BROOKLYN, Mich. — In a sport like NASCAR, where it generally takes many years to establish yourself as a competitive team, it’s rare to see a new team break through as a serious contender for race wins and championships. That’s especially true at the Cup level, but also at the Xfinity level, where a few teams have dominated wins for years (Joe Gibbs Racing, Jr. Motorsports, Team Penske, etc.).

That’s what makes the rise of Kaulig Racing over the past few years a truly inspiring story that fans should embrace. It reminds me of how Furniture Row Racing grew from a small, upstart team based in Denver to winning a title with Martin Truex Jr., before eventually shutting down.

Hopefully, Kaulig doesn’t follow the last part of that blueprint, as they’re a team on the rise (entering Cup full-time in 2022, in addition to maintaining its Xfinity teams) that would be a strong addition to the garage for decades to come.

It was an eventful Friday night at Gateway for the start of the Truck Series playoffs, including an extended power outage that caused a long red flag, but in the end Sheldon Creed won yet again at arguably his best track, and advanced in the playoffs.

Also of note, rookie Hailie Deegan, 20, who is not a playoff contender, scored the first Truck Series top-10 of her career.

Deegan became the fourth female competitor in the series to achieve a top-10, but was the first to do it at a non-superspeedway track. Previously, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Angela Ruch and Natalie Decker have achieved this feat in superspeedway competition.

As vehicles get larger and larger, fewer subcompact cars remain in the marketplace.

But they are not extinct yet.

While automakers have mainly given up on them, your options include the Hyundai Accent, Chevy Spark, Nissan Versa, and the car I recently tested — the 2021 Kia Rio.

Most recently redesigned back in 2018, the 2021 version of the Rio features some upgrades, including new styling on the front and rear portions of the vehicle, and an improved infotainment system with wireless phone connectivity.

When discussing fast and beautiful luxury cars, BMW’s lineup is always in the middle of the conversation. While not everyone’s favorite, the long-respected luxury competitor continues to up its game both in terms of looks and design, as well as performance and get-up-and-go.

The 4-series is one of the most popular BMW lineups, and it recently got a controversial upgrade for 2021, including a massive change on the front end.

I recently spent some time in a 2021 BMW 430i xDrive Coupe, and I’m back with a full report on what all the hype is about.

Minivans are sort of a love-it-or-hate-it thing in the automotive world.

Many people might say they hate minivans, but a vocal minority are minivan lovers.

With the completely new 2022 Kia Carnival, a reinvention of the vehicle formerly known as the Kia Sedona, the Korean automaker is hoping to turn some of those haters into members of the minivan fan club, and create potential customers.

After some time tooling around in this family-friendly ride, I’m back with a full report on how the Carnival measures up, as it takes on the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Voyager on the minivan battleground.