*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the dirt racing topics of the day from east Tennessee and beyond.
The latest edition of the Turn 2 Blog is presented by the American Crate All-Star Series.
Richard: We have reached one of the pivotal points of the dirt racing season. Memorial Day weekend signifies the beginning of summer but it also indicates that the sometimes difficult stretch of racing during the intense heat of June, July, and August is upon us. Of course, for some there will be travel from track to track with long stretches of time away from home or the shop while for others there will be times spent in relentless heat in a cramped garage near their home track. This is the portion of the season that separates the contenders from the pretenders whether it be on the local, regional, or national level.
On the local level, if a racer has made it this far into the season without suffering major damage or significant mechanical failure, he/she has just reached the point where the real test will begin. While racing through the spring often comes with fits and starts as the weather as well as scheduling breaks offer occasional off weekends, the time has come for weekly racing to actually become weekly.
The Super Late Model and Crate Late Model tours that compete regionally are also about to kick into high gear. For drivers and teams who race on these series, there won’t be very many empty weekends over the next three months. There will be some good payouts available but there will be a lot of work involved in hot and dusty conditions as well.
Although the national tours have been busy up to this point, things are about to get even more intense. And more than that, these teams are about to hit the most lucrative part of their schedules as some of the top paying and most prestigious events are coming in the near future, some of which are returning after a year’s hiatus due to coronavirus restrictions.
As the old saying goes, business is about to pick up, isn’t it?
Michael: This weekend is sure to be busy just in our area. Most tracks are running and many of those are running some sort of special event. There is all kinds of racing for Crate Late Model racers this weekend, even some big money races outside of our area.
The Show-me 100 has become of one my favorite races of the midpoint of the season. I didn’t initially like the race being moved from West Plains to Wheatland but Lucas Oil Speedway has produced some great racing the last several years.
The one thing I’m curious to see is how The Dream weekend is going to play out at Eldora in a few weeks. They are making up the 2020 edition and also running the 2021 edition. There’s going to be a lot of racing at the most recognizable track in the sport. One would think this will produce some good car counts with double amount of money available. With some of parts shortages and now the likelihood of some tire supply issues, I’m really curious to see how that will affect the car counts. One thing is for sure, the crowds should be huge with full capacity returning after no fans were allowed to attend any of Eldora’s event last year.
Richard: I think the supply issues you mentioned will ultimately impact those lower on the scale than those at the top. Yes, there are shortages with various parts and pieces but with much of the country opening back up(at least on a partial basis), the supplies of goods will eventually start to build back up. And the first of the things coming out will go to the top levels of the sport. I’m not worried about the crown jewel races or even the national touring races because I think those teams will get what they need first. But I do believe it will take a while for some things to trickle down to the weekly racer level.
Getting back to the competition side of things, I am really excited for the bigger races that are in the pipeline. What a gesture by Eldora on both the Late Model and Sprint Car sides of things to make up the races that were missed last year. Nothing said they had to do that. And like you said, fans will be allowed at full capacity. I think the excitement levels are going to be off the charts.
Like you, the Show-me 100 has become a favorite of mine. The racing seems to be very good and since the format was changed to add paying preliminary events on Thursday and Friday nights before the big $30,000-to-win main event on Saturday, the entertainment value has increased that much more. This typically serves as a great kick start to the summer racing schedule.
On the regional side, of course, summer brings the Summer Nationals to the Midwestern part of the country and the Southern Nationals to the southeast. Both of those series pack a lot of action into a relatively short amount of time(although the Summer Nationals is different in terms of scheduling from years gone by).
There will be no shortage of things for the racing fan to check out, will there?
Brandon Overton (76) and Tyler Millwood (31) have been regulars in the Southern Nationals
Michael: No, but there are some gaps in the schedule for Super Late Models, especially on a local level. While there aren’t many of those gaps, there are still a few weekends where a person has to leave the immediate area to race or see a race. This past weekend was a prime example.
Being in the South, we never get a chance to see a Summer Nationals race without traveling to Clarksville or the Midwest. This was one year I was considering such a trip. But they altered the schedule in a major way where the series spans nearly two months and there aren’t as many of consecutive nights of racing as their typically have been. I’m not sure why the change was made. But it takes away from the allure of that series.
One of the races I have become more interested in is the Prairie Dirt Classic in Fairbury, IL. Last year’s edition was not held. This year’s race could be the biggest in the history of that event. Again, that’s another trip I hope to make soon before I “retire.”
Richard: Getting back to the upcoming Eldora doubleheaders, I believe that on both the Late Model and Sprint Car sides these races have the potential to really spark major interest in the sport of dirt racing. And I believe there will be some interest from outside the normal sources.
After the season Kyle Larson had last year and with him, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, and other NASCAR regulars racing earlier this year in Late Models at Bristol Motor Speedway, there were people drawn to this form of racing that may not have been drawn before. At least some of those new eyes will see the kind of money being put up for the Dirt Late Model Dream races, the King’s Royal races, and the World 100 races and will be intrigued. And with the venue being allowed to have full capacity for all events, we could see attendance records as well as pay-per-view orders increase dramatically.
Coming off such a strange year in 2020 that actually saw dirt racing make some gains in certain areas while taking hits in others, there could be a real opportunity for growth here, couldn’t there?
Michael: There certainly is. The one thing that needs to happen is people on the NASCAR side of things need to promote those drivers when they race in another type of racing, especially Dirt Late Models. They get mentions for racing in the Chili Bowl or events like that. But there is little said when they race Dirt Late Models. It also helps a little bit when Clint Bowyer mentions dirt racing, his team, or his time in dirt racing on the Fox Sports broadcasts. Now is the time to seize on a great opportunity.
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