Outside Groove

Experienced motorsports media editor J.A. Ackley revived Outside Groove on April 28, 2020, with the goal of elevating journalism in oval-track motorsports. He brought on well-known journalist Mike Adaskaveg to manage the daily editorial tasks. With a total of 70 years of experience between them, they formed a dynamic team dedicated to creating engaging content for fans of both dirt and pavement oval-track racing.

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Tim Borror: How a Win Helped Heal a Loss

2 days ago | outsidegroove.com | Mike Adaskaveg

Coleby Frye gave his car owner Tim Borror a reason to smile last weekend at Bridgeport Motorsports Park, with a win. The week earlier, however, Borror’s partner at the Sound Talent Group, Dave Shapiro, among five others, perished in a private plane crash approaching a San Diego airport. The Sound Talent Group, who Borror, Shapiro and Matt Andersen founded, represents music acts such as Bush, Gwar , Hanson, Hinder, Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton. Its Summer Of Loud Tour sponsors Frye’s modified.
Jeff Mays: A Win 25 Years in the Making

1 week ago | outsidegroove.com | J.A. Ackley

It’s been a long road back to victory lane for Jeff Mays. However, last Saturday in the classic class at Volunteer Speedway, he earned his first feature win since 2000. Why the long wait? To start, he quit racing in 2001. “I’m a firm believer in that the Lord gives all of my abilities,” Jeff Mays, of Limestone, Tennessee, said. “When you do the Lord right, the Lord will do you right.
Ford Crate Engine: Why Chandler Hickman Uses It on Dirt

1 week ago | outsidegroove.com | J.A. Ackley

While Chevrolet crate engines dominate weekly dirt-track racing, Chandler Hickman runs a Ford crate engine where he can. With it, he has started to inch closer to victory in the sportsman late model class at Smoky Mountain Speedway. Hickman started the season with a 10th. Then earned a fourth. And last weekend took a third. “I grew up a Ford fanatic because of my dad and my grandfather,” said Hickman, of Harriman, Tennessee.
Solomon Bennett: What Led to Kissing the Hog

1 week ago | outsidegroove.com | Mike Adaskaveg

Last Sunday, Solomon Bennett was in hog heaven. Not only did the low-budget racer found some crew members from the stands, he got to kiss a hog. That’s a good thing, because it meant he won the Whole Hog 50 at Stuart International Speedway.
West Virginia Motor Speedway: New Owners and New 3/8 Mile

2 weeks ago | outsidegroove.com | Mike Adaskaveg

Mike and Becky Hurley have taken over West Virginia Motor Speedway. The husband-and-wife team plan to create a 3/8-mile oval within the large, prexisting 5/8-mile. “I met with a dirt company last Tuesday and we are building a brand-new racetrack,” Mike said. “It will be a 3/8-mile oval with progressive banking. Everything will be different, except we will use a small part of the old track, the front straight, where the scoring loop is.”The Hurleys have been involved in the sport since 1988.
Oliver Sackett Passes Six Cars to Win First Race

3 weeks ago | outsidegroove.com | Mike Adaskaveg

Oliver Sackett may be just 13 years old, but he didn’t think about that last Friday. He started seventh in the B-modified feature and passed racers many more years older. His efforts earned him his first win in a full-sized car, coming at Rapid Speedway. “The majority of the racers I passed were a lot older than me, but they didn’t worry me at all,” Oliver, of Pierson, Iowa, said. “I trust my own driving ability. There were a lot of drivers shaking my hand when the race was over.
Rapid Speedway Returns from the Flood

3 weeks ago | outsidegroove.com | Mike Adaskaveg

After a devastating flood last year, Rapid Speedway reopened last Friday, thanks to overwhelming community support. Darrin and Michelle Korthals took over the promotional reins of the Rock Rapids, Iowa, dirt oval in 2023. Then the Rock River overflowed last June. (For more on the Korthals, read “Rapid Speedway: New Promoters Debut.”)“[The floodwaters] came in faster than we have ever seen before,” Darrin said.
Brett Hearn Ultimate Garage Sale this Saturday

3 weeks ago | outsidegroove.com | Mike Adaskaveg

If you’re looking for professional-grade race equipment or mementos from a legendary driver, check out the “Ultimate Garage Sale” for Brett Hearn. It’s taking place this Saturday, May 17, at his headquarters in Sussex, New Jersey. “There will be plenty of parts for racers and plenty of memorabilia for fans,” Hearn said. “There will also be a lot of racing talk and shared memories.”Hearn’s storied career includes 920 wins among 48 tracks in 11 states and two Canadian provinces.
Jackson Weber: From the First Race (and Wreck) to the First Win

3 weeks ago | outsidegroove.com | Mike Adaskaveg

Last Friday, Jackson Weber scored his first sprint car win at Rapid Speedway. If you saw him in his first race in 2020 at the same track, you might not have thought he’d be victory lane material. “I crashed the first night out,” Weber, of Dell Rapids, South Dakota, said. “It was my first time getting upside down. Grandpa said to me, ‘Don’t worry about it — it’s just racing.
Lawson Szerencits: Luck Is Only Part of the Story

3 weeks ago | outsidegroove.com | Mike Adaskaveg

Some say Lawson Szerencits won his first sportsman race only because of luck. Well, he’d argue the old adage that luck is where preparation meets opportunity held true. “In the garage, we have a maintenance program that is top notch,” Szerencits, of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, said. “Every week we strip the car down to its bare chassis. All the shocks come off. We go over everything 100%.