NASCAR: Eldora Truck race 2014 format revealed - MotorSportsTalk

Following a standout debut for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Eldora Speedway last July, the “Mudsummer Classic” will return in 2014 with enhancements announced for the July 23 race.

Easier to just post the format from the official NASCAR release, so all the details are below:

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Among the enhancements, aimed to bolster the emphasis on both driver skill and team strategy, are:

– Pit stops during competition cautions are now optional, whereas they were mandatory in last year’s inaugural event.

– Each qualifying race will now be 10 laps each. Last year, each race was eight laps.

– A random draw will determine qualifying order. Last year, practice speeds dictated the qualifying order.

– Owner points will be awarded to the top five team owners whose trucks do not transfer to the main feature. Last season, teams that did not advance to the main feature did not earn owner points.

“Last year’s inaugural event at Eldora Speedway was an incredible success, and these enhancements will only increase the excitement for our fans,” said Chad Little, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series managing director. “NASCAR continually works with team owners and drivers to ensure that NASCAR fans get what they’ve come to expect out of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – close, thrilling racing, every single lap.”

The event continues to showcase a traditional two-lap qualifying session, five qualifying races, one last-chance race and a champion’s provisional to determine the 30-truck starting field. The top 20 in owner points entering the event will have a guaranteed starting position.

The overall race procedures for the Mudsummer Classic are as follows:

Qualifying

· Two-lap, single-truck qualifying determines starting position for the qualifying races with random draw determining the qualifying order.

Qualifying Races

· Five qualifying races will be held at 10 laps each and only green flag laps are counted.

· Lineup for the qualifying races will be based on qualifying speeds.

· The top five trucks in qualifying will start on the pole for their respective qualifying races with four locked-in trucks (top 20 in driver points) starting in each qualifying race.

· Five trucks from each qualifying race will transfer to the feature – four locked-in trucks and one non-locked-in truck.

· Upon completion of the qualifying races, 25 trucks will earn spots in the feature race.

Last Chance Race

· The lineup will be based on finishing position from the qualifying races and the race will be 15 laps with only green flag laps counted.

· Top-four finishers transfer to the feature and start in positions 26-29.

· The 30th starting position goes to the most recent past series champion. If the position is not filled by an eligible champion, it will be assigned to the next highest finishing truck of the Last Chance Race.

· Owner points will be awarded to the top five team owners whose trucks do not transfer into the feature.

Feature

· The race will be 150 laps divided into three segments of 60, 50 and 40 laps with competition cautions at the breaks on Lap 60 and Lap 110.

· Caution laps will not count during the competition cautions and positions cannot be improved on pit road.

· Teams are not required to pit during the competition cautions. Those teams that do not elect to pit, may remain on the track and start in front of the pitting teams.

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

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