Where's the dirt?

FenderBumper

FenderBumper

The "good old days" ??
Joined
Jul 4, 2011
Messages
49,326
Points
883
Location
New York
I didn't want to bring this to the happy Eldora thread, but this isn't what I expected at all. They packed the surface down so hard it looks and races like a crappy repave. Then they took away all the dirt so there isn't even a cushion.



I hope it's a good race, but it sure doesn't look like dirt track racing.
 
Careful Fender, everyone might start saying you're negative all the time. :rolleyes: I hope it's an exciting race and it's cool but it wasn't like dirt sprints or Late Models.
 
Same way ARCA always does it at Springfield and DuQuoin and those are great races. These aren't dirt late models or sprint cars, so the track prep may need to be different...
 
That 12 minute video was better than anything NASCAR has had to offer in 2013.
 
I heard someone say that Tony wanted it to drive more like an asphalt track. If true that completely moronic.
 
Stewart Fan said:
I heard someone say that Tony wanted it to drive more like an asphalt track. If true that completely moronic.
Click to expand...

I know the track can't be like it is with sprint cars, but that is plain dumb if it's true. There isn't even enough loose dirt to form a cushion, which is what really defines dirt racing. I'm sure they had to treat and pack the track for these heavy trucks ( the track is still starting to show some damage), but I expected tons of loose dirt on top with an ample cushion already in place. It basically looks like ice racing so far.
 
Fender: looks like the track prep approach is dry slick from start to finish. with two practice sessions yesterday, maybe there was moisture for the first one? how much faster were the lap times from the first session when compared to the second one?

normal dirt track prep usually is set for too much moisture with a heavy cushion for the early portion of the show with the track conditions changing as it drys out and the racers knock the cushion off when it then becomes what i saw from the second practice session.
 
Thanks Klem. I watched the 2nd PS and there seemed to be no cushion at all, just a slight dusting at the top of the track. I just expected much more dirt like we saw during that test earlier in the year.
 
klemmabyna said:
Fender: looks like the track prep approach is dry slick from start to finish. with two practice sessions yesterday, maybe there was moisture for the first one? how much faster were the lap times from the first session when compared to the second one?

normal dirt track prep usually is set for too much moisture with a heavy cushion for the early portion of the show with the track conditions changing as it drys out and the racers knock the cushion off when it then becomes what i saw from the second practice session.
Click to expand...
You nailed it. By the time you saw it the track had been run on for five continuous hours. At first it was as it was supposed to be but got packed down including the berm, today will probably be no different.
 
I did a quick check to compare practice speeds. session 1 wa 2 seconds fasrer than what we got to see last night.

from: http://www.eldoraspeedway.com/races/schedule/mudsummer-classic/practice-speeds/

FIRST ROUND:
Position
Name​
Car #​
MakeBest TimeBehind
1 Kyle Larson *30 Chevrolet 19.645 Leader
2 Dave Blaney 19 Ford 19.856 -0.211
3 Ryan Blaney 29 Ford 19.918 -0.273
4 Austin Dillon 39 Chevrolet 19.982 -0.337
5 Ty Dillon 3 Chevrolet 20.205 -0.56
6 Brendan Gaughan 62 Chevrolet 20.349 -0.704
7 John Wes Townley 7 Toyota 20.483 -0.838
8 Scott Bloomquist 51 Toyota 20.496 -0.851
9 Ron Hornaday Jr 9 Chevrolet 20.499 -0.854
10 Dakoda Armstrong 60 Chevrolet 20.538 -0.893
11 Ryan Newman *34 Chevrolet 20.554 -0.909
12 Joey Coulter 18 Toyota 20.555 -0.91
13 Jeff Babcock *84 Chevrolet 20.604 -0.959
14 Max Gresham *8 Chevrolet 20.845 -1.2
15 Jeb Burton 4 Chevrolet 20.855 -1.21
16 Darrell Wallace Jr 54 Toyota 20.875 -1.23
17 Brennan Newberry *24 Chevrolet 20.887 -1.242
18 James Buescher 31 Chevrolet 20.96 -1.315
19 Timothy Peters 17 Toyota 20.999 -1.354
20 Tracy Hines 13 Toyota 21.007 -1.362
21 Jared Landers *6 Chevrolet 21.112 -1.467
22 Johnny Sauter 98 Toyota 21.162 -1.517
23 Ken Schrader *52 Toyota 21.227 -1.582
24 Miguel Paludo 32 Chevrolet 21.233 -1.588
25 Jr Heffner *44 Chevrolet 21.38 -1.735
26 German Quiroga Jr 77 Toyota 21.59 -1.945
27 Kenny Wallace 81 Toyota 21.597 -1.952
28 Norm Benning *57 Chevrolet 21.798 -2.153
29 Justin Jennings *63 Chevrolet 21.871 -2.226
30 Clay Greenfield *68 RAM 21.891 -2.246
31 Jason Bowles *5 Ford 21.958 -2.313
32 Matt Crafton 88 Toyota 21.987 -2.342
33 Bryan Silas *99 Ford 22.11 -2.465
34 Joe Cobb *10 RAM 22.889 -3.244


