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The news of the week is that NASCAR is considering using the current O'Reilly Auto Parts Series as a series to feature an EV CUV series. While talks are very preliminary, it got a lot of press because of the drastic changes that would be made. We discuss that, plus the 'feud' between Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. Who is in the right, who is in the wrong? Also, has the racing changed with the new championship format? Finally we talk about Talladega & the fuel savings. Will changing the stage lengths work?

On this episode of Talking in Circles we dive into the NASCAR Hall of Fame debate. Should the O'Reilly Auto Parts & Truck Series drivers be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame? Should there be a different process for those drivers? We also look at the current nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame and give our picks on who should make the Hall this year, in addition to who just missed the cut in our eyes. Then we talk about the safety of the Gen7 car and Daniel Dye being reinstated by NASCAR but not returning to Kaulig Racing or RAM. We also dove into the Stage Break debate and the interesting teams missing from the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts race from Rockingham this weekend. Is this a bad sign and a sign of things to come?

Tyler Reddick wins again at Darlington Raceway, his 4th win in 6 races in 2026. It's been an impressive run. We break down the entire weekend from Darlington, including folks who ran really well and we talk about the drivers and teams that struggled at the track too tough to tame. We also discuss Fox pretty much botching Alumni weekend and how poor their coverage has been the last couple of years in addition to whether or not the race was over hyped. We also play a game in which we give one word for a certain drivers point standing. One driver got the word "Fireable" tied to his point position.

Denny Hamlin won the Pennzoil 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I break down the entire event, looking at who had a good day and who really struggled on the first 1.5 mile track of the season. Then I take a dive into the point standings where I look at who is in early trouble and who I expect to stay and or move up. I also look back at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series event from Vegas in which Kyle Larson found a way to get a victory. Then we look at Daniel Dye's remarks that got him suspended from Kaulig Racing and look at the Alex Bowman situation including a scenario which could come to light if this situation continues through the summer.

On this episode of Talking in Circles, Brandon and Clayton Caldwell recap the weekend that was at Phoenix Raceway. It was an impressive performance for Ryan Blaney and a not some impressive performance for other big name drivers on the Cup side of things. Can RCR and Kyle Busch right the ship? Plus we look at the point standings after 4 races and discuss who is in trouble and needs a solid day at Vegas next week. Then we talk about Alex Bowman's situation and whether Anthony Alfredo is the right man for the job. We also dive into the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race from Phoenix and look at their point standings as well. A jam packed episode! Hope you enjoy!

Former NASCAR driver Mike Wallace discusses his 2025 denial of approval for the NASCAR Cup Series. Was it politically motivated? Mike gives his answer. Plus we discuss the current state of NASCAR how sponsorship and the model has changed since he started racing, in addition we discuss the crop of young drivers. Are they 'too young'? That's the question.

Tyler Reddick won the AutoTrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. It was his second consecutive win to start the year the first driver to do that since Matt Kenseth in 2009. We'll discuss everything from the race including some really interesting accidents in which one of our hosts calls the 'worst mistake he's seen Kyle Larson make in his cup career." Plus, we'll look back at the racing at Atlanta, is it good? Is it too hyped? Also, we look at the side by side commercials this year for the Cup Series on Fox. Is that a good thing? Our hosts are on different sides of the fence on that. Then there is discussion on Steve O'Donnell's comments to Ryan McGee of ESPN. "We got lazy when we beat IndyCar." Our hosts take him to town for that as well as recaps of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race and the Craftsman Truck Series race from EchoPark Speedway. Finally, we preview the road course races this weekend from COTA and St. Pete.

NASCAR’s Approval Process is under a ton of scrutiny this week after Natalie Decker’s accident in the Xfinity race last Saturday and McFarland’s crash on Friday in the truck race. Does it need to be revamped? How should the process work? We discuss that. Plus, Kyle Busch’s antics at the end of Sunday’s Daytona 500 were interesting to say the least. Are they a big deal? What does it mean for any potential future employer? Also, Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against former crew chief Chris Gabehart who recently started working for Spire Motorsports. Gabehart allegedly stole secret information from Joe Gibbs Racing and even recruited an employee from JGR to Spire. We discuss that. And we preview the triple header weekend from Echopark Speedway in Atlanta.

It's been 25 years since the death of Dale Earnhardt. Clayton Caldwell gives his memories of that day and talks about the lasting impact the death had on the sport of NASCAR.

Tyler Reddick won the Daytona 500 on Sunday. We discuss that and give our thoughts on the fuel savings and the overall package at Daytona. Plus we look at the NASCAR O’Reilly Parts Series race and talk about Natalie Decker’s mistake. Plus we look at the Truck Series event and discuss everything with that race.

Joey Logano and Chase Elliott went to victory lane on Thursday in the Duel 150s at Daytona. Impressive victories for both while Justin Allgaier, Corey Heim, Casey Mears and B.J. McLeod will start the Daytona 500 after a night of crashes and controversy. We’ll break it all down and talk about qualifying. Plus we’ll give our picks to win the 500, dark horses and look at the Truck and Xfinity races as well!

Ryan Preece won the Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. It was a wild event that saw racing in the rain, delays, rain tires and so much more. We’ll give our thoughts on the clash and discuss whether or not we think it should go back to Daytona, or stay doing what we are doing. Plus, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer made comments on Thursday about the teams being in fuel saving mode for the Daytona 500 and whether or not the sport was looking at trying to fix that. We ask how can someone be so off from their fan base. Lastly, there is a new wrinkle in the qualifying procedure for the Daytona 500. We’ll give our thoughts on that and whether we like it or dislike it.

It was another victory for Christopher Bell this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. We discuss his win, take a look at a controversial call during the event and talk about Katherine Legge’s mistakes. Plus we look at the best driver crew chief pairing in the garage and discuss the finish of the NASCAR Xfinity race. Was Aric Almirola justified in his move at the end of the event? We’ll give our take.

Christopher Bell took the checkered flag on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway in another controversial finish. We discuss whether NASCAR should or shouldn’t have thrown the yellow flag to end the race, rather than letting the race run to the start/finish line. NASCAR has had a flurry of judgement calls in the first two races of the season, with the organization contradicting itself regarding these finishes. We’ll give our takes on that. Plus, Dodge is reportedly coming back to NASCAR, first in trucks in 2026, then followed by the Cup Series in 2027 or 2028. We’ll talk about what this means and give a team who could potentially make the jump. Finally the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series raced at Atlanta as well. We’ll discuss those races and the dominance of Austin Hill on the drafting tracks in the Xfinity Series.

Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric are the winners of the 2025 Duels at Daytona. Duel 1 was wild and Duel 2 wasn’t. However, we broke down both. Justin Allgaier and Corey LaJoie raced their way into the 500, joining Martin Truex Jr, Jimmie Johnson and Helio Castroneves as the open teams to make the field. JJ Yeley, BJ McLeod, Anthony Alfredo and Chandler Smith all went home. We’ll discuss who ran well, who struggled and give our picks for the 67th running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500.