Bleachers and Features

This week on Bleachers and Features, we’re talking about a little bit of everything!

We kick things off with our trip to Hartford Motor Speedway for the Nightmare on Bowie Street, where we watched the Midwest Dirt Compact Series and the track’s weekly Super Troopers. I’ll share my thoughts on the facility, the racing, and the concessions in a mini Buju Bites segment!

Then, we look back at every track I’ve visited in 2026, with a quick rundown of each stop and some questions about the future of a couple of tracks. Plus, we’re setting a goal for how many NEW tracks we want to visit in 2027. Can we pull it off?

We’ll also talk about my iRacing Mini Stock league getting underway, why we need to remember that video games are supposed to be fun, and what’s coming up during the offseason — including guest plans, new show ideas, and a move to a new studio!

🏁 In this episode:

• Hartford Motor Speedway and the Nightmare on Bowie Street

• A mini Buju Bites concession review

• My 2026 track tour recap

• Setting a goal for new tracks in 2027

• The start of my iRacing Mini Stock league

• Offseason guests, show plans, and a studio move

Thanks for listening to Bleachers and Features! If you enjoy the show, be sure to follow along and share it with a fellow race fan.

A few days late after a weekend of racing at the Bahama Brackets Nationals at Grundy County Speedway, Buju is back with a packed episode of Bleachers & Features!

We recap racing alongside my brother Derek, where we had a fast car and a real shot at winning before mid-race contact took us out of contention.

I discuss the race, my reaction, and why Bahama Brackets remains my favorite postseason racing event anywhere.

We also give some well-deserved love to Dammit Dimmit Race Videos, Top Row Racing Media, Goodaker Photography, and the many media members who helped make the weekend special.

Plus, we break down Russell’s M40 Speedway’s 2027 schedule and its growing slate of marquee events, discuss the potential of the Limited Late Model division, sound off on the fight to save Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, and cover the latest Bullring Chronicles episode, South Bend Motor Speedway’s Night of Destruction, and more!

Thanks for listening and supporting grassroots short track racing!

We're back with Episode 12 of Bleachers & Features, and this week we've got grassroots racing drama, big-event opinions, and a race weekend of our own on the horizon!

We kick things off at New Paris Speedway for the Trifecta Series Championship Night, featuring a GREAT Street Stock race! Cei Bowen took the win after facing challenges from Gage Harris, Austin Maynard, Jeff Ganus, and more. “Air” Jordan Gatton went airborne after ramping a lap car on his way to a feature win, and “The Constantine Comet” Jeff Ganus put on a dominating performance in the Limited Late Models!

Then we head to Winchester 400 weekend for a quick recap and my thoughts on why I believe the abbreviated schedule makes for a better overall event. Does a shorter schedule make for a better experience for racers and fans alike?

We're also looking ahead to the Bahama Bracket Nationals at Grundy County Speedway, where my brother Derek and I will be competing in the B Bracket! We'll be bringing you along for the weekend with some vlog content and potentially more podcast material from the track.

Plus, we take a quick look back at my trip to Brownstown Speedway for dirt Super Late Model action a few weeks ago, and wrap things up with some offseason content ideas for Bleachers & Features.

From local short-track battles to major pavement racing weekends and our own adventures behind the wheel, we've got plenty to talk about!

Thanks for listening and supporting Bleachers & Features and Buju Bullring. Be sure to follow, subscribe, and share the show with your fellow short-track racing fans!

Topics Covered:

• New Paris Speedway Trifecta Series Championship Night

• Cei Bowen's Street Stock victory and the battle behind him

• Jordan Gatton's airborne moment and feature win

• Jeff Ganus dominates the Limited Late Models

• Winchester 400 weekend recap and the abbreviated schedule debate

• Bahama Bracket Nationals preview at Grundy County Speedway

• Derek and Buju hit the track in the B Bracket

• Brownstown Speedway Dirt Super Late Model recap

• Offseason content plans for Bleachers & Features

#BleachersAndFeatures #BujuBullring #ShortTrackRacing #GrassrootsRacing #NewParisSpeedway #Winchester400 #BahamaBracketNationals #GrundyCountySpeedway #DirtLateModels

The postseason is heating up, and the car counts are turning some heads! This week on Bleachers & Features, we're talking about what's working, what's changing, and what it means for the future of short track racing.

