NASCAR: Should Eldora be added to the Cup Series schedule?

By Sean Anderson | Jan 31, 2018

ROSSBURG, OH - JULY 19: General veiw of racing during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 5th Annual Dirt Derby 150 at Eldora Speedway on July 19, 2017 in Rossburg, Ohio. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

The NASCAR Cup Series has not raced on dirt since 1970. Is it now the time for NASCAR to add a dirt track back to the schedule?

In 1948, races on Daytona Beach helped shape what NASCAR is today. Racing on the sand evolved into racing on dirt. But now the NASCAR Cup Series has gone over 40 years without racing on dirt. Should NASCAR go back to its roots and add Eldora to the schedule?

The last time NASCAR’s top series raced on dirt was in 1970 at North Carolina State Fairgrounds. Richard Petty won the race. It was not until 2013 when the Camping World Truck Series made the return to dirt.

The Truck race at Eldora Speedway, a track owned by Tony Stewart, is held in the middle of July, and was called “The Mudsummer Classic” before it became re-named the Eldora Dirt Derby in 2016 as a result of a trademark dispute with Major League Baseball, as their All-Star Game festivities are known as “Midsummer Classic”.

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The race is set to be held in the middle of July for the sixth straight year this year. If NASCAR added Eldora to the Cup Series schedule, would it help grow the fanbase?

If Eldora is added to the schedule, it could be a game changer. With Dale Earnhardt Jr. retiring and multiple superstars also retiring over the past five years, NASCAR needs to find a way to attract attention to the sport. Bringing the Cup Series back to dirt might just do the trick.

There were talks about doing this a few years back. It would not scare off any of the drivers in the series. Many drivers come from a dirt racing background. Kyle Larson, Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are just a few of those drivers.

The possibility of NASCAR going back to its roots would be an incredible storyline. Could you imagine Carl Edwards coming out of retirement to race at a dirt track along with Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart?

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This would make the racing very interesting and entertaining, and the media attention would be just what NASCAR needs. Fans come from around the U.S. to see the Truck Series compete on dirt. Could anyone imagine the greatest drivers on the circuit competing in it? Adding a dirt race might be exactly what NASCAR needs to increase fan interest in the sport.