Showcase – Page 25 – Missed Gear

Indy Road Course – Turn 5 Pinball

August 17, 2021January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

The road course at Indy brought the game of pinball to racing. The curbing installed for the infield turns took a beating from IndyCar to the NASCAR Xfinity race and, finally, tilted out during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race. Turn 5 threw cars off their line, into the air and even ripped the splitter and lower body panels off. Many cars were sacrificed… Few could predict the result.

The final restart put Denny Hamlin in place to get his first season win. Chase Briscoe, racing Hamlin for the lead, went wide and into the grass. As a result, he cut the turn coming back on course briefly in front of Hamlin. As Briscoe tucked in and chased on the tail of the #11, the #14 went in tight and clipped Hamlin’s bumper which put the Toyota off the track. This put Hamlin off the run for the win which was a sour note as Briscoe had been penalized with a pass through penalty for the cut course. Briscoe, unaware, kept racing the #11 which resulted in the off and spin for Hamlin.

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Hyperice Chevrolet, in Victory Lane at the Verizon 200 Indy Road Course

As a result of the two up front cars out of it… Third place AJ Allmendinger was in the position to take and keep the lead for the win. Allmendinger is racing “full time” in the Xfinity series (currently 2nd in points) so his win in the Cup race does not put him in the Cup playoffs. However, due to finishing order at Indy and the points pay out, Denny Hamlin, even with the spin out, is still locked in the playoffs. Hamlin hasn’t won yet this season but his points were enough.

Two races remain in the “regular” season (Michigan and Daytona) which gets to the month of September and the playoffs, with Darlington, Richmond, Bristol and Vegas.

Michigan and Daytona will be the final shots to “win in” the playoffs. Hamlin is in with no wins but would still want to have that credential. Kevin Harvick has also been having an off season but is hanging on the line with points. He needs the win to secure his spot. All series drivers would benefit from a win as some are even looking for rides in 2022.

Kyle Larson is currently on top with 5 wins and continues to be the one to catch leading also top 5, top 10 and laps in front.

There is a lot on the line for “points only” drivers and those chasing a seat so the final regular season races are going to be hot ones.

2021 Race Day Showcase

CMC Supply Night – Motor Mile

August 3, 2021January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Local track racing at Motor Mile Speedway seems to turning some heads as the crowd was noticeably larger than our last visit there. The track is not slowing down at all for August. In fact, they are turning up on several levels. The track is hot 3 of 4 weekends in August with some profile events.

Friday August 6 – Family Fun Night – Super Cup Stock Car Series. $25.00 per car with Bike Races for the kids, FREE Rusty Wallace Ride-Alongs for Winners during intermission plus UCAR, Sportsman and Big Rig Trucks on display in advance of August 7 FASS racing. Access to Friday Night Fury at the drag strip, too!
Saturday August 7 – FASS Big Rig Series with Mod-4 and Super Street
Saturday August 14 – Shelor Motor Mile Presents – Kenny Wallace Night – NAAPWS-CT LMSC Twin 60’s Watch The Motor Mile Stars Race Against Kenny Wallace In Two Big 60 Lap Features! Rusty Wallace Racing Experience Championship, Sportsman, Super Street, Mod-4, UCAR
Saturday August 28 – Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour makes their run at Motor Mile Speedway!

For CMC Supply Night on July 31st, the show brought some racing history out with the The Southern Ground Pounders and began the night with tiny but fast Mini Cup laps. NAAPWS Late Models, Limited Sportsman, Super Street, Mod-4 and U-Car filled the night for a full schedule.

Top Results for CMC Supply Night – July 31, 2021:

Mini Cup Winner – Tyler Warriner
Sportsman Race #1 Winner – Cory Dunn
Super Street Winner – Hank Turman
Late Model Race #1 Winner – Ryan Wilson
Mod 4 Winner – Tanner Young
Ground Pounder Winners – Greg Butchser / Sportman and Cowboy Dewite / Modified
Sportsman Race #2 Winner – Kyle Barnes
Late Model Race #2 Winner- Kres Vandyke
UCAR Winner – Peyton Howell

FULL PHOTO GALLERY from JULY 31, 2021 BELOW:

2021 Race Day Showcase

July Olympic Break – NASCAR Catch Up

July 26, 2021January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

NASCAR points math ranks right up there with income tax math and black jack card counting. With that, we could dig around and find out how Kyle Larson with 4 wins is 13 season points behind Denny Hamlin with no wins. Larson and Hamlin are tied in Top 5 and Top 10 finishes and Larson actually has 7 more stage wins than Hamlin. Larson has 1 DNF, however, he is leading the “Playoff” rankings while Hamlin sits in the 4th slot.

