Is NASCAR heading “Back to the Future”? Yes, I was eager to reference the iconic 1980's American science-fiction series, however last Wednesday; the past collided with the future in the Camping World Truck Series.
Personally, I have always had an on-again, off-again relationship with NASCAR. On one hand, I cannot get enough of the Super Speedway events where the drivers plant their right foot and reach completely insane speeds while separated by mere millimetres. On the other hand, the slower and lesser banked circuits just don’t do it for me, and I find it difficult to get engrossed in the action.
It’s not that casual NASCAR fans don’t appreciate the courage required to drive at senseless speeds whilst fighting for the same piece of tarmac as thirty other cars. The issue for spontaneous viewers of the sport is that it loses its sense of speed on television, and can subsequently appear tiresome without the variety of turns maintaining our interest. It would be wrong to question the skill of NASCAR drivers, however many of us do exactly that. The sport needed a shot in the arm to remind the world just how great it can be.
The last time NASCAR visited a dirt track was on the 30th of September 1970. For 43 years, Richard Petty would have questioned whether he was the victor in NASCAR’s last ever race on an unsealed surface. However, as the Camping World Truck Series descended on Eldora Speedway last Wednesday, the national category’s drought on dirt was broken. The Ohio-based circuit, owned by well-known NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, has an estimated seating capacity of slightly less than 20,000 people. It wouldn’t set attendance records, but the fans witnessed an almighty display of driving.
The “CarCash Mudsummer Classic” would feature a slightly different format of racing compared with the standard Camping World Truck Series events. The grid for the race was determined by five, eight lap qualifying races to narrow the grid to 30 entries, as opposed to the usual 36 car field. History was immediately re-written, with 58 year-old, Ken Schrader, becoming the oldest ever pole-sitter in a NASCAR series event.
When the green flag waved on an electric Wednesday evening at Eldora, the eventual winner, Austin Dillon, was stuck back in 19th position. However, the 23 year-old put on an amazing show in front of a packed house, charging through the field and eventually fighting it out with dirt-track specialist, Kyle Larson.
Dillon led the final 31 laps of the race, however two cautions in the final 15 laps threatened to derail his charge toward a fifth Camping World Truck Series victory. The 2012 Nationwide Series rookie of the year held his nerve throughout the green-white-checker finish, and crossed the finish line 1.2 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson. Sprint Cup regular, Ryan Newman, rounded out the top three in his Chevrolet truck from 10th on the grid.
“It’s just so special, what a crowd we had,” said Dillon after the win. “The fans were amazed and I think we had a good show. 19th to first, I don’t know how much more passing you can get than that in 150 lap race. It was so much fun, had a blast.”
The wonderful thing about NASCAR’s return to dirt was that it denoted a return to the simpler times in motorsport, where drivers would turn up to the track and rely on raw talent to get them across the line. It wasn’t about precise angles of negative camber or fractions of discrepancies in tyre pressures, it was about who had the courage to carry the most speed into and throughout the corners on a surface that offered about as much grip as an ice-skating rink.
It was full-on, high intensity action. Many will argue that every NASCAR race displays exactly that, however how many events on the calendar see the cars spend over 50% of the lap completely sideways and trading paint with each other and the barriers? The CarCash Mudsummer Classic offered exactly that, and it was utterly brilliant.
NASCAR legend, Jeff Gordon, offered his opinion on the category’s visit to Eldora Speedway after watching the race on television. ''Everywhere I've gone this week I've had people that are huge NASCAR fans and people that aren't big NASCAR fans at all that watched it,'' Gordon said. ''And they were blown away. They did not expect it to go the way that it did. You know what I would love to see, a Cup race at Eldora,'' continued Gordon. ''I don't think you will ever see a Cup race there, at least not while I'm driving, but I would certainly vote for it. I think it would be very cool to do.''
In a sport that many argue is in desperate need of a freshen-up; a great deal of its fans will take heart from the fact that NASCAR management took a chance. They veered outside of their tried and tested formula, and it worked. Would you be reading an article on RaceDepartment about a standard NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race? Most definitely not. Take my advice with a grain of salt, as I'm largely unaware of the logistics, revenue and practicality of such a suggestion, but please NASCAR, get your machines on dirt more often!
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