Up to Speed Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The first of two NTT IndyCar Series doubleheaders will unfold this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. It also happens to be half of the four-race oval lineup, which sparks some buzz due to it’s waning quantity of races. At the same time, oval racing provides tremendous excitement and changes among the 24-car grid. This weekend will mark the oval debut of Scott McLaughlin, Conor Daly’s return to Carlin, and the return of Brazilians Tony Kanaan and Pietro Fittipaldi. McLaughlin is excited to experience oval racingRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor After a three-race stretch of short tracks, the second quarter of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule begins with a visit to Talladega Superspeedway for Sunday’s running of the GEICO 500. The first nine races of the season have embodied unpredictability, with eight different winners in the first quarter of the season. That trend is likely to continue this weekend as superspeedway racing, especially at Talladega, is all about unpredictability. Since opening its doors in 1969, the 2.66-mile track just off Interstate 20 in Eastern AlabamaRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer For the second time in six months, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg takes center stage for the NTT IndyCar Series. While it was intended to be this season’s opening round, that honor went to Barber Motorsports Park last Sunday. That race certainly had a mixed bag of cars setting themselves apart due to excellent strategy. Look no further than Alex Palou, who won the opening round and determined to continue his momentum in Florida. “We’re coming from our first win to a streetRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It might’ve taken the NTT IndyCar Series a month later to kickoff the 2021 campaign, but the time has finally come. While the season won’t start at St. Petersburg, another fan favorite circuit known as Barber, will certainly fill the void. The unique 2.3-mile circuit will be the site of what may be viewed as a stacked roster consisting of established IndyCar stars, guys looking for a career revival, and former champions across multiple disciplines. No question, all 24 drivers have one vision and that’sRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor After a weekend away for the first break of the 2021 season, the NASCAR Cup Series gets back to business Saturday night with a trip to southern Virginia for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. A mainstay on the schedule since 1949, the historic half-mile, which is also the smallest on the circuit, will test both man and machine over 500 grueling laps. As has been the case for the last year and a half, no practice, no qualifying, just line up andRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor A year after the COVID-19 pandemic threw the brakes on the 2020 season, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the epicenter of where it all came to a screeching halt – Atlanta Motor Speedway. The series would return to the 1.5-mile quad oval later in the year to make up the rescheduled Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, albeit without spectators. Fast forward to this Sunday and NASCAR’s best will have a limited number of fans in the stands to cheer them on as they tackle Atlanta’sRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor This time last year, Phoenix served as the last race before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold across the sports landscape, sending all of us, NASCAR included into our new normal. A year later, with the effects of the pandemic still being felt, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Arizona desert to take on Phoenix Raceway and Sunday’s Instacart 500, in what could be a preview of the championship race when the 2021 season wraps up at the one-mile oval in November. Through the first fourRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor After two weeks in Daytona Beach, the NASCAR Cup Series packs up and heads south on I-95 for Sunday’s running of the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 1.5-mile oval came into existence in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in the early 90’s, with the Cup Series making its first appearance at the track in 1999. Since undergoing a reconfiguration in 2003, Homestead has provided some great racing on its progressive banking on one of the true ovals on the circuit and that has onlyRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The penultimate round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs hits the halfway point as Texas Motor Speedway and the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 comes calling this weekend. On Sunday, the stock car racing elite will take on the 1.5-mile track with a pair of six-shooters, a cowboy hat and a berth in the Championship 4 on the line should any of the remaining playoff drivers find themselves in victory lane when the checkered flag falls. After last weekend at Kansas, which saw Joey Logano claim theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer After four months of whirlwind NTT IndyCar Series competition, it’s time to call it a season this weekend at St. Petersburg. What was supposed to be the season opener until the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic changed the sport as we know it, is now the finale site with two guys fighting for the championship. Leading the trail after 13 rounds is Scott Dixon, who has led the points since the beginning and hopes to become the first man winning the Astor Cup wire-to-wire. To do so,Read More