With the Tokyo Summer Olympics taking the spotlight on NBC, NASCAR is on a break until August 8 weekend and Watkins Glen. It’s a great time to take stock and set the stage for the final 4 races of the regular season in August. The playoffs begin at Darlington in September with Richmond the weekend after.

The most recent winner was Aric Almirola at New Hampshire. Kurt Busch has a win from Atlanta the week before. Chase Elliott won at Road America and earlier at Circuit of the Americas. Kyle Busch has 2 wins from Pocono and Kansas. Alex Bowman grabbed the first of the double-header weekend at Pocono with 2 other checkers from Pocono and Richmond. Kyle Larson had a string of points win around his All Star victory. Nashville, Sonoma and Charlotte were practically back to back with a 4th win at Vegas. Martin Truex Jr was hot early in the season with wins from Darlington. Martinsville and Phoenix. Brad Keselowski came out of Talladega on top. Joey Logano won the dirty Bristol Race. Ryan Blaney snagged Atlanta. William Byron pulled his first win at Homestead. Christopher Bell also hit his first Cup win at the Daytona Road Course. Michael McDowell started the season with his first Cup win at the Daytona 500 opener. McDowell also had a fairly hot early season but seems to be hanging on with performance currently.

Denny Hamlin is hanging on near the top with now wins. Notable, also, is the struggling season of Kevin Harvick. It is an oddity to see the hard charger #4 not notching a win with the season looming late in the schedule. The past few years have seen Harvick sitting comfortable with post season assurance. This season he is just above the cut with 4 races to make it.

So… Here we are with swimming, fencing, cycling and all the other Olympic events carried over from Covid cancel in 2020 to barely Covid live crowds in 2021 in Tokyo. All the NBC channels have the variety of sport across the spectrum and the daily schedule.

Watkins Glen is set to roll out August 8. NASCAR returns to Virginia with the 2nd race of the playoffs on September 11. Virginia race fans have Richmond with Bristol (just over the border) the week after. Later, The race before the season finale at Phoenix is October 31st at Martinsville.

In the Olympic off time, find a local track with some hot laps on track and take advantage of the NASCAR off weeks and get reacquainted with some home track racing.

2021 Race Day Showcase

Carolina In the Hills of Franklin County

July 12, 2021January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

It’s not the biggest or the best equipped but Franklin County Speedway, under the direction of Langley Austin (Race22), is making the best of it with good racing and some oddities thrown in for the fun of it.

The night of July 10th (Fabrication Associates, Inc) had yet another visitor series racing on the short track. Carolina Pro late Models, Carolina Crate Modifieds and East Coast Flatheads brought the show to the hills of Callaway. The track has also hosted the SMART Modifieds, the CARS Tour and more on the recent schedule.

The draw for MOD-4 and “Any Car” brought some spice to the night with the MOD-4 splitting the races with 2 winners. Darrell Chrisley took the starter and Trey Cooper took the second race as the sun was fading.
Hay bale racing was weird but entertaining as competitors ran the laps while having to round two hay bales at each end of the front stretch. (We probably should have grabbed some photos… But we were kind of taken in by the spectacle and just let the cameras dangle…) The late night “Any Car” event was taken with a clapped out 5th Gen Camaro which put the mirrors to the other entries.

Big engine racing with the visiting series of races was also a fun watch. Those East Coast Flatheads with the 1940’s car bodies were a pleasure. It took you back to those early moonshine days that started the sport. Johnny Johnson (#99), a veteran racer of 52 years, took top honors for the win. Wayne Lawson and Donovan Freeman took the 2nd and 3rd spots. *Freeman was driving the #6 with “James Rogers” over the window.

Any time you can throw Modifieds on the track at Franklin County you’ll have a show. The field of six cars representing the Carolina Crate Modifieds ran 62 fast laps with a few lead changes until Kevin Orlando made the front and held for the win. Dan Speeney and Cayden Lapcevich rounded the top 3.

