Steve Francis towered over the scene, a colorful figure contrasted against the black night sky. He paced atop the team’s hauler, clutching the telephone to his ear, nodding earnestly and smiling.

He had just captured one of the crown jewel wins he had long coveted, the Topless 100 at Batesville Motor Speedway. It was another gem in a Hall of Fame career that now spans 30 years. His wife Amanda and daughter Alexis hadn’t made the trip, so he was sharing the glad tidings via phone.

It’s been a MORE

It came on lap 85, a brief collision of culture that left Don O’Neal ecstatic and Jimmy Owens fuming.

It was the Sunoco Race Fuels North-South 100 last Saturday, a crown jewel that played out in front of a Florence Speedway crowd that was crazy large. It seemed that everyone on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line had wandered across the Kentucky hills of Boone County to watch this one.

Owens has been uncanny this year, a picture of consistency as he steadily built an insurmountable Lucas Oil MORE

The night was hot and still, allowing the summer to fully drape itself across your shoulders. The Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track echoed with the sound of the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals, the cars stretching their legs as they rocketed around the historic Indiana half-mile.

I glanced at the small wooden observation stand located just off turn four and made my way up the steps, the boards creaking their objection. There was an open spot along the rail, and the rumble of the next heat race filled MORE