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Noah Gragson will make his dirt racing debut tonight behind the wheel of the No. 18 Switch Toyota Tundra. Despite not having experience on dirt, Gragson has a teammate in the form of Christopher Bell who has one career victory at the famed dirt track in Rossburg Ohio. A strong season won’t be derailed by something different on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule but it is one opportunity to have some fun before returning to asphalt next weekend at Pocono.
“I’ve talked to Christopher a little bit about driving style and what I need to do,” Gragson said. “He didn’t tell me any of his speed secrets for Eldora. Kyle Strickler has been a big help teaching me how to race on dirt. He’s one of the best dirt modified drivers and just won a $50,000 to win race, so he’s going to Eldora with us. I’m really going to lean on him and he’s going to help keep me focused and paying attention to how the dirt is changing and how the track is evolving.”
Despite the lack of experience on dirt, Gragson isn’t entering Eldora blind. He’s made two trips to Friendship Speedway in Elkin, NC to seek experience on dirt. He’s tested with accomplished dirt modified driver, Kyle Strickler, who will be in his corner at the track. Gragson tested with Strickler’s modified but a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series truck is way different when it comes to weight. In two practices yesterday, Gragson found himself ninth and 13th on the speed charts showing the testing did help.
“I’ve been watching a lot of film, trying to see where the line is. It’s not like asphalt racing where it’s going to be exactly the same. The track is always changing, which will be one of the biggest challenges for me. I’ve been testing a dirt modified with Kyle Strickler up at Friendship Speedway. I’ve done that twice, and so just trying to learn the dirt is the biggest thing.”
