Opinion: Eldora success should encourage another NASCAR Trucks dirt race The Eldora Dirt Derby has b

StandOnIt

StandOnIt

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For that reason alone, third-year Truck Series driver Johnny Sauter only wants one race on dirt.
"I think you better keep it sacred," Sauter said on Wednesday during a NASCAR media teleconference. "I'm good with one."
Third-year trucker John Hunter Nemechek agreed.
"I'm there with Johnny," he said. "I'd like to keep it sacred, just keep it there with one. And keep to the asphalt stuff. I like that a little bit better."
But of course they would say that.
Both Sauter and Nemechek are asphalt Super Late Model byproducts. They spent their childhoods racing at tracks like Slinger Speedway, Winchester Speedway and Five Flags Speedway. If they wanted to race dirt, they would have pursued the World of Outlaws or the Lucas Oil Late Model tour.

For:
But so too are Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe. Both have extensive dirt backgrounds and disagree with the sacred nature of dirt races in NASCAR.
The more the merrier, they say.
"For me and Christopher both, I feel like we both have way more dirt experience than most of the guys we race against, so it's nice to come to a track where we do have a bit of an advantage," Briscoe said. "And if we could do that in the playoffs, that would be awesome."
It stands to reason that the Truck Series playoffs, which currently include a road course, a restrictor plate track, one short track, two one-milers and four intermediate speedways, could stand to have a dirt race, too.

http://autoweek.com/article/nascar/opinion-nascar-truck-series-could-stand-one-more-dirt-race
 
StandOnIt said:
I think they should have more. As a feeder series for the most part, attracting talent from all sides Dirt, road course and pavement would attract more talent to the series.
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Yes, it is a feeder series. But, keeping it pavement gives dirt drivers a chance to see if they can make it in the "big leagues".
Learn the craft, in other words.
 
StandOnIt said:
I think they should have more. As a feeder series for the most part, attracting talent from all sides Dirt, road course and pavement would attract more talent to the series.
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IF it is a feeder series, there's little point in running on dirt when the series you're being developed for don't run on it.

If Bell and Briscoe want more dirt races, there are plenty of series that run on dirt more often. The Truck series has enough open weekends that they could dip into other races often. ARCA runs more dirt than the Trucks do, and it's an acceptable route to an Xfinity ride.
 
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Charlie Spencer said:
IF it is a feeder series, there's no point in learning to run on dirt when the series you're being developed for don't run on it at all.

If Bell and Briscoe want more dirt races, there are plenty of series that run on dirt more often. The Truck series has enough open weekends that they could dip into other races often. ARCA runs more dirt than the Trucks do, and it's an acceptable route to an Xfinity ride.
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True, BUT there is a contingent of Nascar fans who would like to see cup cars run some dirt and the cup cars used to do just that. Nascar fans have for years wanted more road course racing and that has happened in the trucks, Xfinity and now with a Charlotte roval more road racing in cup. But yeah, as it stands now I can see why some think more dirt would be a wasted of time. But it also could be more teams in trucks if there were more dirt tracks in the schedule. Looks like the dirt truck would be much cheaper than a sprint car.
 
StandOnIt said:
... But it also could be more teams in trucks if there were more dirt tracks in the schedule. Looks like the dirt truck would be much cheaper than a sprint car.
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I dunno about cheaper, but I don't see it drawing more full-time teams. I expect it would be more like those part-time teams that show up in Cup only for the plate races.
 
There is another way also to not take away from Eldora Trucks..have Xfinity there on a different date.:p
 
StandOnIt said:
yeah but you can't put the cat back into the bag if the fans have any say about it.
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I'm fine with the event. My poorly expressed point was that unless a track has a high-profile owner with connections in Daytona, NASCAR isn't going to give them the time of day. Bruton might be able to swing one; name anybody else.
 
I would like to see the Xfinity and Cup Series have a date at a dirt track, but only one race per season for each series. Let's not get carried away with these dirt races.
 
I find it interesting that NASCAR is worried about declining attendance, and TV ratings, yet they refuse to implement the running of dirt tracks. I would be willing to bet that it would attract more people, than all the gimmicks they have tried to date, combined. All three series should have two dirt races a year. We do want to know who has the best all around skills in each series, don't we? NASCAR says it wants diversity, but I guess that is only drivers, not tracks. Eldora doesn't pack the house because it's on a Wednesday night, it's packed because it's dirt.
 
yeah they have a lottery plate race in the playoffs that is one big wreck with very expensive cars, next week let them beat them out and go dirt track racing. at least on dirt they can wreck the whole race and still finish most of the time.:p
 
It would be a huge mistake to try to clone the success of the Darlington throwback weekend and do a similar deal at another track. If one is great, two must be greater... NOT. I tend to think the same about the trucks on dirt.
 
I kinda like the idea of Knoxville, but NASCAR really doesn't need to oversaturate that market.
 
I love the Eldora event, but I don't want to see the cup guys on dirt. I get that it's grass roots, but it also feels very amateurish in scale. To me anyways.

I've heard it mentioned that lot of cup guys have also said they have no desire to race those cars on dirt.
 
Yogisd1 said:
.. Eldora doesn't pack the house because it's on a Wednesday night, it's packed because it's dirt.
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Eldora doesn't pack the house because it's dirt, it's packed because it's the ONLY dirt. If I were Tony, I'd fight against adding another dirt date at any level.
 
Don't fix what isn't broken and NOTHING about the trucks and Eldora is broken.

Leave it alone. Easily my third favorite race of the year.
 
I feel like every series should have its unique, marquee race. Daytona 500 for Cup, Eldora for Trucks and Mid-Ohio for XFINITY maybe.
 
AuzGrams said:
Knoxville has enough seating and credibility.
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It does. But I think the track is too flat for anything that heavy. Sprints and dirt late models put on good shows there, but neither weigh close to 3400 lbs.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
I feel like every series should have its unique, marquee race. Daytona 500 for Cup, Eldora for Trucks and Mid-Ohio for XFINITY maybe.
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yeah for sure, but the fans have to make it so, no amount of hype..well hype can help to a certain extent, but it doesn't work on me when they are hyping Indy. The fans have to show interest and appreciation, Darlington throwback has been a hit along with Eldora, there could be another one or more if some other options were explored I believe. Only so many options to explore, Road racing has been a hit lately in all of the series, why not try out dirt in the other two series. It is showing promise.
 
Maybe one more in the trucks but you dont want to over do it. One in the playoffs would be ok. Now what I really want to see is Cup cars on dirt.
 
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