Kyle Strickler needed a few minutes to gather himself. No driver, after all, should be expected to jump out of their car after losing a $50,000 race to a blown tire on the final lap and immediately face the media.

With eight laps remaining in Saturday’s Intercontinental Classic feature at Eldora Speedway, Dale McDowell found himself in a familiar position as he raced among the top five in the $50,000-to-win World 100 replacement event. But just as McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., moved into second and prepared to make a late run at leader Kyle Stickler, his car failed to fire on a restart, forcing McDowell to retire from the 67-lap race.

When Shannon Babb happily bounded into his chassis builder Scott Bloomquist’s trailer after postrace tech following his victory in Friday’s 30-lap Intercontinental Classic preliminary feature at Eldora Speedway, he received a loud, warm welcome.

After a season full of near-misses and heartbreaking defeats, Josh Rice thought his luck couldn’t get much worse. But during the first night of Eldora Speedway’s Intercontinental Classic on Thursday, it did.

Spencer Hughes needed the help of his fans and supporters to earn an invitation to Eldora Speedway’s Intercontinental Classic through the fan vote. During Thursday’s first night of preliminary action for the spectator-free event, Hughes rewarded them with a top-10 finish in his first ever race at Eldora’s famed half-mile oval.