Speedweeks is a rush of emotion for every racer, with high hopes of kicking the year off in grand style. Some good runs against tough competition, maybe even a win or two, and you build momentum for what you fervently hope will be a good season.

Josh Richards has all those thoughts as he heads south this week, but his mind is also crowded with deals that might enable him to take the next step in his racing career. Richards is tantalizingly close to breaking into NASCAR racing, and in fact had MORE

For Don O’Neal, life in 2011 seemed a lot like that old Irish proverb. The road rose up to meet him; the wind was at his back; the sun shined warmly on his face; and the rains fell soft upon his fields.

Last season was a dream, as in Eldora’s Late Model Dream, where O’Neal scored a breakthrough win among the sport’s crown jewel events. Later came victories at Knoxville Raceway's Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals and the Dirt Track World Championship, and a solid third-place run in the Lucas MORE