NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
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TRUCKS: A Return To The Dirt
NASCAR announces 22-race Truck Series schedule, including first dirt-track event since 1970…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted November 28, 2012   Las Vegas, NV
Eldora Speedway, a half-mile dirt track owned by three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, will host the Truck Series next year for the first time. (Photo: Getty Images)
NASCAR is returning to its roots – literally.

As expected for weeks, NASCAR announced Wednesday that its Camping World Truck Series will race on dirt at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio in an event scheduled for Wednesday night, July 24, next season.

The race will be the first on a dirt surface for any of NASCAR’s major series since a 1970 Cup race in Raleigh, N.C.

The race automatically will be a highlight of a 22-event Truck schedule announced Wednesday by NASCAR. Included on the schedule are a return to Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina, the traditional series opener at Daytona International Speedway and road-course competition at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Ontario. The Ontario race will be the trucks’ first event outside the United States.

The decision to race at Eldora was finalized Tuesday. Questions about possible modifications to the track had held up release of the truck schedule.

The track will not be fitted with SAFER barriers (“soft” walls that are required at other major-series venues), but track owner Tony Stewart said some modifications will be made to the pit wall and possibly to other areas of the track.

The race length and format have not been determined. Among the possibilities – heat races, a “last-chance” qualifying race and a “halftime” break instead of traditional pit stops.

NASCAR senior vice president Steve O’Donnell said the only significant change for the trucks will be removal of the front splitter. Goodyear is developing a new tire for the surface.

O’Donnell said he anticipates opening the track a day early for tests. Some of the drivers who are likely to enter the race have never run on a dirt surface, and, because of the mid-week scheduling, the unique event is likely to attract entries across a broad spectrum of motorsports. IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan tweeted Wednesday that he plans to participate, and it’s likely that some top-level dirt-series racers will be interested.

Stewart would seem to be an obvious choice to compete, but he said Wednesday he hasn’t decided.

“A lot of me wants to compete, but, at the same time, as the promoter and track owner, I want to be doing everything I can to have the best quality racing surface and show we can provide,” he said.

The race is scheduled during Brickyard 400 week, and Eldora is a two-hour drive from Indianapolis, so officials expect ticket interest from fans who will be in the area for IMS events.

Stewart said Eldora has seating for 16,600 fans, plus additional lawn and patio seating. If ticket demands warrant, temporary seats will be installed, he said.

Stewart and Truck Series driver Austin Dillon ran tests at the track so officials could measure the possibility of racing there.

“This is going to bring back some of the roots of NASCAR,” O’Donnell said. “We certainly think it will be a huge success. We’re expecting a pretty big field of drivers from all over the place.”

O’Donnell said other dirt tracks and long-time NASCAR facilities such as Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina could be considered for Truck events in future seasons.

“The day we did the test, we didn’t have the most favorable conditions,” Stewart said. “There was a lot of rain leading up to it. I think the race itself is going to be pretty exciting.

“Wednesday night at that time of year is a good night. It will be an opportunity to have so many different drivers from so many different divisions.”

2013 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Site
2/22 Daytona International Speedway
4/6 Martinsville Speedway
4/14 Rockingham Speedway
4/20 Kansas Speedway
5/17 Charlotte Motor Speedway
5/31 Dover International Speedway
6/7 Texas Motor Speedway
6/27 Kentucky Speedway
7/13 Iowa Speedway
7/24 Eldora Speedway
8/3 Pocono Raceway
8/17 Michigan International Speedway
8/21 Bristol Motor Speedway
9/1 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
9/8 Iowa Speedway
9/13 Chicagoland Speedway
9/28 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
10/19 Talladega Superspeedway
10/26 Martinsville Speedway
11/1 Texas Motor Speedway
11/8 Phoenix International Raceway
11/15 Homestead-Miami Speedway

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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