NASCAR trucks headed back to the dirt

(AP) — NASCAR will go back to the dirt for the first time since 1970 when the Truck Series visits Eldora Speedway in Ohio.

The July 24 event at the Tony Stewart-owned track in Rossburg will be a lead-in to the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races later that weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Stewart, a three-time NASCAR champion, believed the Wednesday night race would attract drivers from all three NASCAR national levels and maybe even other series.

“Younger drivers and veterans from the World of Outlaws, late models, USAC drivers that will have an opportunity to land rides for that race ... Wednesday night at that time of the year is normally a pretty free night,” Stewart said. “It gives us an opportunity to get guys in there that don’t normally have that chance.”

The deal to race at Eldora was announced Wednesday as part of next season’s 22-race schedule, which will also include the series’ first international stop. The Camping World Truck Series will visit Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Ontario in September. It will be the first road-course track for the series since 2000, and ensure a NASCAR national series presence in Canada for a seventh consecutive season.

“It’s very important that we maintain our national series presence in Canada,” said NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations Steve O’Donnell.

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