Showcase – Page 8 – Missed Gear

IMSA At VIR – Green Hills And Blue Skies

August 27, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Late season racing raised the tempo and pressure on the racing and the points at Virginia International Raceway. The IMSA WeatherTech weekend featured good weather and plenty of variety on the track for the fans but turned the tables a bit on the standings.

The main event on Sunday, the Michelin GT Challenge, put some “firsts” across the checkers and pulled the reigns a bit on the championship runners. GTD Pro and GTD had season firsts with Paul Miller Racing and their BMW M4 GT3 and the Korthoff/Preston Motorsports team with their Mercedes-AMG GT3. These wins added points as AO Racing kept their lead but a challenging day allowed the Miller BMW to gain some GTD Pro ground with two races remaining. The GTD win may not ding too hard at the overall lead of Winward Racing but the Mercedes adds to the manufacturer lead.

The day before it was Porsche vs Porsche with the RS1 #38 running early and the BGB Motorsport #28 taking the late half to the win in the GS class. It was close quarters wheel to wheel as the laps ran down for the TCR class with the Montreal Motorsport Group Honda running with the Victor Gonzalez Racing Hyundai. The Honda won out with turns to spare.

The VP Sports Car Challenge ran a pair over the weekend combining the P3 Prototypes and GSX class sports cars. The P3 was first and second for both with FastMD Racing and MLT Motorsports. KOHR Motorsports took both in the GSX class. Auto Technic Racing came in 2nd on day 1 but luck was off on day 2 with a DNF.

The Mazda MX-5 Cup put 25 cars on the track and also ran races Saturday and Sunday. Late season racing had placed the talent in a block up front with the top 6 trading positions behind the duel winner, Jeremy Fletcher of McCumbee McAleer Racing. It’s a comparison of talent with the running order for those 6 spots in each race:
Jeremy Fletcher, Westin Workman(R), Gresham Wagner, Jared Thomas, Jonathan Neudorf, Nate Cicero
Jeremy Fletcher, Jared Thomas, Gresham Wagner, Westin Workman(R), Nate Cicero, Jonathan Neudorf

*As a side note, Monday following the weekend of racing the Mazdas were down the road at Martinsville Speedway testing for an upcoming race on the famous short track oval.*

Filling the weekend at VIR was a touch of NASCAR irony as the Mazdas look ahead to Martinsville. Private owners and history cars of NASCAR past were out for an exhibition of hot laps on the road course. A Jimmie Johnson “Car Of Tomorrow” was out. Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliot cars were out. A Wood Brothers #21 was turning laps as the current #21 was taking a win at Daytona. A Richard Petty car was out which was fitting as “Petty’s Garage” was the presenting sponsor, complete with a Friday appearance by the “King” himself.

The points across the series are a little shaken and closer together with the season closing fast. (Full results / current standings online at IMSA.com) The IMSA event at VIR is always full of color and car variety against a beautiful, countryside backdrop. It is also a draw for excitement on the track as the points are on crunch time as the haulers roll into VIR. Mark your calendars ahead for August 22-24 of 2025 for their return with a similar rush on late season points.

IMSA Photo Gallery – Friday to Sunday (August 23-25, 2024) – Virginia International Raceway

2024 Race Day Showcase

Salem Civic Center Weekend Car Central

August 19, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

The season is deep into August and the car shows roll on. From fund raisers to enthusiast gatherings there can usually be a show within a half hour of driving on any given weekend from April to October.

Racing schedules roll out at tracks with events, local and national, that also draw in often enough. However, the saying is quite true that you can’t do everything. A weekend away from racing and, as it may, cars still make a pull on the time. For car fans, the track may be a draw for any number of reasons and the “car show” is often overlooked. That leaves a lot on the table, or the parking lot, that could be time well spent with fellow “car folk”.

On a Saturday between NASCAR at Richmond and IMSA at Virginia International Raceway, the Star City Cruisers held one of their bigger events at the Salem Civic Center. Cars, trucks, bikes… All were represented. Race cars, daily drivers, trailer queens and garage keepers were on display with stories of color and chrome. It is beyond amazing the sheer variety of style and personality that automobiles present. Two cars that rolled off the assembly line nose to tail could be parked side by side and the years of travel, handling and owners now show two completely different stories. It doesn’t matter if they are stone stock or modified well into a showcase of speed and spectacle, they heart of the car can be the heart of a dream.

