1. North Wilkesboro Dirt Mercifully Canceled
The announcement that the NASCAR Cup Series will return to North Wilkesboro Speedway for 2023 and race on the current asphalt means that the dirt races scheduled for the track in October have been canceled.
Dirt racing as a sport should be breathing a sigh of relief that NASCAR has opted to take back a track of its own and prevent what would by default be the fall edition of the Bristol Dirt Nationals. The odds of rehabbing a dirt surface that hasn’t been raced on in six-plus decades into a viable racing surface for 21st-century dirt cars always seemed to get glossed over in the discussions for this event, but let’s assume the surface isn’t an issue.
North Wilkesboro is a 0.625-mile oval, which by 2022 dirt racing standards is a superspeedway. And while super late models and 410 sprint cars are of an echelon of racecar that can (and should) race on tracks that distance, the same can’t be said for 4-cylinders, stock cars and crate late models that were going to make up the bulk of the racing schedule on Wilkesboro dirt.
Statement from XR Events CEO Barry Braun on the cancelation of October’s dirt racing events at North Wilkesboro Speedway: pic.twitter.com/ZZ1D3xUX5h
— Racetrack Revival North Wilkesboro (@RTRevival) September 7, 2022
And let’s not forget that North Carolina is NOT sprint car country. Plus, it was doubtful at best the World of Outlaws were going to release its regulars to run the event either.
West Virginia Motor Speedway, another 0.625-mile dirt oval, tried hosting similar races earlier in the year and suffered so much for car count that it ended up closing for 2022 early. The reality is racing on tracks that distance are extremely taxing on engines and safety equipment alike; one competitor estimated after running his modified on the dirt mile at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds last weekend that he put four features’ worth of wear on his engine to run in Monday’s feature alone.
Factor in wear and tear, an unknown surface and track configuration and no guarantee that car counts would hold out over a month of racing, and I for one am giddy that North Wilkesboro will not host dirt racing in 2022. Dirt racing at Wilkesboro is like NASCAR racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: a romantic concept, but quality of racing be damned.
2. N0. 0 Turns Zero Laps at Eldora
Another story of no laps being turned unfolded in dramatic fashion at Eldora Speedway Wednesday night, where the…
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