Eldora Speedway, one of the nation’s premier dirt tracks, won’t be part of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule in 2021.
While NASCAR has not yet revealed the full calendar, Eldora ticket-holders have been informed of the news in a letter from track general manager Roger Slack.
“We had a great seven-year run that ushered in many firsts for NASCAR, namely heat races, last-chance qualifiers, four-wide salutes and stage racing,” Slack said in the letter.
Official: No #Eldora Truck race in 2021. Sad to see it go, it was the best part of the truck series for years. Move in the wrong direction by #NASCAR. pic.twitter.com/xnKZpQdiCS
— Alan Bailey (@HeyAlanBailey) November 18, 2020
“Rising stars and dirt-racing specialists ensured we never had a repeat winner and that all winners came from various racing backgrounds, from dirt and asphalt to open wheel and stock cars.”
The half-mile track in Rossburg, Ohio – owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart – held the Eldora Dirt Derby from 2013-2019.
At the time, it was the lone NASCAR national series event held on dirt. The NASCAR Cup Series will have its first dirt race since 1970 at Bristol Motor Speedway next March.
This year’s Dirt Derby was canceled because of COVID-19 restrictions on mass gatherings.
Cup Series veterans Austin Dillon (2013), Bubba Wallace (2014), Christopher Bell (2015) and Kyle Larson (2016) are among the past winners of the event, as well as incoming Cup rookie Chase Briscoe (2018).
Stewart Friesen earned his first career Truck Series victory in the 2019 event, which will go down as the last.
