His home is Central Pennsylvania, a tough old region filled with blue-collar people with straightforward manners and a passion for racing. It is there that Rick Eckert now celebrates his first World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship, another milestone in an accomplished career flush with success.

As moments go, this one surely ranks at the top. For it came after a tough, painful slog that spanned more than two years, a vexing period that revealed the character and determination of the man MORE

A week ago, I wrote in a blog that Jonathan Davenport was possibly on his way to taking over as the dominant driver at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala. After his performance there this weekend, I would say he has rightfully earned that designation.

Davenport ruled East Alabama’s 37th annual National 100 from beginning to end. He won the Zaxby’s Race of Champions Friday night, set a track record in Saturday’s time trials and won both the $25,000 Super Late Model feature and MORE

While I was a guest on Webb Dillard’s new In the Dirt webcast a few days ago, the question arose about dwindling car counts at Super Late Model series events. During the heyday of my career directing the Southern All Stars Racing Series, it was a rare occurrence to have fewer than 35 cars sign-in to race one of our events. And it was completely unheard of to not have a full field of 24 race cars on hand come feature time.

Over the last few years, the average number of race cars has fallen off MORE

Could there have been a more fitting end to the World of Outlaws championship battle?

I guess it wasn’t very fitting if you’re a fan of Josh Richards. Heartbreaking would probably be a more appropriate adjective. But for those of us who are unbiased, it was easy to see the symbolism in Saturday night’s finale at Charlotte.

The way it played out painted a perfect picture of what we’ve witnessed all season in the battle between Richards and new WoO champion Rick Eckert. Just like every MORE

In going through the old notepads from races gone by, it's common to see dates, tracks, names and other indicators that spark memories. In surveying my own version of shorthand, I can tell where passes were made, what drivers were closing and who brought out cautions — the normal stuff you might expect.

Then I ran across something that didn’t look all that familiar, a car number with a quote beside it. With a little investigation of the race and sanctioning body, I realized I’d jotted down MORE