Oh what a night: NASCAR, Tony Stewart and fans score big at Eldora

ROSSBURG, OH - JULY 24: Ken Schrader, driver of the #52 Federated Auto Parts Toyota, leads the field as they line up four wide during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series inaugural CarCash Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway on July 24, 2013 in Rossburg, Ohio. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ROSSBURG, OH - JULY 24:  Ken Schrader, driver of the #52 Federated Auto Parts Toyota, leads the field as they line up four wide during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series inaugural CarCash Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway on July 24, 2013 in Rossburg, Ohio.  (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ROSSBURG, OH – JULY 24: Ken Schrader, driver of the #52 Federated Auto Parts Toyota, leads the field as they line up four wide during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series inaugural CarCash Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway on July 24, 2013 in Rossburg, Ohio. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

When the dust settled both literally and figuratively Wednesday night, Austin Dillon held the trophy from his first win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series since2011. He wasn’t the only winner however.

NASCAR staged its first race on dirt since 1970 Wednesday night at a little track owned by three time Sprint Cup series champion Tony Stewart carved out of fertile farm soil in Ohio. Stewart, who had lobbied for a NASCAR race at his track both humorously and seriously for several years, finally got his wish last year when NASCAR announced the Mudsummer Classic.

Through the tireless efforts of Stewart, his fulltime staff of 7 augmented by volunteers, local high school students and others from NASCAR venues around the country, the half-mile Eldora Speedway shined. Some of the best racers in the country from both from dirt and asphalt staged a show to packed grandstands, hillsides and a worldwide TV audience. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.