SECOND ROUND:
Position
Name​
Car #​
MakeBest TimeBehind
1 Austin Dillon 39 Chevrolet 21.644 Leader
2 Ty Dillon 3 Chevrolet 21.703 -0.059
3 Kyle Larson *30 Chevrolet 21.719 -0.075
4 Ken Schrader *52 Toyota 21.748 -0.104
5 Tracy Hines 13 Toyota 21.753 -0.109
6 Ryan Newman *34 Chevrolet 21.83 -0.186
7 Dave Blaney 19 Ford 21.872 -0.228
8 Ron Hornaday Jr 9 Chevrolet 21.877 -0.233
9 Ryan Blaney 29 Ford 21.936 -0.292
10 Jeb Burton 4 Chevrolet 21.977 -0.333
11 Darrell Wallace Jr 54 Toyota 21.998 -0.354
12 Brennan Newberry *24 Chevrolet 22.021 -0.377
13 Matt Crafton 88 Toyota 22.025 -0.381
14 Scott Bloomquist 51 Toyota 22.03 -0.386
15 Johnny Sauter 98 Toyota 22.051 -0.407
16 Brendan Gaughan 62 Chevrolet 22.064 -0.42
17 Kenny Wallace 81 Toyota 22.084 -0.44
18 Joey Coulter 18 Toyota 22.117 -0.473
19 Timothy Peters 17 Toyota 22.126 -0.482
20 Miguel Paludo 32 Chevrolet 22.207 -0.563
21 Jared Landers *6 Chevrolet 22.211 -0.567
22 Jeff Babcock *84 Chevrolet 22.285 -0.641
23 Jason Bowles *5 Ford 22.293 -0.649
24 Max Gresham *8 Chevrolet 22.302 -0.658
25 German Quiroga Jr 77 Toyota 22.314 -0.67
26 James Buescher 31 Chevrolet 22.363 -0.719
27 Dakoda Armstrong 60 Chevrolet 22.395 -0.751
28 Jr Heffner *44 Chevrolet 22.4 -0.756
29 Jimmy Weller III *07 Chevrolet 22.41 -0.766
30 Norm Benning *57 Chevrolet 22.511 -0.867
31 John Wes Townley 7 Toyota 22.61 -0.966
32 Bryan Silas *99 Ford 22.631 -0.987
33 Joe Cobb *10 RAM 22.679 -1.035
34 Clay Greenfield *68 RAM 22.692 -1.048
35 Justin Jennings *63 Chevrolet 22.769 -1.125
 
I'm not surprised at all about the track's surface. One, they want it to be hard so it will be smooth. Two, the track is a lot like you'd see at a lot of sprint car events. If that middle groove comes in, it will be an interesting race. If not, they'll just ride around on the top.
 
MRM said:
I'm not surprised at all about the track's surface. One, they want it to be hard so it will be smooth. Two, the track is a lot like you'd see at a lot of sprint car events. If that middle groove comes in, it will be an interesting race. If not, they'll just ride around on the top.
Click to expand...
This.
 
I watched the first 45 minutes of practice and the track was good but Newman, Schrader and the Dillon boys started high and worked all the way up to the wall with their right rear corners inches from the wall all the way around packing it down then after about 25 minutes they started moving down and packing it down all the way to the line. An Eldora oldtimer told me it was a trick used by the best and most experienced dirt trackers to make the track as slick as possible and hard for the others to race on, don't know if what he said is true but I know what I saw
 
That would be pretty crafty if that's what they did. I would expect dirt regulars like Blaney and Bloomquist to be the guys doing something like that. What ever is going on, the track sure got slick as ice. Maybe they were just trying to get JWT out of the race, because he was like a duck on a frozen pond in that second session.

Proof.

 
FenderBumper said:
I know the track can't be like it is with sprint cars, but that is plain dumb if it's true. There isn't even enough loose dirt to form a cushion, which is what really defines dirt racing. I'm sure they had to treat and pack the track for these heavy trucks ( the track is still starting to show some damage), but I expected tons of loose dirt on top with an ample cushion already in place. It basically looks like ice racing so far.
Click to expand...

They just interviewed a couple of drives on the local news and they were saying that same thing, that it was like they were racing on ice.
 
Well at least it won't be like the last time I was at the dirt track race at the Talladega short track...I had sand falling out of my ears for three days :).

From the closeup they just showed it kinda looked like smooth volcanic glass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom