Missed Gear – Page 5

Auto Clubs At The Heart

April 8, 2025January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

There is always a bit more than what is visible at any race track. Staffing behind the scenes and safety settings with training to be seamless with on track activity mesh with the racing package that is presented to fans on any race day.

The racing is at center stage for the fans for the popular showcase events. The personalities of the drivers and the variety on the track mix for an exciting automotive show. These are big events that carry national, often international, prestige and highlight the widespread enthusiasm of motorsport. The race schedule at Virginia International Raceway has many of these big events but that doesn’t fill the entire calendar. Between the fan fare weekends, the VIR program is open to, in a large part, the heartbeat that pumps the hot laps around the track.

Fans buy tickets and keep the talk going but it’s the car clubs that fill a big part of the season. Porsche Club, BMW Club, Sports Car Club of America, Skip Barber Racing School… Regional variations and independent car clubs… Race training, driver training… Motorcycles even…

There is so much activity on the track the calendar is full beyond what the fans see. Some of these clubs do offer public access through their own publicity and it is actually a fun visit. It is relaxed and it is open and it is friendly. Car people will talk about cars… to practically anyone. The track is open with easy views and the low key spirit of camaraderie centered around a common love of driving.

The “open to the public” part of the club experience was there with the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) Hoosier Super Tour. Several classes of cars racing from Formula open wheel to Mazda to vintage. It is this variety and atmosphere that make “club” events, mixed with fans or family, a mainstay of race tracks everywhere.

VIR offers this wide open track time with car clubs and track days while many other tracks offer short track racing on paved and dirt tracks. Racing is often a family excursion and fan involvement on any level serves to raise the bar on the excitement.

Go racing. Bring family or a friend… Or friends… The more the merrier!

SCCA Hoosier Super Tour – Virginia International Raceway – April 4-6, 2025

2025 Race Day Showcase

Hamlin Breaks Through At Ten

March 31, 2025January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Do feelings really matter? Chris Gabehart, formerly the #11 crew chief and current JGR competition director, had a feeling for Denny Hamlin to bring another clock home.

That feeling was on target. Was it a confidence boost, luck of the day or a combination of all odds to make it happen? Who knows… The result for Martinsville Speedway and the Cookout 400 was a win for Denny Hamlin and the #11 Progressive Toyota / Joe Gibbs Racing team.

Team mate Christopher Bell started on the pole and had a good run that left him one behind Hamlin at the checkers. The Wood Brothers and Josh Berry had a good early race but pit road contact with Wallace and the #23 created electrical issues that the #21 could not overcome.

The Wood Brothers and the Motorcraft #21 Ford up front was a good show even as the team is being celebrated at Martinsville for 75 years of racing. The track infield tunnel showcases the years that the Wood Brothers have been in, and influenced, NASCAR.

For the high half of the race, it was Denny Hamlin out in front and to the finish for the win. It was his 6th win at Martinsville and, even with previous season wins across the schedule, his first win here for 10 years. (Last Martinsville win Spring of 2015)

This was the first win for the #11 for the 2025 season. Team mate Christopher Bell drobe in second, Hamlin’s #23 with Bubba Wallace came in third, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five.

Full Photo Gallery – Cookout 400 – Martinsville Speedway – March 30, 2025

2025 Race Day Showcase

The Unexpected Is Expected At Martinsville

March 30, 2025January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

The track, the racing, the history… It all adds up like an equation to be filled with variables as they show up. The one constant is tension. The low degree on the turns, the mix of concrete and asphalt and the compact distance and pit road style combine for tension like a tight rubber band. So it was for the Xfinity Series US Marine Corps 250.

The variables were very active Saturday evening (March 29, 2025) at Martinsville Speedway with 14 cautions. Rewards were on the line as well. There was the $100,000 payout for the Dash 4 Cash award and a 100 milestone Xfinity win for Richard Childress Racing.

It came to pass with a wildcard win for Austin Hill. Those tensions were building and those variables were making moves to push to the front. Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith bumped with Smith rebumping in turn three and into the final, overtime turn. Cars buckled and went towards the wall. Racing under with just a bit of a tap on the breaking #7 of Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill pushed through to the front, the front stretch and the win.

Hill was up front for less than a quarter of a lap. He was the 14th leader and the winner. Behind his win the jumble of cars mixed and mashed up into a mess on the front stretch.

Sheldon Creed and Justin Allgaier were in line for second and third. Brennan Poole and Sam Mayer filled out the top five.

Full Photo Gallery – US Marine Corps 250 – Martinsville Speedway – March 29, 2025

2025 Race Day Showcase

Craftsman Trucks Test The Lights At Martinsville

March 30, 2025January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

A full weekend of NASCAR showcase racing got started Friday evening (March 28, 2025) at Martinsville Speedway with the Craftsman Truck Series and “Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200”.

