Full Throttle

Dirt Track Warriors.

Before NASCAR, high-speed race car drivers raced on dirt - and they still do. Dirt track automobile racing - an estimated billion dollar a year business with 30 million fans - is “the biggest sport you?ve never heard of,” according to the new documentary CNN PRESENTS: DIRT TRACK WARRIORS, premiering on Saturday, July 1, at 8 p.m., with a replay at 11 p.m. Dirt Track Warriors re-airs on Sunday, July 2, at 2 a.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. All times Eastern.

Dirt Track Warriors is narrated by Miles O?Brien and features exclusive access to the personal and professional lives of the drivers of lightweight, high-horsepower racing machines called “dirt late model” cars. The documentary follows racing “bad boy” Scott Bloomquist, Chub “Chubzilla” Frank and teenager Josh “Kid Rocket” Richards through a season of high-speed, dirt-throwing racing, climaxing with dirt late model?s biggest prize, the World 100 at Eldora Speedway in rural Ohio.

The sport boasts 800 dirt tracks in 49 states. As Tim Lee, editor of Dirt Late Model magazine, explains: “Saturday night dirt track racing is like the summertime equivalent of Friday night football - especially in smaller towns. It?s a center of community.”

30 Million dirt track fans? My math ain’t so great but that seems to equate to an average of 37,000 fans for each of the 800 tracks. Me thinks someone is doin’ a little NASCAR type figurin’ and using it’s 75 million fan base as an example.

However it looks like an interesting production and recommend you read the rest of the article. And someone that happens to watch it send my a quick critique of the show. The odds of CNN International showing it here are “slim to… none Mike Wallace’s next Cup win.

And in related news: Tony Stewart’s Muddy Labor of Love. “Hopefully I can make some income with this track after my days of driving. It’s my retirement plan.”

You have to love this dedication shown in response to those living close to Eldora that complain about the noise and dust. “If I have to, I’ll buy every piece of property around the track to make sure it stays open.”

Dirt Track Racing, NASCAR, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle