It was September 30, 1970 when the NASCAR Grand National Series ran the Home State 200 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds as race that was later won by The King Richard Petty. Many thought the stat that Petty was the last driver to win a race on dirt would stand forever. While many of his records will stand forever, the last NASCAR driver to win on dirt wont stand.
That’s because the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has announced they will run at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio on Wednesday, July 24th. It’s a monumental announcement that has many race fans, drivers and media members excited for the idea of running on dirt. Many drivers like Kenny Wallace and Tony Stewart have already said they will run the truck race at Eldora Speedway. NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations Steve O’Donnell is excited about the idea as well.
“We’ve had talks about getting the trucks on dirt in the past,” said O’Donnell. “The door-to-door racing that our truck series is known for plus Eldora’s popularity and Tony’s dedication to putting on great shows for the fans is a perfect fit. We’ll have a maximum starting field of 30 trucks at Eldora. More details on the race format are still being developed.”
Many people think NASCAR will have heat races at Eldora Speedway to set the starting fields, something most dirt tracks around the country do on a weekly basis. Eldora will be the second Wednesday race on the Camping World Truck Series joining Bristol Motor Speedway in August.
The series will have 22 events in 2013, the same number they had in the 2012 season. They will start out at Daytona International Speedway in February and will return to the Rockingham Speedway after a successful 2012 trip to the racetrack.
The series also announced they will run their first road course race in 12 years when the series runs at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Ontario, Canada on September 1st. O’Donnell explains the importance of the series moving to Canada.
“It’s very important that we maintain our national series presence in Canada,” O’Donnell said. “We’ve accomplished that goal while also bringing a world-class venue like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on board. The Canadian fan base is so passionate and has a high regard for NASCAR. We’re excited to increase our role with our great partners at Canadian Tire while also introducing the truck series to our fans in Canada.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will begin their season on February 22nd at Daytona International Speedway
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