Eldora’s dirt-track may be on 2013 NCWTS schedule

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule for 2013 has yet to be released but multiple sources have confirmed that Eldora Speedway, a half-mile dirt track in Rossburg, Ohio, will be on that schedule.

The race would be the first on dirt for the series, which began in 1995. It would be the first NASCAR national level event in any series since the sanctioning body's top series raced in Raleigh, N.C., in 1970. That race was won by seven-time Cup champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, who retired from driving at the end of the 1992 season. NASCAR races were held at dirt tracks fairly often in the early days of the sport, but gradually disappeared from the schedule, eventually becoming completely extinct after 1970.

Late Model action at Eldora Speedway

Photo by: Getty Images

Eldora Speedway, a track that has permanent seating for approximately 20,000, does not currently have SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers installed, something that NASCAR made mandatory in 2005. But according to a report from the Charlotte Observer, NASCAR is expected to waive that requirement for Eldora.

The track, which was built in the mid-1950s, is now owned by three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. While the track has never hosted a NASCAR event, some of the biggest names in the sport have raced there in the yearly Prelude to the Dream charity event.