We had our regular racing contributor, Trenton “T-Bear” Berry, stop by the studio for a jam-packed motorsports breakdown on The Starting Lineup. From the fallout of Denny Hamlin’s big win at Michigan to a shifting NASCAR schedule, we dive into what makes a racetrack truly “racy” and what local fans can look forward to as summer dirt track racing heats up across Southwest Missouri.

The Three-Race “Snoozer” Stretch and San Diego’s New Spectacle

We kicked things off by checking out NASCAR’s upcoming schedule, which features a heavy dose of road courses and unique track layouts. While Trenton admitted that Pocono can sometimes be a bit of a “snoozer,” he is highly anticipating the upcoming Coronado Island street race in San Diego, which is temporarily filling the void left by the downtown Chicago street course. With aggressive track renderings and elite beachfront aesthetics, it’s bound to produce incredible drone and blimp footage. Meanwhile, NASCAR is actively working behind the scenes to iron out scheduling logistics and return to downtown Chicago by 2027.

Points Shakes and Denny Hamlin’s Controversial Victory

The conversation quickly shifted to NASCAR’s top tier and recent high-stakes drama. Ned asked about Tyler Reddick’s devastating crash at Michigan, which was caused by Carson Hocevar and cut Reddick’s points lead significantly. Despite the blow, Trenton expects Reddick to safely make the 16-driver playoffs in September. We also looked at race winner Denny Hamlin, who managed to win the FireKeepers Casino 400 despite being sent to the back of the pack for an unapproved, illegal adjustment. Trenton took us inside the mechanical side of the sport, explaining how NASCAR keeps teams in a strict box when it comes to suspension, engine tuning, and simulator testing.

Local Dirt Tracks and Chasing Mother Nature

Closer to home, we wanted to know what is happening in our own backyard around the Ozarks. Trenton is heading out for two days of late model racing at Lake of the Ozarks this weekend, hoping that Mother Nature finally cooperates after multiple weekends were completely wiped out by rain. Looking ahead to July, the next massive regional event on the calendar is the Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway, featuring the Lucas Oil Late Model Series and the Heartland Modified Series, which routinely draws thousands of local race fans.