SCOUTING REPORT: Eldora Speedway

(Stacy Holland photo)

OVERVIEW:  As I've mentioned on here before, I don't talk about Eldora as often as I probably should simply for the fact that I don't want anyone to think I'm a "homer".  I do my best to spread the love and make sure everyone gets an ample amount of airtime. With that in mind, however, I think most will agree that Eldora speaks for itself.  Because of its history, long-standing reputation, and ownership the track has the opportunity to do things most others can't.  

WHAT WE KNOW:  2013 will see several changes to the Eldora schedule, most of which have already been noted.  The addition of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on July 24th is drawing tons of buzz and is sure to be one of the most watched race on TV this year.  Other new events on schedule this year include the TRAXXAS TORC Off Road Series on May 10 and 11, the All-Star Sprint Speedweek show on June 22, and addition of the BOSS non-wing sprints to Sprintacular on Oct. 12.  The format tweaks to the Dream and the World are widely known, but it's the revamping of the UMP Nationals that I'm looking forward to.  With a Chili Bowl type of format for the UMP Modifieds, their show expands to three days with half the Mods running Thursday and the other half running Friday.  The top "x" cars from each of those shows will be locked into Saturday night's A-Feature with everyone else playing alphabet soup on Saturday.  In addition, the complete Late Model program now shifts to Saturday as well.  Races that have been axed include the USAC Summer Sprint Car Shootout and the season-ending, 16-division Blue Collar Bash. 

WHERE THEY'RE GOOD:  Eldora's excellent at evolving with the sport itself in terms of building projects and event changes.  This offseason will see wall and gate construction as well as new lights being installed in the Spring.  And GM Roger Slack tells me a "major construction project" is tentatively set to begin after the final race in October.  The format changes to some of Eldora's top events have given them a fresh look while keeping much of the same tradition fans have grown to love.  The atmosphere at the Big E is second to none, especially for the crown jewels, and that atmosphere was intensified in 2012 with addition of new activities in the Fan Zone, the pay-pew-view broadcasts, and the fireworks displays that typically shook all of Darke County.

WHERE TO IMPROVE:  In my opinion, Eldora took a big step forward in 2012 to help make the racing even better for the fans and drivers.  Thanks to technology, body styles, and tires, it seems to get tougher and tougher each year to see consistent side-by-side racing on the bigger tracks.  Of course, there's always going to be exceptions to that - we can all think of a few, I'm sure - but my honest opinion is that the Big E has their ship heading in the right direction in terms of track prep.  

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Eldora races 17 weekends (some of which are two or three day shows) and the Late Models continue to headline the Eldora schedule with the Dream, the World, and four Sunoco ALMS shows (April 13, May 26, Sept 1, Oct 5).  And for that, I'm certainly grateful.  As for the format differences, there will always be folks who don't agree with some of the changes, but I personally feel like the race and format tweaks have some really nice perks, and kudos are certainly in order to the Eldora staff for taking a chance and branching out in 2013.