It’s time to get dirty. Literally.
For the first time in nearly 40 years, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will race on dirt. The Star Nursery 100 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track has been a talking point of drivers, fans and teams for months.
And why wouldn’t be? The impending duel in the desert will be one of the few NASCAR-sanctioned dirt track races in the last couple decades to take place and the first one in the series since 1979 at Ascot Park in Gardena, California.
Reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from Eldora Speedway whenever the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes their midsummer trip to the Rossburg, Ohio, oval. It’s something different. It bucks the trend.
Tim Richter, Short Tracks Racing Operations Manager at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, has been spearheading the preparation of the half-mile dirt track. In addition to ensuring the event has a special feel like Eldora, he’s also making sure the desert heat doesn’t dry out the 10-degree oval.
“It’s been really good,” Richter said of the track preparation. “We’re ending our second week of prep on it. We started the last Sunday of August with water, and that was three full days of getting moisture to make the ground workable. It’s been a process, but the track is really looking good. We’re looking smooth and we’re excited for the challenge with these K&N cars on the dirt track.”
Having full-bodied stock cars race around the track compared to much lighter, smaller cars is going to be the biggest obstacle for the track to navigate.
“The K&N cars don’t have the suspension the traditional dirt cars do,” Richter explained. “Asphalt cars are 50/50 hooking up with the left rear or right rear (tire). So using K&N cars, which are more traditionally asphalt cars, on the dirt track is a challenge.”
“The dirt can’t be too heavy, mud can’t get on the windshield so they can’t see. That’s the challenge for us, making the right mixture of moisture and hardness to where they can get a decent racing surface.”
Current K&N Pro Series West championship points leader Derek Thorn admits he’s no dirt ace. And due to the expected high influx of entries, he just wants to get through it unscathed.
2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race Results
“If we can get through the dirt race—there’s going to be probably 30 cars out there and probably 15-20 are going to be out there to have a good time, and then 10-15 of us are going to be out there racing for points,” Thorn said. “I feel like that’s another bullet to dodge, so to speak.”
His champion crew chief and series veteran Bill Sedgwick agrees with his driver, hoping to leave Las Vegas with the car in one piece and the points lead intact.
“I’m not looking forward to it, but at the same time I’ve sat down with Derek and we have a gameplan going into it,” Sedgwick said of the Star Nursery 100 this upcoming Thursday evening. “We’re going to go there, unload and run 100 laps if we can. We’ll look at where the chips fall. Dirt racing isn’t one of our strongholds … but I think if we go in there with a good attitude and just try to stay out of trouble, we’ll tally up the points at the end.”
Thorn’s Sunrise Ford teammate, Ryan Partridge, sits second in the championship standings 25 markers behind the No. 6, and understands the event could either help rejuvenate his quest for a title, or sink his hopes.
2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship Standings
“It could be a catastrophic night for a couple of people and I’m sure it will be,” Partridge said. “I’m pretty sure 90 percent of the field in the West Series aren’t dirt racers. I’ve been doing what I can as far as getting some dirt experience. I’ve ran a couple races at Perris Auto Speedway which is a half mile dirt track in southern California. Just trying to get my feet wet and a better understanding of dirt. What you have to do because the track is always changing, how setup applies, all that stuff. Trying to prepare the best we can.”
One driver that’s been eyeing this race for a while is Bill McAnally Racing Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Hailie Deegan, who has an extensive background racing on dirt.
“That track is definitely one that I’ve been excited for,” Deegan said. “I felt like Iowa was more of my driving style pavement wise, but hopefully I can do well at the dirt track … I feel like I can come out there and do really well. I’m hoping. It’s going to be either really good or really bad.”
Richter said feedback from the higher-ups at the speedway, fans in the community and drivers preparing to compete has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Everybody’s excited,” Richter said. “When it first was announced, you had your skeptics that didn’t know if it was going to work. Now that it’s getting close and coming to fruition, it’s really like ‘oh wow, this is something that’s going to be a spectacle.’ You’re going to want to be here you, want to experience it.”
The Star Nursery 100 from the Las Vegas Dirt Track is scheduled to go green at 8 p.m. ET local time on Thursday September 13.
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