Eldora Speedway moves its Dirt Late Model Dream to 2021

The Dirt Late Model Dream, one of the most prestigious events in dirt racing, has been rescheduled to early June 2021, Eldora Speedway announced late Tuesday night.

Citing crowd restrictions from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the 67th season of racing remains on hold for the half-mile oval in Rossburg, Ohio, that is owned by Tony Stewart.

The track said it’s working with state and local officials to hold a Dirt Late Model event without fans June 4-6. The event, which would be streamed, is awaiting government approval.

Here’s a release from the track on the p:

ROSSBURG, Ohio (May 19, 2020) – Eldora Speedway officials have announced the 26th running of the Dirt Late Model Dream, one of the legendary half-mile dirt oval’s marquee events, has been rescheduled to early June 2021.

With restrictions on mass gatherings issued by federal and state authorities remaining in effect, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic continues to have Eldora’s 67th season of racing on hold and additional events scheduled for June are also in jeopardy.

All advance tickets, pit passes, campsites and suite admissions for the 26th Dirt Late Model Dream will be honored for the rescheduled date in early June 2021. Race fans should retain all tickets, credentials, passes and receipts they have received to date.

Information, including frequently asked questions and answers, has been posted at https://www.eldoraspeedway.com/dream-covid/. Officials will communicate updated event information direct to patron accounts as it becomes available, on www.EldoraSpeedway.com and via Eldora’s official social channels.

Meanwhile, Speedway officials continue to work with local and state agencies on determining a safe return to racing for all constituents. Crafted with guidance from local and state officials, Eldora is developing a plan for a ‘non-spectator’ event to take place on the weekend of June 4th-5th-6th. The proposal, currently in review, consists of Dirt Late Model teams working in a controlled and closed setting for an invitational event streamed exclusively online at FloRacing.com.

Access to the event will be restricted to working track and series officials, pre-approved racers and pit crews, ambulance and EMS responders, the track fire and safety team, and members of the broadcast production team. All participants will be required to follow a defined safety protocol, including but not limited to pre-entry medical screening, wear mandatory cloth face coverings, and maintain social distancing of six feet. The event is being planned in accordance with the latest CDC, OHSA, federal, state and local guidance.

Additional details surrounding this burgeoning event will be released upon approval of local and state authorities.

Media and fan attention focused on a controversial run-in between Haiden Deegan and his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Jordon Smith during Round 10 of the Monster Energy Supercross race at Detroit, after which the 250 East points’ Hunter Lawrence defends the young rider in the postrace news conference.

Deegan took the early lead in Heat 1 of the round, but the mood swiftly changed when he became embroiled in a spirited battle with teammate Smith.

On Lap 3, Smith caught Deegan with a fast pass through the whoops. Smith briefly held the lead heading into a bowl turn but Deegan had the inside line and threw a block pass. In the next few turns, the action heated up until Smith eventually ran into the back of Deegan’s Yamaha and crashed.

One of the highlights of the battle seemed to include a moment when Deegan waited on Smith in order to throw a second block pass, adding fuel to the controversy.

After his initial crash, Smith fell to seventh on the next lap. He would crash twice more during the event, ultimately finishing four laps off the pace in 20th.

The topic was inevitably part of the postrace news conference.

“It was good racing; it was fun,” Deegan said at about the 27-minute mark in the video above. “I just had some fun doing it.”

Smith had more trouble in the Last Chance Qualifier. He stalled his bike in heavy traffic, worked his way into a battle for fourth with the checkers in sight, but crashed a few yards shy of the finish line and was credited with seventh. Smith earned zero points and fell to sixth in the standings.

Lawrence defends Deegan — *Jordon Smith failed to make the Detroit Supercross Main and fell to sixth in the points. – Feld Motor Sports*

“I think he’s like fifth in points,” Deegan said. “He’s a little out of it. Beside that it was good, I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention.”

Deegan jokingly deflected an earlier question with the response that he wasn’t paying attention during the incident.

“He’s my teammate, but he’s a veteran, he’s been in this sport for a while,” Deegan said. “I was up there just battling. I want to win as much as everybody else. It doesn’t matter if it’s a heat race or a main; I just want to win. I was just trying to push that.”

As Deegan and Smith battled, Jeremy Martin took the lead. Deegan finished second in the heat and backed up his performance with a solid third-place showing in the main, which was his second podium finish in a short six-race career. Deegan’s first podium was earned at Daytona, just two rounds ago.

But as Deegan struggled to find something meaningful to say, unsurprisingly for a 17-year-old rider who was not scheduled to run the full 250 schedule this year, it was the championship leader Lawrence who came to his defense.

“I just want to point something out, which kind of amazes me,” Lawrence said during the conference. “So many of the people on social media, where everyone puts their expertise in, are saying the racing back in the ’80s, the early 90s, when me were men. They’re always talking about how gnarly it was and then anytime a block pass or something happens now, everyone cries about it.

“That’s just a little bit interesting. Pick one. You want the gnarly block passes from 10 years ago and then you get it, everyone makes a big song and dance about it.”

Pressed further, Lawrence defended not only the pass but the decision-making process that gets employed lap after lap in a Supercross race.

“It’s easy to point the finger,” Lawrence said. “We’re out there making decisions in a split millisecond. People have all month to pay their phone bill and they still can’t do that on time.

“We’re making decisions at such a fast reaction [time with] adrenaline. … I’m not just saying it for me or Haiden. I speak for all the guys. No one is perfect and we’re under a microscope out there. The media is really quick to point a finger when someone makes a mistake.”

The media is required to hold athletes accountable for their actions. They are also required to tell the complete story.

Eldora Speedway reschedules Dirt Late Model Dream to June 2021

Hunter Lawrence defends Haiden Deegan after controversial block pass at Detroit

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