[Dannypollock24]

Analysis: NASCAR should learn lessons of Eldora

Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports 12:39 a.m. EDT July 25, 2013

ROSSBURG, Ohio — One of the best NASCAR races in years shouldn't be viewed as a singular event.

Wednesday night's Mudsummer Classic, the first NASCAR race on dirt in 43 years, should be the catalyst for change in the sport, the kind of moment that lays the groundwork for the future.

ELDORA: Dillon wins inaugural Truck race on dirt

NASCAR's Camping World Trucks were heavy, clumsy and painfully slow on the Eldora Speedway dirt. There was only one wreck. There was no side-by-side finish.

But guess what? The race was still 10 times better than many of the events held on 1.5-mile cookie cutter tracks used by the Sprint Cup Series, where the field gets strung out and there's little passing at times.

Thirty drivers – many inexperienced on dirt – put on a tremendous show. They raced side-by-side, slammed into one another while racing for position and pulled off daring slide jobs that made every lap of the race a must-see.

There was entertainment from start to finish – something that can't be said about many NASCAR races these days.

ONE-FINGER SALUTE: 61-year-old driver flips the bird

NASCAR should use Eldora as a lesson in several ways:

SPEED

More speed doesn't make for a better show; it's possible to have great racing even at dramatically slower speeds.

There was no talk about aero push or "clean air" at Eldora; it was all about handling and driver skill. Instead of a track position race based on strategy, drivers won by out-driving their competitors (Austin Dillon won from 19th; Kyle Larson started 13th and finished second).

As Denny Hamlin tweeted during the race: "100 mph sliding or 200 mph stuck? Nuff said."

DIRT

After Wednesday, it's a no-brainer NASCAR should do everything it can to bring a Sprint Cup Series race to dirt. The buzz even for a Truck race was fantastic, and the race lived up to the hype. Fans flocked from 48 states to see a race that was sold out in January; 130 media members were credentialed.

Again, all this for a Truck race. If that's not an indicator of something that could excite the racing world, what is?

PHOTOS: Trucks hit the dirt at Eldora Speedway

NASCAR returned to dirt track racing for the time in 43 years when the Trucks Series invaded Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, for the inaugural Mudsummer Classic. Austin Dillon took the checkered flag. Andrew Weber, USA TODAY Sports Fullscreen

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QUALIFYING RACES AND SEGMENTS

The dirt-track format for Eldora was perfect: Heat races set the starting order and served as qualifying, followed by a thrilling last-chance race; the main event was then broken up into three segments.

Why not do that for those tedious 500-mile Cup races? By adding heat races, NASCAR could shave distance off the feature race and still fit into a three-hour window; by adding segments, it could break up the monotony of long green-flag runs.

Hey, it works for short tracks all around the country.

SMALLER CROWDS

There were only 20,000 people at Eldora, but the sold-out stands made for an electric atmosphere. If the same event was held at a 100,000-seat track, though, the crowd would have looked puny – as some races do these days on TV.

Several tracks are already taking steps to remove seats and make the crowds look better. That's a good move, because creating a demand with sellout crowds and hot tickets – even if it's a smaller number of people – is much better than looking at tens of thousands of empty seats.

NASCAR is never going to return to the mega crowds it once had, but a slimmed-down sport can still be effective.

MIDWEEK RACES

Track promoters don't like the idea of midweek races because they're worried it would hurt attendance. Not as many people would be able to get off work.

But Eldora showed that's not necessarily the case. If it's a race people really want to attend, they'll go – even if it's in the middle of rural Ohio's cornfields. People from the West Coast had no problem flying to Indianapolis and then driving two hours to see a Wednesday night race.

In the middle of the week, especially during the summer, NASCAR would be wise to have a few Sprint Cup Series races dotting the schedule.

Danny 24

[FALCONEDDIE]

NASCAR should learn a lesson from the Big E, but they need to go there and watch a non-wing sprint/midget race. thank GOD we still have good racing with non-wing cars (sprints and midgets.) I made it 3/4 of the way through the first part of feature before changing channel to "Hannity" on Fox network.
falconeddie

[Charles Nungester]

IMHO Nascar ******D up and showed people real racing for a change, Now they don't have big enough venues to hold it.

I had a feeling that as slow and clumsy as it was, the racers would find a way to race and thats what happened.

Really it was not much different than a Eldora Street Stock race (Which I never pass up) But Rubbin, The finger, slide jobs and four wide is what good racing is all about. The only way they can get that on pavement is a restrictor plate.

Good Job Guys.

[flatout18]

Now all of the NAPCAR fans are going to know what we have all known for years.... People may quit going to NAPCAR events and go to their local tracks instead... Hope it helps the local tracks attendance!

[darnall]

If NASCAR has anybody with any brains in charge of scheduling they should release the following announcement this Sunday before the start of the Brickyard.....really capatalize on the buzz from last night and give people something to look forward to for next season....

*****The 2014 NASCAR schedule has just been amended. 2014 will see the truck series and the Nationwide series run two dates at both Eldora Speedway and Knoxville Raceway, and the Bristol Spring Race will now be all 3 series on the same red clay the Outlaws ran on in 1999-2000*****

They know it can be done with minimal changes to the vehicles. They know the people want to see it. They now know the drivers want it. Knoxville has similar facilities, amenities and seating capacity as Eldora...both could handle the 2 lower series. Bristol hasn't had decent ticket sales in years for any race and can clearly handle the amount of fans a Cup race brings. I know theres a huge difference in selling 20,000 tickets to fill a place up and selling 140,000, but if they would put the dirt on Bristol again they would get a whole lot closer to filling the place up than they have in the last 4-7 years.

[wright59]

I thought it was a pretty good race. We goto the sprint cars at kokomo every week and at 1st it seemed like it was going to be a street stock race with trucks. But honestly it was the 1st truck race that I was white knuckling it at the end. If you didn't like the end of that race then you should have turned to fox falconeddie or whatever that dip#### name you call your self! Besides it was the best thing on TV last night by far.

[Chubs Peterson]

It was a good show. Really opened up some people's eyes on what they have been missing. Lots of banging and really only one caution for an accident and the B-main was outstanding. Hopefully they do it again and love the idea of hitting Knoxville and laying the dirt down at Bristol and hell when they scoop it up at Bristol move it Martinsville and do the same there.

[EBookerFan]

As a race fan last nights truck race was a race to the end. With open wheel racers Larson , Newman, Blaney, Armstrong, Hines, Schrader providing the action, the only thing that would have made it better was for one of them to have won. I guess that Dillon winning should not have been a surprise as he and Stewart originally tested the track for NASCAR. Kenny Wallace now runs open wheel modifieds. Does he quailfy as an open wheel racer?

My favorite part of the whole deal was to see 158 yo Kenny Schrader sit on pole and win the first heat race ever.
There is justice in this world.....

Didn't get to see the race.

[Joe@ScaleSprints]

Originally Posted by mortboyz My favorite part of the whole deal was to see 158 yo Kenny Schrader sit on pole and win the first heat race ever. There is justice in this world..... Didn't get to see the race.

Damn he is old LOL