Racing was tight as the first two stages went by with a few additional cautions for spins. It was the last 50 laps that brought out the gloves as contact for position became a bit more common.

Corey Heim started up front and held the pace but lost a tire after contact racing and pitted. The restart at lap 174 had Kaden Honeycutt leading out with Tyler Ankrum and Ty Majeski challenging. Honeycutt lost the #45 later in another contact spin with Majeski. Another restart at lap 192 had Tyler Ankrum leading out with Jake Garcia and Daniel Hemric close by. With three laps to go, Daniel Hemric had moved by the others for the lead and on for the win.

Tyler Ankrum and Jake Garcia were second and third. Chandler Smith and Ben Rhodes filled the top five and pole sitter Corey Heim rolled in at sixth.

Full Photo Gallery – Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200 – Martinsville Speedway – March 28, 2025

2025 Race Day Showcase

This Is No Drill

March 24, 2025January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Some hot lap practices in the days leading up to a major series run were good for drivers and teams setting up cars for South Boston Speedway. Race day for the SMART Modified “King Of The Modifieds” proved to be a test for the drivers and the cars as well as a big test for the track and emergency crews.

Nobody expected there would be no spins or cautions… With that said – Nobody expected racing with a 2 o’clock start and a total of 275 laps to get into “lights on”.

6:00pm-ish… Give or take a notch… With expected time out for stops and ceremony the expected time out was around 6…ish… That would have been well before the need for the overheads to come on.

The lights did come on. It wasn’t dark but the sun had set and the track lights did come on as the SMART checkered flag flew and Victory Lane festivities got under way. Racing went longer than expected but with that the fans were given a treat of excitement, drama and even a bit of intrigue.

The track crews and emergency teams were also given a very real workout to get their season started. Their efforts were able to turn track incidents back to green flag racing well in time enough. It was the volume and, perhaps, the variety of track incidents that tested the knowledge of those crews. There was debris. There were fluids. There were potential injuries. There were cars needing towed and cars needing tag team lifting. There was mess and mayhem and the crews were there jumping in and getting it done.

There were veterans making rookie errors with a hard drive in and a spin coming out. There was racing in for tight spaces and contact spins. There were cars stuck in a line with nowhere to go but smack into the full stop in front of them. There was at least one (allegedly) drive sideways push point blank into the wall.

With all of it the crews got it back on track. They had a real “trial by fire” thrown at them on day one and they were a step above all of it.

The “winners” of the races got trophies. The track and emergency crews don’t get the trophies but they should, at least, get a wave and a “well done”. They certainly earned it on this race race day.

For the racing, there were two 50 lap rounds of SoBo Sentara Late Model races and a showcase of classic racers in the 50 lap STAR Super Stock Tour. The Late Models started the day with 19 teams ready to race. The SMART Tour had over 30 entries on the track.

Peyton Sellers and Trevor Ward took the wins in the Late Models. Sellers dominated the first with pole sitter Mike Looney hanging on for the second slot. Third place went to Ward. Bobby McCarty and Carter Langley filled out the top five in the first.

The second race stirred up the dust a bit with four cautions that damaged several and put a few off the track completely. Trevor was out front for the final restart and held for the win. Landon Pembelton, Mike Looney and Blake Stallings followed Ward for the top five.

There were nine entries for the Alliance DriveAway Solutions STAR Super Stock Tour race and Jeff Melton was the star of that race from the pole to the checkers. Driving in for second place was Charles Baldwin. Cody DeMarmels came in for third with Gary Ledbetter and Chris Riendeau filled the top five.

The SMART field started large but seven cautions with three red flag stops took a toll. Almost half the entries were off the lead lap pace or off the track completely by the end.

Matt Hirschman had his car and his team on the spot when it was needed and took the lead on the 77th lap. Through three cautions and restarts he was able to hold the spot for the win. Stephen Kopcik and last year’s winner, Luke Baldwin filled the top three. Brandon and Carson Loftin finished in the fourth and fifth slots.

The sixth through tenth slots were scored for Paulie Hartwig, Joey Braun, Ryan Newman, Eddie McCarthy and Jayden Harmon.

Racing at South Boston has only just begun. Rest easy as competitors with the knowledge that the crews on the track have your back. For fans, the edge is on your seat for mash-ups knowing that those crews are working to get the laps going as quickly as possible.

Stay safe – Go racing!