The Carolina Pro Late Model Series easily had 14 cars on that little oval. The lead was challenged and changed over several times with some spins from speed or contact bringing out the cautions. Anyone questioning the draw of “young blood” into the sport of racing would be surprised by the young faces climbing in those cars as practice and racing filled the day. First time out on the Franklin County surface even brought a top 10 finish to a young lady barely 14 years old. She was holding her own with Late Model drivers well beyond her years behind the wheel. We’ll be looking forward to her, and these other young folks, to push this sport forward.

Katie Hettinger – 14 years old and racing in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series

At the checkers for the 100 lap CPLMS race, was Gus Dean for the win as Tyler Church and Nick Loden crossed for 2nd and 3rd.

Keep an eye on Franklin County Speedway… There are some fun, racey things on the books for the rest of the summer! Photos from July 10 are below!

2021 Race Day Showcase

Might As Well – Part Two – Dominion Raceway

June 28, 2021January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Dominion Raceway… Usually it’s just a bit out of our radius but circumstances put us in Northern Virginia with a little time to make an introduction. Short notice “Thank You” to the staff and crew at Dominion and Dinah Mullins for opening the gates to the activities.

This place is more than a race track. The full name is Dominion Raceway & Entertainment. The “race way” portion also doubles up with a 4/10 mile oval and a road course. The oval features NASCAR sanctioned racing with points in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, Modified, Sportsman, UCars, Mod-4 and more. The oval and grandstands are surrounded by the road course drawing club racing, driver training, “drive your own” and more. It is a “car culture” destination right off of I-95 between Richmond and Washington, DC.

Racing isn’t all there is. The “entertainment” goes beyond the speed of racing action as there is staging and rigs for concerts and live performances both inside and out. There is food and drink in a dedicated serve and dine area with options for rentals and private parties.

Dominion is more than racing. Check their website for upcoming shows, racing and info on how you can make some hot laps with your car.

For the racing, the Saturday evening Community Bank Night at the Races of June 26 brought a good show. The NAAPWS Late Models were first off the checkers for race 1 of 2 60 lap runs with a 17 car field. There was a bit of a surprise to see Peyton Sellers with his Clarence’s Steak House / Danville Toyota #26 on the grid and on the pole. Sellers was a bit north of his usual place of business at South Boston. He put the field behind him for the win in race 1 and came up from mid-pack in race 2 later in the night to sweep the Late Models.
Race 1 Top 3: 1st-Peyton Sellers (26) 2nd-John Goin (90) 3rd-Mason Bailey (05)
Race 2 Top 3: 1st-Peyton Sellers (26) 2nd-John Goin (90) 3rd-Conner Jones (14J)

Dominion Stocks ran hard with changes in position and challenges for the lead. Like the late Models, the DomStocks were swept by one driver. The #33 with Dan Rogers at the wheel took home a double with wins in both events.
Race 1 Top 3: 1st-Dan Rogers (33) 2nd-Richard Powers (57) 3rd-Gary Burke (4)
Race 2 Top 3: 1st-Dan Rogers (33) 2nd-Richard Powers (57) 3rd-Carson Higgs (46)

The UCARS put on a chase for the lead with a 3rd row starter coming to the front for the win.
1st-Cameron Ruggles (40) 2nd-Blane Schumann (32) 3rd-Mike Chapman (07)

Modifieds took the green with Wayne Hartley (37) on the pole but as the race moved forward he fell back to finish 4th. The lead was challenged and taken early by the #8 of Mike Rudy but later taken for the win by the #20 with Chris Humblet at the wheel. The purple Humblet cars took the 1st and 3rd slots.
1st-Chris Humblet (20) 2nd-Mike Rudy (8) 3rd-Jimmy Humblet (11)

The Mini-Cups… OK… This was a new one, for us, anyway. This was a fun to watch, fast batch of itty-bitty go-kart type chassis with stock car bodies over the top. It was as if the drivers put on the car like a driver suit rather than got in it. Either way, it was a cool thing to see. Tyler Warner started on the pole and kept the #12 up front for the win.
1st-Tyler Warriner (12) 2nd-Travis Shepherd (44) 3rd-Fred Daniels (6)

The “Any Car” brought the variety of practically anything. CJ Terczak quickly took the front with a Mazda (51) that was body modified to look like, in our mind, a BMW Z3 Coupe. The V8 field was won by Cam Hensley (55).