🏎️ KALAMAZOO SUPER SHOE: Over 200 cars showed up for a hugely successful postseason weekend, capped off by a GREAT finish between Nick Pressler and Buddy Head!

🏁 SPRINGPORT'S BIG RETURN: The Michigan Cup brought more than 257 cars to Springport, raising a big question: What's driving the resurgence of postseason racing, and how can we translate that success into the summer months?

🎥 LOST TRACKS OF INDIANA: The latest Bullring Chronicles episode is nearly finished! We're covering the Wolf Lake racetracks and Illiana Motor Speedway. That Illiana conversation sparks another debate: Is it better for a racetrack to be dead but still standing, or is it time to rip the Band-Aid off and demolish it?

🏆 NEW PARIS TRIFECTA CHAMPIONSHIP: We're looking ahead to this weekend's championship showdown, featuring tight points battles between the Maynard family in the Street Stocks and the Gatton family in the Modifieds.

🦩 BAHAMA BRACKET NATIONALS: Just TWO WEEKS away from the Grundy County Speedway showdown! My brother Derek and I are heading to Illinois to chase a flamingo trophy, and we're bringing our big, wild group along for a full weekend vlog. What could possibly go wrong?

All this and plenty more on this week's Bleachers & Features, a Buju Bullring Production!

👇 JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Are postseason shows making a comeback? And what can tracks do to bring those kinds of car counts to the summer months?

👍 Like, share, and follow Buju Bullring for more short track racing talk!

#BleachersAndFeatures #BujuBullring #ShortTrackRacing #KalamazooSpeedway #SuperShoe #SpringportMotorSpeedway #MichiganCup #NewParisSpeedway #GrundyCountySpeedway #BahamaBracketNationals #LostTracksOfIndiana #IllianaMotorSpeedway #GrassrootsRacing #StockCarRacing #RacingLife

This week on Bleachers and Features, we cover the passing of Winchester Speedway owner Charlie Shaw, the reopening of South Bend Motor Speedway and its newly released 2027 schedule.

We also get into some of the criticism surrounding SBMS racing on Saturdays, the current condition of the track surface, New Paris Speedway’s 2027 schedule, and the push for a potential reopening of Osceola Dragway.

Plus, we talk NASCAR, including the on-track fight between Ryan Blaney and local hero Carson Hocevar.

And finally… a MASSIVE announcement about a future guest with some serious South Bend Motor Speedway history. I am extremely excited for this one. If you know your SBMS history, you may have a pretty good idea who it is. 👀

A Buju Bullring Production.

This week on Bleachers & Features, Buju comes down from a wild weekend at the South Bend Showdown at South Bend Motor Speedway.

84 cars hit the track Friday night for hot laps, with 123 cars taking part across the weekend. Buju picked up a heat race win at his favorite track before things went sideways in the feature.

We break down the heat and feature, the tense Brandyn Ross Memorial Street Stock race won by legendary fan favorite Charlie Hanna, and the rest of the weekend's winners: Andrew DeVreese in Open V8s, James Haisley in Factory Fords, Chris Harman in 4 Cylinders, and Dakota Milbourn in Hornets.

Plus campground fun, parking lot sleeping, Carson Hocevar, and some encouraging signs for the future of racing at South Bend Motor Speedway.

Just another weekend at the races. 🏁

This week on Bleachers and Features, it’s a packed one.

The South Bend Motor Speedway Showdown is coming up, and this time I won’t just be covering it — I’ll be racing my Hornet. We recap the M40 IN-MI Challenge Cup, with Brock Ganus and Dustin Williams taking the A wins, Colin Bozell’s VanAvery victory at Galesburg, Carson Hocevar and Brad Keselowski’s incident at Darlington, some quick Angola results, and a little cleanup from the last couple of weeks — including my buddy Skinny McKinney picking up a win at New Paris.

I also clarify my thoughts on Night of Destruction events and give them their flowers.

But the main topic this week is one I could probably talk about for hours: the list of racetracks I’ve visited. What actually counts as a racetrack visit? Watching a race? Racing there? Announcing? Taking a tour? Just walking through the gates? We’re figuring out where I’ve been and where I draw the line.

