Ross Bynum: I’m stoked to see the trucks on dirt mainly because I’m interested to see how the big trucks do on the dirt. The event is either going to be wildly successful becoming a “must see” for the future, or it will be a disastrous experiment gone bad.
Erin Crocker Evernham: I am super excited for this race. I wish I had a good ride for it myself. Eldora is an incredible track and I think it’s great that NASCAR is trying to mix things up a bit.
Chris Knight: I can laugh about this now, but it was so interesting to see how Tony Stewart adamantly denied that the trucks were coming to Eldora and now it’s one of the most hyped events of the year. You have to love NASCAR.
I think the race will be very positive for the series and produce some racing like we’ve never seen before. I’m expecting some big names to try and make the 30-truck field and it will also be interesting to see who’s in what truck.
I think the racing will be some of the best all year and it will be iconic for whoever takes the trophy to know that they are the first winner of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on dirt! I only wish Erin Crocker Evernham would race. Now, there’s a challenge!
Adam Niemeyer: I’m not that big of a dirt guy personally but I’m really, really fired up to watch this race. So many of the folks I know that follow the sport love to visit the local dirt tracks around Cincinnati (there are two that I know of) and they rave about the action at those tracks. It should be fun to watch the trucks run at Eldora in July. I know the hype surrounding the event is, as stated, huge already. I just hope the race delivers some excitement, and I have no doubt that it will.
AnnMarie Strawhand: This will be absolutely awesome for the sport. I love Eldora and have been there many times. I think that this is just what the doctor ordered for TV ratings and it will be a historical moment all the way around. Let’s face it you are also hitting a marketing and demographic home run here because you are luring in dirt fans to tune in and support this – much needed if you ask me from a marketing standpoint and this also opens doors for more drivers coming from dirt to look at this as a potential way to step in to NASCAR in the future. I am excited to see this from both a marketer’s perspective and a driver development perspective. It’s one of the best things that has happened for the sport in a long time.
Lori Tyler: I absolutely cannot wait to see this. Trucks, our best series in my opinion, on dirt? I’m there, popcorn in hand and ready for the action. Yes, I do believe this will be a memorable event, and I imagine the hype will continue to pick up steam leading into the event.
NASCAR Nationwide Series:
• After a brief break, the NASCAR Nationwide Series returns to form Friday night at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Your outlook on the race?
Erin Crocker Evernham: Like I stated earlier, Richmond is one of my favorite tracks on the schedule. It is somewhere in between a short track and an intermediate track. I love how in the last few years they have been able to run almost 3 different lines on the track. Nationwide always puts on a great race there. I am sure there will be some bumping and unhappy drivers after the race.
Chris Knight: You can always look forward to the Nationwide races. They are mixed with flavor from the Cup Series and breed some of the rising talent of the sport. I’m keeping my eyes on guys like Justin Allgaier, Kyle Larson, Brian Scott and Darrell Wallace Jr. – I think they all will have a good showing. Don’t count out Johanna Long either. But, truth be known, there are going to have to dance with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch if they want any chance of winning the ToyotaCare 250 on Friday night.
Adam Niemeyer: I’m looking forward to the Nationwide race because I love to watch the young guns mix it up. I enjoy watching some of the future stars battle it out, and Richmond is one of those places that allows some of these guys who grew up on the smaller tracks to really shine. Darrell Wallace Jr. finished well last year in the Nationwide Series race at Richmond and he showed he could compete with some of the best.
AnnMarie Strawhand: I will be there and I am looking forward to a good race. The Virginia spring chill will be in the air at night but there is always some hot intensity flaring on the track at Richmond and you can expect some really good racing and the rookies this year are fantastic and can surprise at any time – I think the surprise can happen here.
Lori Tyler: Richmond always provides great racing. I expect the Nationwide race on Friday to be no different. As I stated earlier, I grew up at short tracks, so naturally, I enjoy that style of racing like no other. The Nationwide Series is enjoying a level of competition that we haven’t seen in years, so I look forward to seeing how everything plays out on Friday night.
• JR Motorsports will field an entry for Jeffrey Earnhardt this weekend in the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro. It will be the first time that Dale Earnhardt Jr’s nephew will be behind the wheel for JR Motorsports. How big of an opportunity is this for him? What kind of performance does he have to dish out?
Erin Crocker Evernham: This is a huge opportunity for him. Not only will he be in great equipment but driving for his uncle Dale Jr will obviously bring even more attention to his performance. I hope he has a solid run in the top 15 somewhere.
Chris Knight: It’s a very neat and cool opportunity for Jeffrey Earnhardt and kudos to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt-Miller for giving their nephew the opportunity. I’ve always thought Jeffrey is a decent driver. I think if he can connect with the crew chief, the sky is the limit for him.
I expect him Jr. and Regan Smith to work with Jeffrey this weekend to make sure the car is dialed in. If he can stay out of trouble, I think a top-15 finish is realistic for sure.
Adam Niemeyer: I think Jeffrey needs to follow the development driver/Danica Patrick route: don’t tick anybody off, make it through the race clean, gain experience and try to complete all the laps. He’s got some Nationwide experience but this is a good chance to prove himself in some good equipment.
AnnMarie Strawhand: My heart broke for Kelly and Dale Jr when they basically had no choice but to leave DEI a few years ago and I always believed that one of the great legacies and lessons their dad left them was how to be great team owners and continue to build the family business. Now here is there chance to do this. God bless them and I am happy for Jeffery. I think he has earned it too, he is a good racer, and this is about working together as a racing family and I love to see this. I am sure their dad and grandpa is smiling down on them.
Lori Tyler: Jeffrey is a really talented driver, who has worked with us here at Catchfence in the recent past. I wish him the very best of luck and hope that this allows his true talent to shine. He definitely deserves this opportunity and I hope he is able to make the most of it.
IZOD IndyCar Series:
• He finally did it. Takuma Sato became the first Japanese to win an IZOD IndyCar Series race at Long Beach this past weekend. He returned AJ Foyt Racing to victory lane for the first time since 2002. How big of a win was this not only for Sato, but the team as well?
Ross Bynum: Sato can finally put all of the “He’s fast, but…” comments to rest. I think that will do more for the driver than anything. I wouldn’t count Sato out at any race this year. We forget he’s very good at ovals too. As far as AJ Foyt Racing, it’s huge. Not only is it great to see AJ’s team back in victory lane, it’s great to see the ABC Supply folks rewarded for sticking with the team. They are an amazing sponsor full of great people. The win couldn’t have happened to a better group all around.
Erin Crocker Evernham: I think it was awesome that Foyt Racing made it back to Victory Lane. I love how some of the smaller teams are winning races this year. It has definitely made the races more interesting to me. Ganassi, Penski and Andretti have dominated the series for so long it’s nice to see the smaller teams get some wins.
Chris Knight: Hooray for Takuma Sato! I know this is a huge accomplishment for him and he’s done so much for the sport, yes he truly has – it’s nice to see his fellow racers show him such support. Takuma has been very past in the past, most notably at the Indianapolis 500 driving for Rahal-Letterman Racing, but sometimes had problems getting to the finish. Not last Sunday.