The first visit to Dominion Raceway was full of good racing, a wide variety and many options in the future for driving, music and a variety of options for entertainment. If you are into speed and fun, check it out. You might want to avoid I-95 and just cruise on Highway 1. The scenery is better and the traffic actually moves.

The Photo Gallery from Community Bank Night at Dominion Raceway is below!

2021 Race Day Showcase

Might As Well Catch Some Hot Laps While We’re Here

June 25, 2021January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

The best laid plans of mice and men…

Uncertainty pops up all the time. Plans get changed for many reasons. Family and illness may be top on the list of forcing changes to schedules which, under any other circumstances, would be practically set in stone.

Such is the situation… With that, we’re away from where we thought we would be this weekend. However, we’re hoping the gears are in motion to make the best of it by paying a visit to a race track close to where we are as opposed to where we thought we would be…

Dominion Raceway. It’s an interesting and multi-faceted facility which current events have us close enough to skip out for a few hours and check out some racing from the northern portion of Virginia.

We keep in touch through social media with Dinah Mullins. She is an active photographer at Dominion and also keeps her husband, Willie Mullins, on track with their own car, team, activities and business. We’re shamelessly pulling a string or two… As long as we’re up here…

Dominion features an oval for Late Model, Modified, Sportsman and other standard “left turn” racing. There is also a road course which is open quite often for drivers to have some fun with their own cars – Daily drivers or track spec. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has an event there this weekend. Concerts and other gatherings are also hosted.

Short track racing for many Saturdays or weekends feature the NASCAR sanctioned Advance Auto Parts All American Series. Such is the case for Saturday, June 26th. The CARS Tour ran last weekend. The SMART Modified Tour is set for later this year.

Dominion Raceway is a little speed jewel tucked up in Virginia between Richmond and Washington, DC. We’re looking forward to checking the place out in person.

2021 Race Day Showcase

Motor Mile – Pulaski County Play Outside 250

June 22, 2021January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

The crowds are picking up at Motor Mile Speedway. Small track racing faces so many challenges it is hard to focus on generating interest with all the variables to consider. However, the Pulaski County Play Outside 250 on June 19th gave it a good push for family friendly fan attendance. Kids were in for free and the large play area is a great incentive for families at the track. The open “Pit Party” had all cars and drivers on the front stretch with fans on track to meet and greet. Several kids were also named to be honorary pit crew members for the evening events.

Seven races with five classes offered plenty of lap by lap racing with some good wheel battles on the track. The Advance Auto Parts Late Model races had good challenges from Ryan Wilson in the #2 with Kres Vandyke in the #15 in the first and Jacob Heafner in the #95 in the second. Ryan held for the second spot in both events. Kyle Dudley in the #4 grabbed the third slot in race 1 and Vandyke hit the third slot in race 2.

The Limited Sportsman presented the largest group on the track and had some restart drama in the closing laps. A tight restart put the #99 of Dale Cline in the rear of the #17 with Tray Fitzgerald. The loose #17 was pushed out of line as the #99 hit on the start. As the field came back around under caution, the #17 had driven back down the front stretch and made an attempt of running at the #99. Fitzgerald was not in the second race. Damage or penalty…? We don’t know… But it was an interesting encounter to watch. Kyle Barnes (#00) swept both LS events with Cory Dunn and Scott Lancaster finish 2nd and 3rd in race 1. Chase Ratliff and Cory Dunn finished in 2nd and 3rd for the second race.

The Mod-4 put out a good field for racing but it was Doodle Lang who dominated with a front row start in the #22. The race for second was on between Scott Foley (#97), Dennis Holdren (#2) and Kevin Canter (#3). They finished in that order but the challenge was there for most of the race.

Ray Sowers (#71) and Wayne Corprew (#21) started up front but it was Hank Turman in the #0 that gained an advantage later in the race to grab the win from a second row start in the Super Street race. Sowers and Corprew finished 2nd and 3rd.

The UCar was dominated by Peyton Howell in the #11. He has been the one to chase in UCar at Motor Mile with 4 wins. Cary Thomason (#8) and Jamie Lafon (#93) came across 2nd and 3rd.

Next up at Motor Mile is a big weekend of big fun with Monster Trucks putting out big action. Tickets are on sale now and this should be a big crowd show!

Visit Motor Mile Speedway online for more info!

Full Gallery from the Pulaski County Play Outside 250 below!

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

Category: Showcase