2013 Mudsummer Classic: Austin Dillon Wins NASCAR's First Dirt Race in Decades

Austin Dillon won the CarCash Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway in New Weston, Ohio, on 24 July 2013, beating Kyle Larson by 1.197 seconds. The race was the first dirt-track event held by a national touring series since 1970, and it ran 153 laps in three segments.

Why did the Mudsummer Classic matter?

The race was the tenth Truck Series event of 2013, yet it stood apart from the rest of the calendar. Trucks normally race on asphalt, and this event asked drivers to adapt their setups and tyres to a surface that was completely different from the usual ovals.

The field also carried a historic footnote, because Ken Schrader took pole at an age no earlier NASCAR pole sitter had reached. Dillon's win was his fifth in the series, and it added another milestone for Richard Childress Racing.

A dirt race at Eldora brought NASCAR's national touring series back to the surface for the first time since 1970.

When had a national series last raced on dirt?

The most recent dirt race for a national touring series was run on 30 September 1970 at a fairground in Raleigh, North Carolina. Richard Petty won that Grand National Series event, and the series stayed off dirt for more than four decades afterwards.

A dirt late model circuit, the Busch All-Star Tour, operated under NASCAR sanction from 1985 to 2002. That tour kept dirt competition visible in the sport, although it sat outside the national touring circuit that the trucks raced in.

What was Eldora Speedway like?

Eldora Speedway opened in 1954 and is a half-mile oval, measuring 0.5 mi (0.80 km), with turns banked at 24 degrees. The straightaways are banked at eight degrees, and the grandstands hold 17,782 spectators, while the hillside seating can take an unlimited number of fans.

The track has no SAFER barriers, yet NASCAR's director of safety, Tom Gideon, said the facility met the series' regulations. Track owner Tony Stewart had held a private test at the track with Dillon in October 2012, which showed the close link between the driver and the venue.

How big was the demand for tickets?

By 29 January 2013, the 17,782 grandstand seats had sold out, with buyers coming from 48 states and six countries. Demand of that kind showed how much interest the first national dirt race in decades had generated, and it reflected the level of interest in the event.

NASCAR announced the race on 28 November 2012, and the track's owner had already tested there with Dillon the previous October. The race was then built into the Truck Series calendar as one of two Wednesday events, with the other at Bristol.

How were the trucks changed for dirt?

Goodyear built new tyres for the event, branded Wrangler, based on an earlier dirt tyre the company had made. The tyres were widened by one inch to 11 inches, and they used bias-ply construction rather than radials, with block treads that cleared dirt more quickly.

The left-side tyres were staggered to 85.5 inches, compared with 88.5 inches on the right, to help the handling. The trucks also had mesh shields and hood deflector screens fitted to keep debris out of the radiators, while their front spoilers and splitters were removed.

Rear spoilers grew by 40 square inches and sat higher, which added downforce. The windshields stayed in place, so the track crew had to keep the surface dry to stop mud from blocking the view.

How did qualifying and the heats work?

The main event had a field of 30 trucks rather than the usual 36, and the 20 highest-placed trucks in the owners' standings were guaranteed a place. Two-lap qualifying runs decided the grids for the five heats, each eight laps long.

Ken Schrader won the pole at 91.329 mph (146.980 km/h) with a time of 19.709 seconds. It was the first time he had claimed a Truck pole since 2004, and at 58 he eclipsed Dick Trickle's 1999 mark at Dover.

The heat winners were Schrader, Landers, Peters, Kenny Wallace and Jeb Burton. A last-chance qualifier produced the final transfers, and Brennan Newberry led every one of the fifteen laps to take it, while Norm Benning took the last spot after a close battle with Clay Greenfield.

Who were the notable entrants?

Several drivers from other series entered the race, including Cup regulars Dave Blaney, Ken Schrader and Ryan Newman. Austin Dillon, Kenny Wallace and Kyle Larson, who also raced in the Nationwide Series, took part too, alongside dirt specialists with experience on the surface.

Jason Bowles was later announced for Wauters Motorsports' No. 5 truck, while Chris Jones withdrew from the No. 93 entry he had been listed in.

