PLEASANTON, Texas (Oct. 2, 2018) — Fans of dirt track stock car racing in the Lone Star state have a new reason to get excited about the 2019 season.
Officials of the new Texas Dirt Truck Series (TDTS) announced on Friday the formation of a new division for full-sized pickup trucks. The series was formed by I-37 Speedway General Manager George Jones and his partner Mike Fortier and will launch its inaugural season next February.
“Our intention is to bring an exciting, fun and affordable division to the racers, fans and track promoters,” Jones said. “This will be a professionally run series created with race fans in mind.”
Series co-owners felt there was a void in the current dirt world, one the TDTS can easily fill.
“The world of dirt Late Model and modified racing is thriving in south Texas, yet we felt the need to create this series for several reasons,” Fortier said. “The popularity of pickup trucks is huge down here, and fans love a great dirt track race. We’re going to give them a show with nice trucks.”
The series will utilize AR brand bodies and will feature primarily Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150 styles. The trucks will closely resemble those in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, as well as the popular Midwest Truck Series that races on asphalt.
“When you look at the incredible popularity of NASCAR’s annual visit to Eldora with their trucks, you can see the interest,” Fortier added. “There is a growing trend in America for folks to own and be proud of their trucks, especially here in Texas. We’re hoping to capitalize on that trend in 2019.”
“The trucks will be affordable to build and maintain, they’ll be very racy and also fun to drive. We’re excited about the potential for this series. While I-37 Speedway in Pleasanton, TX, will be considered our home track, we’d like to see them compete at other dirt tracks throughout Texas next year to expand our reach. We feel like this could be very popular.”
With the first truck to be utilized for this series now with it’s shiny new Ford F-150 AR body mounted by veteran I-37 racer Jeremy Hernandez, plans to get the TDTS up and running are in high gear. There will be two trucks built this fall for demonstrations at I-37’s season finale on Nov. 9-10.
“Jeremy is going to drive for me in Truck No. 51 and is very excited about this new series,” Fortier added. “He was driving my Dwarf car previously but is now all-in with the TDTS. We’re lucky to have him involved, and I know he’ll be helping us show other racers the viability of these trucks.”
Taking a look at the 2019 rules package for the series, interested teams will find a very affordable engine rule running SBC or sealed 602 Crate engines, and a low-cost shock package. Readily available 108-inch Metric frames will be used. Tire costs will be contained by using only Hoosier F-45 asphalt take-offs.
For more information, go to www.texasdirttrucks.com. Fans can also follow the series’ progress on social media at www.facebook.com/Texas-Dirt-Tr
by searching for @TexasDirtTrucks.
