‘Vette.

The “real” cars involved…? These guys are looking ahead to extreme builds in their shop. They are working up another C4 series Corvette and a 3rd generation Ford Mustang. The cars are being treated as homage to the extreme Kaido or Bosozoku style of Japanese drift builds. Big fenders, shovel forward in front of the wheels and wide body wings over the back. These are American muscle cars treated with anime angles. Engines are being built. Chassis and suspensions are being tuned and going into place. A rough timeline has turns on the calendar for the newly re-opened Southampton Speedway later this year as that track is running a drift schedule. This is Jappalachia.

Connections…? Roanoke, Charlottesville, Japan, backgrounds in design, mechanics, fabrication, travel… They have formed a friendship from chance encounters, childhood history and love of fun in cars.

The “tame” racing driver…? 2016 F4 Champion / 2021 EFO F3 Champion – Cameron Das, visiting from the UK with friends connected through common and crossed paths. His 2016 F4 is in the Jappalachia shop.

2016 USA F4 Champion, Cameron Das, with the season winning car in the Jappalachia shop

Das is currently doing a social media series of video showcases of kart racing and tracks.
Cameron Das: YouTube Instagram
Tay Whiteside – Lift Arc Studios
Gresh Chapman (Instagram):
Jackson Walker
Connor Shupe

Visit the Jappalachia Website

Photos – A visit to Jappalachia – Industrial Drifting

*The dog is “Pickles” – an Alaskan Malamute. He’s a sweetheart in a sweet spot.

2024 Race Day Showcase

Thunder Road SoBo Heat

July 2, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Hot… Just a bit on the warm side… A lot on the warm side…

Track conditions… The race time temperature was definitely cooler without the sun blazing. Some cloud cover gave relief now and again but practices and qualifying at South Boston Speedway presented a different drive than under the lights for the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200.
Was it a factor for racing…? Maybe. Maybe not. We know that tires on tracks of changing temperatures perform differently. The grip and handling change. The acceleration and the braking change.

Kaden Honeycutt was shown leading practice. Kyle Dudley trimmed the clock in qualifying. Racing in this first race of the 2024 Virginia Late Model Triple Crown was shaping up for a show. Veterans, Series Champions, Rookies, Regulars… They were all there to run this one with a full crowd set practically all the way around for the Sentara Late Model feature.

(The “Virginia Triple Crown” is a combination of three late model races run at South Boston, Langley Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. The combined finishes of the TRHD 200 at SoBo, the “Hampton Heat” at Langley and the “ValleyStar Credit Union 300” at Martinsville set cash prizes and prestige for the late model competition.)

Dudley won the pole spot but could not hold the charge from behind the #4. A side by side start ran close as Honeycutt edged Dudley to the 2nd slot. The early laps kept Dudley in that spot even with hot challenges from some restarts. The race behind the front two was also running hot with Peyton Sellers, Carter Langley, Brenden Queen and Mike Looney chasing spots forward.

The half way stop for fuel and adjustments still had Honeycutt up front but Trevor Ward had worked past Dudley. The top 5 contained Dudley, Looney and Sellers. The restart pushed the field but the real challenge was pushing closer to the front.

Connor Hall had been making moves all night after starting 23rd. The 2023 National Champion (NAAPWS) passed by everyone but Ward kept him back. With 17 to go, Hall made it by and ran on to the checkers. Trevor Ward, Kaden Honeycutt, Peyton Sellers and Kade Brown rounded the top 5. Pole sitter Kyle Dudley was just off in 7th behind Carter Langley. Brenden Queen, Deac McCaskill and Blake Stallings filled the top 10.

The race card also showcased the Budweiser Limited Sportsman. Southside Disposal Pure Stock and Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets.

Nathan Crews started near the back in the Sportsman race but was up front by the 11th lap. He kept that lead for his third win in a row. Eric Winslow held the second slot. Zach Peregoy finished third as Drew Dawson and Jason Pittman filled out the top five.

The Pure Stock race notched another win for Johnny Layne. It’s his forth victory of the season at SoBo. B.J. Reaves drove through in the second slot with Zach in for third. Dillon Davis and Kendall Milam filled the top five.

Cameron Goble dominated from the pole in the Hornets, keeping the lead and taking his forth season win. The official results (My Race Pass) have Landon Milam and Jordaine Penick in at second and third. On race night, Steven Layne was actually in the second spot but was pushed to the back post race.

Photos from the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 / South Boston Speedway

2024 Race Day Showcase

70 Years At Natural Bridge

June 16, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

The namesake has been around a while. A few million years… Give or take a month or two…
Or more…

Racing has been going on for slightly less time than that. In geological terms it’s a flash but in the terms of laps and wheels it’s quite a while.

My first time to Natural Bridge Speedway for the 2024 season had me cross paths with a couple of guys that have been around there since the beginning. These two, with some friends along, were in their spots in front of the main concession and control building on the front straight.

John Emore had a batch of fries and some history. He spoke about coming there for the first race when he was about 8 years old. That was 70 years ago in 1954. The track was longer then and extended beyond and around some trees that are still there. The faint, but grown in, exit of turn four is still just visible. John pointed it out as his friend, Harry Johnson, confirmed the spot. Harry used to turn racing laps there, back in the day. Now they support the track and the racing that is on now.

John Emore (left) 70 years of coming to races. Harry Johnson (right) a featured racer in the “good old days”

It’s Friday, June 14th. It’s the first night of a two night event featuring the American All Star Pro Late Model series. The main AAS event is set for the Saturday. Friday featured the regional Sportsman and Late Model with open practice for the AAS teams on site.