And then I get fired up about the ongoing fight over Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and the people spreading misinformation while trying to tear down one of America’s most historic racing venues.

Plus, we debut a new post-credit segment: DJ McCotter’s Final Thought.

It’s another big one from Bleachers and Features.

This week on Bleachers & Features, I’m joined by my friend, fellow racetrack nerd, historian, photographer, and South Bend Motor Speedway alumnus Jay Freet of On Track Design.

Jay has been around South Bend Motor Speedway since the 1970s and has seen just about every era of the place. He’s spent decades photographing races, primarily at South Bend and Plymouth, and even crewed for local hot shoe Ozzie Osborn — no, not that one.

We talk about Jay’s story, classic SBMS, Super Modifieds, car counts, promoters working together, the current state of short track racing, the future of wedge-body Late Models, and what the future might hold for local racing.

We also build JAY FREET SPEEDWAY — if Jay could design his perfect racetrack from the ground up, what would it look like?

PLUS, we debut two new recurring segments:

HOT LAPS — 12 rapid-fire questions every guest will answer.

THE VICTORY LAP — one personalized question specifically for each guest.

And, of course, we finally uncover the origin of Jay’s close association with racetrack hot dogs.

After the interview, I recap a busy weekend of racing and wrecking at South Bend Motor Speedway, the huge Summer Sizzler at New Paris Speedway where one of my racing heroes, Ronnie Maynard Jr., picked up a huge win, and championship celebrations at Kalamazoo Speedway and Russell’s M40 Speedway.

Thanks for listening to Bleachers & Features! 🏁

A Buju Bullring Production.

For the first time ever, Bleachers & Features welcomes a guest — and Irish Saunders brings nearly an hour of incredible racing stories.

Irish and Buju talk about his time with Hoosier Racing Tire, including the NASCAR Cup Series tire wars, Darrell Waltrip's 1989 Daytona 500 victory, and Rick Mast putting a Hoosier on the pole for the 1994 Brickyard 400.

They dive into Irish helping a young Tony Stewart get a ride, his interactions with a teenage Jeff Gordon, and the night his close friend Rich Vogler was killed. They also discuss Ken Schrader, Ray Dillon, Bentley Warren, Bill France, Ryan Preece, Irish's history at South Bend Motor Speedway, his time promoting Plymouth Motor Speedway, and much more.

Irish also shares the incredible stories of his sons Eric and Garrett, including Eric's spinal injury, and his return to racing — and winning.

Plus, Buju covers Brock Ganus and Terry Senneker winning the Rabers Rumble and Kalamazoo Klash, a night at M40 Speedway with Evan Verduin making his debut in the #72 Street Stock, Dakota getting the win, a visit with Jason Seltzer in the booth, New Paris Speedway crowning its season champions, and the uncertain future facing some local tracks.

The episode closes with an emotional tribute to childhood racing hero Dale Olivier Sr., who passed away today.

Bleachers & Features — racing from the perspective of the people who live it.

It was one hell of a weekend at the racetrack.

This week on Bleachers & Features, Buju breaks down the Bentley Warren Classic at Plymouth Motor Speedway, where an absolutely loaded All Star National Pavement Midget field featuring Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Ken Schrader, Jake Trainor and more battled it out, with Kyle O’Gara taking the win.

And yes, Buju completely fanboyed out. There are pictures with Tony Stewart, an autograph from Ken Schrader, and a questionable attempt at watching practice with Tom Bigelow.

But the weekend also brought a terrifying upside-down Hornet wreck involving a close friend, leading to a serious conversation about why safety matters at every level of racing.

Then it's off to New Paris Speedway for the Flagger Boy Twin 50 Street Stock races, where Josh Sommers and Austin Maynard took the wins — with Austin having to work his way through his own family to get to the front.

Plus, a wild lesson in “if you're gonna talk about it, be about it” during a red flag, Kenny Wallace's appearance on Top Row Racing Media's Monday Night Rewind, and a discussion about why sometimes the best thing to do when drivers have disagreements is let the drivers handle it themselves.

Another weekend. Another bunch of stories.

Welcome to Bleachers & Features.