Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Why is Eldora almost always dry and dusty?  Because they don't put water in the track but on the track. You have to dig up the track first then start watering it a couple days before the race, not a couple hours.

Welcome to Ohio.  I don't know why but the tracks in Ohio are the dustiest I've been too.  I've lived here all my life and didn't realize how bad it was until I started to travel.

I have attended Eldora for over 50 years. Yes, there were some dusty ones under the Earl regime, most of them day races, but seldom to the point where you could not see the cars out of 4.  Also, you almost never saw the majority of the fans outfitted with safety goggles. The cause is probably a function of track prep philosophy, soil content and current tires and car design. I can assure you that this is not the the typical racing surface of Eldora prior to the current regime. 

There is a short segment on the flo usac replays from atomic speedway about the dusty region, seems to be a geological issue. Ice age things with glaciers moving, lots of shale, blah, blah, blah.

I do not know how many races you attended prior to the Stewart days, but I can promise you, goggles were required when Earl was there as well. Hell, I remember a Kings Royal hot lap session that was so dusty you could not even see the track. I just laugh when I see people try to claim that the track was never dusty when Earl had it. 

Ohio, Michigan, and some northern Kentucky tracks have some horrible clay. They all use what we call pond clay. It drys out, and gets hard. Produces a bunch of dust, and if you do not stay on top of it, it can get abrasive. Indiana clay is better, then when you get in to Illinois, it gets even better yet. Start going farther east, and you start running in to more red clay. Still drys out, but has a lot less sand in it, so it does not produce as much dust. 

You are 100% correct with Ohio, Michigan and Northern Kentucky being the dustiest places for racing.  I was at a Lucas Oil Late Model race at Muskingum County a few years ago and I've never been dirtier in my life.  We were getting sandblasted from the minute the first car hit the track for hot laps.  The water truck came out after heat races and received a standing ovation. 

I wanted to point out that right after the season 2021

Tony Trucked in new dirt and resurfaced the whole speedway.

Rain and snow for last 4+ months on it

now it's time to see what thats going to do.

Not saying I don't love the place because I do, But everytime I have been there it felt like my face was getting Sand Blasted!

We would sit on the lower sidewalk in turn #1 just past the grandstands. Have not been there for 7-8 years now though.