By all accounts it was a great race, defying the predictions of racing folks across the nation. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday night provided an evening of live short-track coverage on Speed, and gave an enormous television audience a glimpse into our dirt track world.

It also provided some valuable lessons, if we’re smart enough to pay attention.

The trucks were not “fast” compared to Super Late Models. If you think about it, the trucks are similar to MORE

John Blankenship stood near his race car in the pit area at Lucas Oil Speedway, preparing for a TV interview. It was mid-afternoon on a pleasant Saturday at Wheatland, and one night earlier Blankenship had captured the series point lead when Jimmy Owens suffered a transmission issue on the parade lap and was forced from the race. | Order Silver Dollar Nationals video

This was a heady moment for the 32-year-old driver from West Virginia. In his fourth full year on the Lucas tour he has steadily MORE

I am astonished at how many racetracks around the country don’t have a full-time photographer on staff. I have come to realize that a track photographer is easily among the top five most important people at a racetrack these days. Just take a look through the galleries and stories on this site. Where in the world would we get all of these great pictures that tell such great stories if not for all these awesome photographers? And what about their key role they play in helping to promote your MORE