NASCAR Truck Series: Eldora Dirt Derby becoming a crown jewel race

By Mark Kristl | Jul 30, 2019

ROSSBURG, OH - JULY 18: The NASCAR Truck Series field drives around Eldora Speedway at the 2018 Eldora Dirt Derby (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /

The seventh Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 1. This race is becoming a crown jewel race for the NASCAR Truck Series.

Earlier this year, I argued that the crown jewel races in NASCAR are still significant. While I mostly discussed the crown jewel races for the Cup Series, I mentioned that the Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway is becoming a crown jewel race for the Truck Series.

NASCAR added the Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway to the Truck Series schedule for the 2013 season, marking the first time NASCAR drivers competed at a dirt track since 1970. Because the Eldora Dirt Derby remains the only dirt track on any of the schedules of the three major NASCAR series, it is becoming a crown jewel race for the Truck Series.

The Eldora Dirt Derby is unique because of its format. It has practice sessions, qualifying, heat races and a last chance race. The heat races and last chance race set the lineup for the feature, the Eldora Dirt Derby itself.

Many NASCAR fans attend short track races, and this setup for the feature is often utilized for that format. Because that resonates well with fans, it bolsters the popularity of the Eldora Dirt Derby, and a crown jewel race has to be popular.

Additionally, the Eldora Dirt Derby takes place on a weekday. While the 2019 edition is scheduled to take place on a Thursday, the previous versions have taken place on Wednesdays. A total of 32 drivers racing around the half-mile dirt track for 150 laps under the lights creates a truly one-of-a-kind atmosphere.

The Eldora Dirt Derby immediately rose to stardom in the Truck Series because of the finish in the inaugural last chance race.

After that last chance race, crew members from various teams helped repair Norm Benning’s truck. Eldora Speedway owner Tony Stewart told Benning, “Norm, you just made this show a success.” The battle in that race alone made the Eldora Dirt Derby an instant highlight of each Truck Series season.

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This race is a race that has brought several drivers, including Benning, into prominence. Bobby Pierce debuted in the Truck Series in the 2015 Eldora Dirt Derby. Driving the #63 MB Motorsports Chevrolet, he took the pole position and battled Christopher Bell throughout the race. The two drivers combined to lead 145 of the race’s 154 laps. Bell won the race, marking the first Truck Series victory of his career. He has since become one of NASCAR’s brightest rising stars.

Pierce has competed in only eight Truck Series races, but three of them were at Eldora Speedway. In those three races, he has recorded two top 10 finishes and led 141 laps. He remains a contender at dirt tracks throughout the country.

The entry list for the Eldora Dirt Derby is always unique. It features the full-time Truck Series drivers, typically a Cup Series star and dirt ringers such as Pierce. Because teams’ equipment doesn’t factor as much into the race finish as it would in a non-dirt race, many teams receive mentions. The opportunity for underdogs to succeed in it makes it a very special race.

Last season, the Eldora Dirt Derby ended in a thrilling fashion, adding more highlights to the race’s legacy. Memorable moments such as this one make it a crown jewel race.

The 2019 version of the Eldora Dirt Derby will be the seventh. In the six races thus far, there have been six different winners, illustrating a parity among drivers that makes it unpredictable and exciting.

Outside of the racing itself, what makes the Eldora Dirt Derby a crown jewel race? As mentioned, Tony Stewart owns the track. Adding the star power of the Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer raises the hype of the race.

The location of Eldora Speedway makes the event itself fun. Eldora Speedway is in Rossburg, Ohio. Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of Rossburg, Ohio, a home to only 198 people.

Eldora Speedway has a seating capacity of 17,782. The Eldora Dirt Derby usually boasts a sellout. On race day, nearly 90 times more people are at Eldora Speedway than live in Rossburg. Yes, the Eldora Dirt Derby is that unique.

The Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway was not originally called the Eldora Dirt Derby. For its first three years, it was titled the Mudsummer Classic. While this was an appropriate name, it angered Major League Baseball (MLB).

MLB argued that the race name infringed upon its trademark of its All-Star game, the “Midsummer Classic.” MLB wouldn’t have fought to have the name of the race changed if it were not increasingly popular. Aspen Dental sponsored the race in 2016, but since 2017, it has simply been titled the Eldora Dirt Derby.

So why isn’t the Eldora Dirt Derby already a crown jewel race for the Truck Series? Longevity. Longevity is required to provide generations of fans stories about the race, and it is something that all crown jewel races possess. This race has only been on the schedule since 2013.

Looking ahead at 10 years from now, however, I will be able to tell the newest generation of NASCAR fans about the Eldora Dirt Derby in its early years: Norm Benning advancing in the last chance race, Stewart Friesen emerging on the NASCAR scene and Chase Briscoe winning in a photo finish.

Yes, the Eldora Dirt Derby is well on its way to becoming a crown jewel race for the Truck Series.

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This year’s Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 1. It is scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. ET, and live TV coverage is set to be provided by Fox Sports 1.

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