ROSSBURG, OH - JULY 20: Bobby Pierce, driver of the #63 PremierWaste/AllgayerInc/gottarace.com Chevrolet, leads Christopher Bell, driver of the #4 JBL Toyota, during NASCAR Camping World Series 4th Annual Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby 150, at Eldora Speedway on July 20, 2016 in Rossburg, Ohio. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Eldora Speedway sets attendance record while NASCAR continues to struggle


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Eldora Speedway is one of the most historic dirt tracks in all of racing, and the track set an attendance record over the weekend.

Track manager Roger Slack estimated the crowd was at 25,000 on Saturday night for the World 100, which is the largest single-day attendance in the track's history.

Perhaps the most surprising part of the record was that it wasn't for a NASCAR event. It was just for a late model race on the dirt track. It was the 47th annual World 100, and Jonathan Davenport won the race.

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While NASCAR is struggling for ratings and attendance each week, dirt tracks have seen an increase in attendance.

Eldora has benefited greatly, as the Kings Royal sprint car show brought in a similarly impressive crowd earlier in 2017.

Racing fans are still interested in the sport, but it seems as if they aren't as interested in NASCAR's Cup Series anymore.

The record-breaking crowd at Eldora was for a race that just so happened to be at the same time as the regular season finale of the Cup Series at Richmond. So instead of watching to see if Dale Earnhardt Jr. could qualify for the postseason, some racing fans decided to watch a dirt track race instead.

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It's an issue without a clear resolution for NASCAR as ratings and attendance continue to drop. Perhaps the playoffs will have more promising results, but for now it's still a major cause for concern.

(h/t Racing News)