Photos – Star City Cruisers 33rd Annual Car Show – Salem Civic Center – August 17, 2024

Now… Skip ahead 24 hours. The same lot and the same time of day on this particular weekend presented a totally different bit of “car show”. This one was more involved with the car being showcased for what it was designed for. Driving!

The SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) holds dedicated track events with big money and organization and rules and drivers who take racing to a semi-pro, or even all-pro, level of dedication. They also sanction events such as this one on a Sunday in a parking lot. Autocross allows practically anyone to test their driving on a set course against any number of other enthusiasts. It’s racing without the “racing”. There is no side by side, nudging a nose in to take the spot with a little paint as the trade. Autocross is the car and driver against the clock and those times are the challenge to beat. Marshalls are stationed along the course and trade off volunteer time as part of the cost of driving against friends and other club members.

The “track” is marked with traffic cones. Some are down pointing like arrows as to direction for turns or course boundaries. Divisions are set for “novice” and up to more experienced drivers with cars of different levels of performance.

It is all taken very seriously for fairness and safety and is, quite honestly, a fun way to enjoy “racing” on a budget. Spectators are welcome but this is a “common sense” type of show. Stay outside the perimeter and enjoy with a cool beverage and a Popsicle (or whatever). It’s a parking lot so the view is good from all around the edges. Bonus if you can find a tree to relax under…

Check around for car shows. Look up SCCA “Autocross” for your area. Race tracks need your support but, sometimes, you don’t need a big ticket to enjoy the car culture.

Blue Ridge SCCA Autocross – Salem Civic Center – August 18, 2024

2024 Race Day Showcase

Short Lived Short Track Boost For 3 Car

August 13, 2024January 20, 2026 Missed Gear

Where to start…? Like everyone else, the place to start, apparently, is at the end…

Ricky Stenhouse Jr pulled along the quarter of Ryan Preece which sent the #41 into a 360 spin as the #47 of Stenhouse went up with a nose in the wall. This set an overtime scene at Richmond Raceway and a restart that became a finish by the bumper.

Austin Dillon held a comfortable lead in the Cook Out 400 when the caution was thrown. A pit road dash cycled for the restart which placed Dillon, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick on the front rows. The race was on for a green – white – checkers finish with hot sauce and vinegar.

Logano jumped forward on the start. Dillon fell back. The final turns on the final lap had Dillon in the #3 pushing momentum and into Logano. Logano spun as Dillon drove on and into Hamlin who had come up on the high side. The #11 went into into the upper wall. Dillon came through with the #22 and #11 in tangles and took the checkers in a very hot finish.

Hamlin was less than content. Logano was a bit less than that…

Dillon took the win and an *apparent berth in the post-season playoffs. Coming into Richmond the Richard Childress Racing #3 was scratching the bottom in 32nd place for season points and had not taken a win in two seasons. Hamlin in the #11 crossed the line in the 2nd spot as Logano managed to get the #22 moving and crossed over in 19th.

The early race began with Denny Hamlin on the pole and running in the top five with a 2nd place stage 1 behind Christopher Bell and a 3rd place at stage 3. Logano was also top 5 at the stages crossing in 4th for both.

The big talk is on the #3 and the sudden *boost into a playoff spot. Drivers like Martin Truex Jr and Daniel Suarez also made some moves. Suarez has a season win but added to his points with a stage 2 win and a top 10 finish at Richmond. Truex fell back with engine trouble forcing the #19 to park and a last place score. Truex has run well but still has no win this season and took a points hit for playoff positions.

For the finish at Richmond, fans and the team of the #3 are throwing the “short track bumping and rubbing is racing” flag while fans and teams of the #22 and #11 are throwing the questions and accusations. We’ve all seen forced moves to pass and bumper retaliations involving Logano and Hamlin (and many others…). The scales are being tested between fan excitement and the cost and payoff of racing.

*Later decision by NASCAR using rules applying to incident racing stripped the #3 team of the playoff spot. They keep the win but it does not apply to playoff positions. The #3, essentially, is just a nudge above their points coming in. Joey Logano was fined $50k for dangerous post race maneuvers in the #3 pit box.

Three more NASCAR Cup races remain for playoff points or a win to get in. The #3 made a big move to make it in and these next races will see if that sets the stage for more “at any cost” actions to claim the checkered flag. It will also be interesting to see how the teams of the #22 and the #11 race with the #3 into the late season. Be patient… Things might not get really interesting until that first round of eliminations.

Photos from the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway – Sunday, August 11, 2024

2024 Race Day Showcase

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

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