Truck Series Has Memorable Night at Eldora Speedway

NASCAR announced last November that the Camping World Truck Series would be going to Eldora Speedway during the 2013 season. The news was met with great excitement and enthusiasm.

Despite the excitement, nobody knew what to really expect for NASCAR’s first dirt race on a national scale in 42 years. Would the event highlight why NASCAR hasn’t raced at dirty tracks in more than four decades or would the drivers and trucks adapt and put on a show that would be unforgettable and energize the fan-base?

The answer was obvious as soon as the race began on Wednesday, July 24th.

Throughout the entire night, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Newman put on a show as they battled for the lead Wednesday night.

It was Dillon who prevailed in the end after he was able to fend off Larson and Newman on a couple of late restarts.

The first 90 laps of the race would feature only a single caution (for debris), so the fear that the race would turn into a NASCAR demo derby were diminished. During the entire race, there was only a long multi-car incident.

The only thing that mattered on Wednesday night was how fast your truck was and how willing a driver was to walk the line of being out of control.

“It feels amazing,” said Dillon. “Going into this week, I was just really focused on doing whatever it took to make sure we had a good show for the fans and NASCAR so we could return here again.”

Eldora Speedway owner, Tony Stewart, didn’t comment after the race and NASCAR won’t be releasing the 2014 schedule until later this year. However, there is little doubt whether the Truck Series will return to the dirt track next season

The dirt track race used the title, the Mudsumer Classic, and it was a huge success. The grandstands were packed to capacity. At one point on Wednesday, the Mudsummer Classic and Eldora were the No. 5 and No. 7 trends on Twitter.

NASCAR returned to its roots on Wednesday night and was reminded that the path to NASCAR’s future success could very well lie in their past.

Carrie Whitmore