Blog

Daison Pursley. (T.J. Buffenbarger Photo)

T.J.’s Takeaways from the Be4theCrowns Showdown at Eldora Speedway

The opening night of the 42nd 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway kicked off the the Be4theCrowns Showdown on Friday with a highly entertaining and efficient night of racing. Here are some takeaways from the opening night of 4-Crown weekend.

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Van Gurley Jr. in victory lane at Butler. (T.J. Buffenbarger Photo)

T.J.’s Takeaways from the 2024 Season Finale at Butler

Van Gurley’s loyal fan following endures 22 year absence, why I think Chase Ridenour and the Williams Racing Team could have a stellar 2025 season, and how T.J. now prefers going to Butler over medical procedures now that the track is heading in the right direction.

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TJ’s Notebook: They Can’t All Be Classics

T.J.’s thoughts on how it’s okay for a race or event to just be okay and other notes from around the country.

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Dan McCarron in victory lane with his family and crew Saturday at Butler Motor Speedway. (Image courtesy of McCarron family)

Great Lakes Edition: Dan McCarron’s Emotional Return to Victory Lane at Butler

There are times where bad situations just end up working out well in the end. Dan McCarron has experienced that over the past two weeks with the lows of a grinding crash that took it’s toll on his race car and body to ending up in victory lane at the same racetrack two weeks later.

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Tyler Roahrig (#56) passing Jake Trainor (#29) for the lead Saturday night at Berlin Raceway. (T.J. Buffenbarger Photo)

T.J.’s Takeaways from the 500 Tour Event at Berlin Raceway

Finding different ways to explain that Tyler Roahrig is a good race car driver, Jake Trainor’s rising star status, and hopes of a repeat of the 500 Sprint Car Tour weekend highlight’s T.J.’s Takeaways from Saturday night at Berlin Raceway.

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Tyler Roahrig. (T.J. Buffenbarger Photo)

T.J.’s Takeaways from the 500 Sprint Car Tour Event at Kalamazoo

Even with all of his success is Tyler Roahrig still underrated, why Kalamazoo Speedway is the best pavement track for sprint cars, and how the Kenyon Midget program was a reminder of how far behind Michigan is with divisions for development of race car drivers.

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Great Lakes Edition: 500 Sprint Car Tour Takes on Two Night Stand at Kalamazoo and Berlin

The focus of the Michigan sprint car racing scene focuses to pavement racing this week with only two races on the docket this weekend featuring the 500 Sprint Car Tour making a rare two-night appearance Friday at Kalamazoo Speedway in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Saturday at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan.

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T.J.’s Takeaways from the GLSS/410 Doubleheader at Butler Motor Speedway

After a couple of days of wondering if we would see any racing this weekend Butler Motor Speedway pulled off a sprint car double header on Saturday night featuring their weekly 410 sprint cars joined by the touring Great Lakes Super Sprints.

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T.J.’s Notebook: Kelby Watt’s Crazy Summer

The story of Kelby Watt this year could be billed as a young driver navigating their way through the sprint car ecosystem down an unexpected, winding road through the 2024 season using an extraordinary amount of persistence that led to unexpected opportunities.

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Steve Smith (right) and Max Stambaugh (Center) with family and crew in victory lane at Tri-City Motor Speedway earlier this season. (Jim Denhamer Photo)

Great Lakes Edition: Smith and Stambaugh’s Path to Becoming a Force on the Michigan Sprint Car Scene

One can make a strong argument that driver Max Stambaugh and car owner Steve Smith have become the sprint car team to beat on the 360-sprint car scene in the state of Michigan. In an era with as many good car owners and teams that are currently participating, the Smith/Stambaugh combination has been on quite a run over the past three years.

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