Full photo gallery – King Of The Modified / SMART Tour – South Boston Speedway

2025 Race Day Showcase

Tracks Go Green For St. Patrick’s Day

March 17, 2025January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Timing is such that it falls into the calendar that way. The weather (supposedly) gives hints of warmer temperatures and nature (evidently) begins to show some color as mid-March and Saint Patrick’s Day are celebrated.

A little rain in the mix is not a problem… Right…?

Regional racing is waking up. Many tracks deeper in the south have already started a 2025 schedule. For Virginia, tracks are gearing up with open practice sessions. Southside Virginia woke up Saturday, March 15th with, what came to be, an unexpected weather situation. A storm system was coming but it was not supposed to really impact until Saturday night and Sunday. However, an open door to Saturday morning was wet, misty, foggy…

South Boston Speedway dragged tires and drove dryers to salvage an afternoon of practice. Natural Bridge Speedway sessions were already set for the afternoon. Franklin County Raceway opened up for laps a day early on Friday (3/14).

Open for actual racing business, with some training and practices thrown in, was Virginia International Raceway hosting the Mid-Atlantic region of the National Auto Sport Association. NASA and VIR also have a long history of hosting the automotive party known as HyperFest scheduled for May. This “March To Grid” opener was an early preview to some of the HyperFest racing activities.

Damp and foggy with a wet track from mist and humidity slowed the action a bit but treads and wipers kept them moving as the track dried and the clouds lifted. The classes and activities went forward as NASA turned the laps over the weekend. There was some adjustment as the real weather came through Sunday morning but the sun was out soon enough for midday onward.

Late models to Hornets and more were on the tracks for the Saturday practice laps. South Boston opens the gates for competition racing the weekend of March 21-22 with the SMART Modified Tour. The “King Of The Modifieds” race day showcases the Sentara Late Models and the STAR Super Stock Tour with the SMART Modified main event.

Franklin County has the opener set for April 5 with Sportsman, Super Street, Mini Stock, Stock 4 and Legends with kids bikes and spectator challenges.

Natural Bridge also has their opener set for April 5 with Late Model, Crate Late Model, Sportsman, Street Stock, Pure Stock. Practices are also open each weekend leading up.

Martinsville has NASCAR weekend coming up. Tracks across Virginia are waking up. Some that have been dark are opening back up. The Ararat “Rolling Thunder” Bullring is opening for dirt track action on April 26th. Southside Speedway (just inside the Richmond area) has new backers and investors but racing is likely not in the cards for 2025 but might be coming for 2026 if those cards fall favorably in place.

It’s not all green beer and clovers… Virginia Motor Speedway in the eastern part of the state is dark except for some mud bog events. Motor Mile (Pulaski County) is still dark. Richmond is hosting only one NASCAR Cup weekend… There are any number of picky reasons for tracks to stop racing but a key issue is support. There are choices, of course, but fans in the seats at a race track will go a long way to keep those green and checkered flags waving.

Support it and race it… Or lose it. The racing at the local is often compressed, pressured, fast and powerful. The big stars of NASCAR or IMSA are fun to watch but the local track offers exciting racing with seating closer to the action and drivers that are often in your own neighborhood or working a business in your own town.

Bottom line…. Go Racing, Virginia!

2025 Race Day Showcase

Season Opens with Repeat and Replay

February 24, 2025January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Racing the new season is starting much like the last. There are seat changes and team affiliations and the schedule will sort that out with fans moving into the schedule.

For the repeat it was William Byron taking a second Daytona 500 win in a row. Also a bit of 2024 repeat was the last laps mayhem on the track behind the winner.

William Byron wins 2024 and 2025 – Daytona 500

Ryan Preece also made a thrilling recall with an airborne ride at the ‘500. He’s been in the air at Daytona before and this ride had him on the edge with NASCAR calling for additional safety.

Ryan Preece air lifting crashes at Daytona – 2025 and 2023

The second race of the season at Atlanta was also setting up for a three wide photo finish like last year. A late caution had Christopher Bell in the lead on the outside of Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson when the yellow went on for the win.

Atlanta 3 wide at the line to finish in 2024 and 2025

For the region in and around Virginia, the tracks are getting ready. The end of March Martinsville Speedway hosts NASCAR a week after South Boston hosts the SMART Modifieds. Dominion will be running practices for an April opening. Langley has a mid-March “Destruction” event to get going. Virginia International Raceway has NASA for March and more coming in April after they, too, were connected to Daytona for the ROLEX 24.

Franklin County is under new management with an April opening. Ararat is running for 2025. Natural Bridge is under new ownership. Virginia racing is going full throttle as tracks all over are waking up for the new season.

It isn’t just NASCAR that is going hot. Regional and weekly racing is ready to go so keep those stands full in support for your local track and drivers.

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