Tracy Hines had 85 career wins and had made 52 Truck Series starts, while Scott Bloomquist had taken The Dream and the World 100 several times at Eldora. Several of the entrants had already won races at Eldora in other disciplines, which gave the field a strong dirt pedigree.

How did practice look?

Kyle Larson posted 19.645 seconds in the opening practice, the quickest lap of that session. Dave Blaney was close behind at 19.856 seconds, and Ryan Blaney was third at 19.918 seconds, with Austin and Ty Dillon completing the top five.

In the final practice, Bubba Wallace led the session at 20.040 seconds, followed by Tracy Hines, John Wes Townley and German Quiroga. Toyotas dominated the top four, which showed how quickly the teams were adapting to the surface.

Where did the points stand going in?

Matt Crafton led the Truck Series standings with 357 points before Eldora, ahead of Jeb Burton on 319 and James Buescher on 317. Ty Dillon and Johnny Sauter were fourth and fifth on 309 and 305 points, while Ryan Blaney had 290.

Miguel Paludo, Timothy Peters, Brendan Gaughan and Bubba Wallace were also in the chase, on 285, 281, 280 and 272 points respectively. Because the Eldora race was run outside the usual points structure for some entrants, the standings shifted less than the result alone might suggest.

How did the broadcast and the build-up work?

Speed carried the race live, with Krista Voda hosting the pre-race show and Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip calling the action. Ray Dunlap, Hermie Sadler and Bob Dillner worked as pit reporters, and Motor Racing Network carried the race on radio.

The St. Henry High School band played the anthem, and the parade lap ended with the trucks rolling past the crowd in a four-wide formation. The weather was mostly clear, with the air at 68 F (20 C) as the race began after 9:35 p.m. EST.

What happened in the heat races?

Schrader won his heat after leading all eight laps, while Landers held off Matt Crafton in the second heat to take that race. Timothy Peters led every lap of the third heat, and Kenny Wallace and Jeb Burton led every lap of theirs. Those results set the field for the feature race.

Norm Benning took the last spot after fending off Clay Greenfield, who came close to wrecking him several times. Stewart reportedly told Benning that he had made the show a success.

How did the race unfold?

The green flag fell at 9:35 p.m. EST, with live coverage on Speed. Because there was no pit road, the race was split into segments of 60, 50 and 43 laps, so no positions were gained or lost during the stops.

In the first segment, Timothy Peters took the lead from pole sitter Ken Schrader on lap 15, and Kyle Larson moved to the front on lap 39. Larson led the rest of the segment, and the first caution came out for debris in the final laps. Larson's pace kept him at the front until the segment ended.

In the second segment, Larson kept the lead until Dillon moved by on lap 89. A caution followed Jared Landers' accident in turn two, and the two leaders then traded the lead over the remaining laps as they battled for the win.

Two more debris cautions and a green-white-checkered finish, triggered on lap 149, decided the race. Dillon held the lead on the final restart and took the win by 1.197 seconds over Larson.

Who finished where?

Dillon won from Larson, with Ryan Newman third. Larson finished second after a close duel with Dillon for much of the race. Dillon's win came from holding the lead on the final restart. Coulter, Gaughan, Peters, Wallace, Crafton, Blaney and Gresham closed out the top ten.

Johnny Sauter failed to finish after an accident, and Jeff Babcock retired with engine failure. Four drivers led at various points, the lead changed eight times, and six cautions came out, with Dillon leading the most laps at 64.

What did the win mean for Dillon and Richard Childress Racing?

Dillon's victory was his first of 2013 and his fifth in the Truck Series from 53 starts. It was the 29th Truck win for Richard Childress as an owner, and it gave the team its second Truck victory of the season.

The race also showed how much preparation the trucks needed for dirt, from the tyres to the shields and deflectors.

Dillon did not receive Truck Series points for the race, because a rule allowed drivers to score points in only one of the three national series. In August, the NASCAR Hall of Fame displayed Dillon's race truck, the trophy he won and a jar of the dirt he had collected at the start-finish line.