Same horses, new courses

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The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is one of three interesting new venues NASCAR will be visiting in 2013. (NASCAR photo) 

 

First, the sad news. As reported in October, the NASCAR Nationwide Series will not be returning in 2013 to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, scene of several of the greatest races run by any NASCAR division in recent years.

However, this might take out some of the sting: The Nationwide guys will be racing next August 17 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (above) near Lexington, Ohio, one of America’s classic road race circuits. The 2.4-mile, 15-turn circuit will be one of three road course venues on the Nationwide schedule in 2013, joining two more storied circuits, Road America (June 22) and Watkins Glen (August 10).

In other good news, NASCAR is sending the Camping World Truck Series to two new venues in 2013. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, formerly known as Mosport, will host the truck bunch on September 1. “You could say that I am extremely pleased,” says track co-owner and Canadian racing hero Ron Fellows, who can list two wins and three poles in the NASCAR trucks among his accomplishments.

 

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racers battle at Canada Tire Motorsports Park. The Camping World Truck Series will join them next year. (NASCAR photo) 

 

Major improvements are already underway at the venerable road course in Bowmanville, Ontario, just east of Toronto, including a new control tower and media center and a widened pit road.

The second new, not-boring venue on the Camping World Truck schedule for 2013 is famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The half-mile dirt oval, now operated by Sprint Cup star Tony Stewart, will run its first NASCAR event on Wednesday night, July 24. The event will mark the first time since September 30, 1970 that a major NASCAR series has raced on dirt. (North Carolina State Fairgrounds, winner Richard Petty.)

What could NASCAR trucks on dirt look like? Here’s video of a recent track test conducted by Richard Childress Racing, courtesy of Eldora Speedway. Check it out.

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2 thoughts on “Same horses, new courses”

  2. One car at a time might be fine on dirt,,but a field of them may be chaos. I guess they will remove the windows or vision will be a real issue.
    Mid Ohio is a great venue. Some of those oval guys need some education driving those venues though.

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