We can spend all winter debating whether or not there are too many races scheduled throughout the year, especially during the late fall. I think most would agree — at least most of my friends on social media — that the racing season as it is now is simply too long. Perhaps this would be good topic to bring up during Thanksgiving dinner, though if you want to stay out of the doghouse with your significant other, I’m not sure how you could possibly be an advocate for more races or a longer MORE

I’ve always enjoyed racing trips to Mississippi.

From my first time in the Magnolia State in the early ’90s when my family rented Columbus Speedway from the Nichols family and promoted races there a handful of times to the many times I’ve returned for special events since, I’ve never dreaded heading south from my Tennessee home to watch a race in Mississippi.

Of the 20 states I’ve attended races in, I’ve only visited more tracks in four states — Tennessee, Illinois, Alabama and MORE

It would be easy to dismiss Garrett Smith’s victory in the 42nd annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Batteries at Portsmouth Raceway Park as a fluke, a stroke of good fortune for a young driver who took advantage of his pole position on a track that quickly took rubber and became one-laned.

Starting from the pole, Smith did indeed have the easiest path to victory among the 25 starters. Smith’s mission in the 100-lap, $100,000-to-win event founded and still MORE

Mishaps are part of life. As cliche as it sounds, I believe that it’s how you respond to them that defines the moment. Notice I said that it defines the moment, not that it defines the person. For instance, the way you react to having a flat tire when you are 16 years old is likely much different to the way you react to having a flat tire when you are 52.

For me personally, I’d like to think that, during that 36-year span, my maturity level has grown exponentially, as well as my overall MORE

Good neighbors are hard to find.

Whether it’s a racetrack or a house, having good neighbors — folks who don’t mind occasional noise and a little junk sitting around — is one of the keys to residential bliss. I don’t mean good neighbors like an insurance company (they get paid to be a good neighbor).

When I was looking for a place to move my family 19 years ago, one of the most important things on my list of requirements was having a shop or garage for my race car.

We were living in a very MORE