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The Truck Series will be hitting the dirt later this month in likely the most anticipated truck race in their history. Racing on dirt hasn’t been done in NASCAR since 1970, making this race even more special. Dirt racing experts along with many current Nationwide and Cup Series drivers have expressed interest in the event so the field will surely be stacked. With the race approaching, fans are wondering what’s going to happen on race night? Well, all the details known as of now, are given below.
Who’s Racing, Who’s Not
Some of the notable drivers (non-Truck regulars) who officially will be in the race include Austin Dillon (RCR), Ryan Newman (TSM), and Dave Blaney (BKR). These guys have dirt experience and know this event will be a never-seen-before show, so they want in and intend to go after the checkered flag.
Despite wanting to race, there are a few drivers who have said no to Eldora. Those drivers include Kenny Wallace, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and Kyle Busch. The thought of competing had to cross these drivers’ minds, but they either couldn’t find a ride or didn’t want to pay their way into the race.
The Format
When the Trucks hit the track for the race, it won’t be your typical 150-lap event. A dirt-track racing format is in place to truly make this feel like your local Friday night dirt track race. To determine the field, there are heat races to see who will be slinging dirt under the lights. The top-20 trucks in owner points are locked-in and four of those trucks are placed in each heat race. Five trucks will advance from each heat race to race the main event. In the last chance race, the top four trucks will move on to the feature race along with a past champion or the fifth place finisher in the last chance race.
-Regular qualifying session to determine the lineups for the heat races
-Five Qualifying Races (Heat Races) (Eight green-flag laps)
-A last chance race to make the main event (15 Laps, Top 4 advance)
-150 Lap Feature Event, 3 Segments of 60, 50, and 40 laps (30 Trucks)
The details above outline the race and what is happening during the event. For being an inaugural race, some things may not work out as planned, but overall, if it’s successful, it’ll return next year with probably even more drivers coming in to join the fun. The Mudsummer Classic is right around corner and the dirt at Eldora is patiently waiting for the arrival of NASCAR. It’ll be one wild, muddy, and crazy event on Wednesday night July 24, but it will be one that fans will be talking about more than any race this season.