John Emore, Harry Johnson and the other fans were treated to a show Friday evening with a full field in the two mains. Practices, qualifying and heat races started the evening.

For the facility, improvements continue. A new Victory Lane is on the fan side of the exit of turn four. The grounds had a new grooming and the parking and “outside” pit areas have been expanded. The 2024 management has been pushing forward with organization, promotion and event progress for fans on site. The entire facility has a look of detail.

If pressed, we could nitpick at some details. The fan experience is, of course, the focus and continues to be the priority. For the teams and drivers, the infield could use a supply of paper towels in the restrooms… And maybe a hosing down before race weekend…? Let’s be real… A reliable set of restrooms is a must for teams that are there all day and into the evening.

Infield concessions…? Just curious…

Yes… Nitpicking. The overall experience at Natural Bridge Speedway continues to push forward from being close to collapse just a few years ago. The people that have stepped up over the past few seasons have pushed and pulled the facility forward and have given the fans, and the teams, a place to enjoy and compete with a good show. Just ask John and Harry… They’ll tell ya!

I was just there for the Friday. The expanded features of Saturday had plenty of buzz leading in and all indications point to another successful evening.

Day One – Bridge 57 Weekend – Friday, June 14, 2024
Sportsman Top Five: Bryce Viar, Michael Ayers, Bryce Smith, Matt Duggins, Norman Dudley Jr
Late Model Top Five: Justin Williams, Logan Roberson, Joe Leavell, Billy Beachler, Jesse Quick

PHOTOS from Friday, June 14, 2024

Roanoke Drifting In Jappalachia

It is a fine thing when conditions lead to continuity. This particular continuity is also an automotive conundrum in several ways considering the current condition of the existence of the automobile. What….?? The trend that has taken hold, especially here in these United States, is the popularity of the SUV, the crossover variations of five door hatches, the automatic transmission and front wheel drive. All of these would point to a humorless and drab driving culture of A to B with a soccer game or a grocery store on the agenda. The days of fun behind the wheel are drying up. Or are they…? There are a handful of new rear drives out there. Of those, fewer still have a manual transmission. This leads to the continuity of cars of the past being rebuilt and re-born by people who seek the slides and the sideways. Yes, America, drifting may be the saving grace of the manual, rear wheel drive car. On a warm Wednesday tucked in the back corner of an industrial park I was there to bear witness to a mixture of car cultures. The recipe was a good mix of classic British “Top Gear”, American Motor Trend “Roadkill” and a heavy helping of the Japanese origins of drifting. The cars were budget sourced from the pre-owned market and rapidly made “drivable” over the past several days. Now they were here in this slightly barren environment to be compared on a mapped rally / drifting course by (can you guess…?) the same “tame” racing driver. For the sake of a little background… This group of guys have a mission which is building on their combination of talents. What is the mission…? Loosely defined it is a mixture of Japan’s origin culture of drifting and the extreme styling of it with the back roads mountain attitude of American muscle cars. They call it “Jappalachia”. There have been trips to Japan with driving study in the origins of the legendary Daigo Saito drifting style. Japan is distinguished as the genesis of drifting even as the sport has expanded worlwide. The “Jappalachia” handle has been vetted during these visits with positive approvals. The drift is no stranger to these men. A recent visit to NASA Haltech Hyperfest at Virginia International Raceway had a Nissan going tandem on the drift pad competition. On this Wednesday, they have two cars ready to take on the course. These are not their “pro builds” but side projects for the practice and fun of it. One is a late ’80s Corvette and the other is a Nissan 240sx (’89…? ’90…? give or take…) Both of them had less than “garage kept” history. Both put up sideways and dusty shows. I think the Corvette took the time even with bottom scrapes, fuel delivery issues and a lost ass bumper. It was also driven after the 240 so one could say the previous lap in the Nissan gave a nudge of “practice” to the ‘Vette. The “real” cars involved…? These guys are looking ahead to extreme builds in their shop. They are working up another C4 series Corvette and a 3rd generation Ford Mustang. The cars are being treated as homage to the extreme Kaido or Bosozoku style of Japanese drift builds. Big fenders, shovel forward in front of the wheels and wide body wings over the back. These are American muscle cars treated with anime angles. Engines are being built. Chassis and suspensions are being tuned and going into place. A rough timeline has turns on the calendar for the newly re-opened Southampton Speedway later this year as that track is running a drift schedule. This is Jappalachia. Connections…? Roanoke, Charlottesville, Japan, backgrounds in design, mechanics, fabrication, travel… They have formed a friendship from chance encounters, childhood history and love of fun in cars. The “tame” racing driver…? 2016 F4 Champion / 2021 EFO F3 Champion – Cameron Das, visiting from the UK with friends connected through common and crossed paths. His 2016 F4 is in the Jappalachia shop. 2016 USA F4 Champion, Cameron Das, with the season winning car in the Jappalachia shop Das is currently doing a social media series of video showcases of kart racing and tracks. Cameron Das: YouTube InstagramTay Whiteside – Lift Arc StudiosGresh Chapman (Instagram): Jackson WalkerConnor Shupe Visit the Jappalachia Website Photos – A visit to Jappalachia – Industrial Drifting *The dog is “Pickles” – an Alaskan Malamute. He’s a sweetheart in a sweet spot.
Movie Truck Throwback

Hanging out with long time friend from stage and screen who happened to be in a famous truck movie by Stephen King
RoVA-Drive Showcase: Benoit Pigeon

Elite commercial photographer has a fast eye for drag racing
RoVA-Drive Showcase: Bryan Reedy

Late Model Driver (#17) based in Roanoke

Author: Missed Gear