# 2019 Eldora Dirt Derby

The 2019 Eldora Dirt Derby was a NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race held on August 1, 2019, at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Contested over 150 laps on the 0.500-mile (0.805 km) dirt track, it was the 15th race of the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season.

## Background
### Track

Eldora Speedway is a 0.5 mi (804.672 m) high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio. Originally constructed as a 1/4-mile semi-banked clay dirt oval by track founder and legendary promoter Earl Baltes, Eldora was enlarged to a 3/8-mile length and later to the "half-mile" standard required by the United States Auto Club (USAC) for National Championship events featuring the stars of the Indianapolis 500.

## Entry list

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 02 | Tyler Dippel (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 03 | Jake Griffin | Mike Affarano Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Carson Hocevar | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota |
| 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet |
| 08 | Tim Ward | Kart Idaho Racing | Toyota |
| 8 | Colt Gilliam | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Gus Dean (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 13 | Johnny Sauter | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota |
| 17 | Tyler Ankrum (R) | DGR-Crosley | Toyota |
| 18 | Harrison Burton (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota |
| 20 | Landon Huffman | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 22 | Austin Wayne Self | AM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Brett Moffitt | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Chase Briscoe (i) | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 32 | Devin Dodson | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Mike Marlar | Reaume Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| 34 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | Mark Smith | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 44 | Jeffrey Abbey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 45 | Ross Chastain | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Christian Eckes | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota |
| 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet |
| 54 | Kyle Strickler | DGR-Crosley | Toyota |
| 74 | Darwin Peters Jr. | Lou Goss Racing | Chevrolet |
| 80 | Justin Shipley | Jacob Wallace Racing | Ford |
| 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford |

## Practice
### First practice

Chase Briscoe was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 19.257 seconds and a speed of 93.472 mph (150.429 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 27 | Chase Briscoe (i) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 19.257 | 93.472 |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 19.381 | 92.874 |
| 3 | 24 | Brett Moffitt | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 19.470 | 92.450 |

### Final practice

Stewart Friesen was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 19.886 seconds and a speed of 90.516 mph (145.671 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | 19.886 | 90.516 |
| 2 | 27 | Chase Briscoe (i) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 19.933 | 90.303 |
| 3 | 24 | Brett Moffitt | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 19.980 | 90.090 |

## Qualifying heat races

Chase Briscoe scored the pole for the race after winning the first qualifying heat race.

### Race 1

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | 27 | Chase Briscoe (i) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 13 | Johnny Sauter | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 3 | 4 | 18 | Harrison Burton (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 10 |
| 4 | 6 | 8 | Colt Gilliam | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 5 | 3 | 44 | Jeffrey Abbey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 6 | 5 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | AM Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 7 | 7 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |

### Race 2

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 02 | Tyler Dippel (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 3 | 4 | 45 | Ross Chastain | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 4 | 3 | 51 | Christian Eckes | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 10 |
| 5 | 6 | 20 | Landon Huffman | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 6 | 5 | 17 | Tyler Ankrum (R) | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 10 |
| 7 | 7 | 74 | Darwin Peters Jr. | Lou Goss Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |

### Race 3

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | 24 | Brett Moffitt | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 10 |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | Carson Hocevar | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 4 | 4 | 03 | Jake Griffin | Mike Affarano Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 5 | 3 | 33 | Mike Marlar | Reaume Brothers Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 6 | 6 | 32 | Devin Dodson | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |

### Race 4

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 3 | 3 | 80 | Justin Shipley | Jacob Wallace Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 4 | 4 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 10 |
| 5 | 5 | 38 | Mark Smith | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |

### Race 5

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 2 | 54 | Kyle Strickler | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 3 | 3 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 4 | 4 | 12 | Gus Dean (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 5 | 6 | 08 | Tim Ward | Kart Idaho Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 6 | 5 | 34 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |

### "Last Chance" qualifying race

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps |
| 1 | 2 | 17 | Tyler Ankrum (R) | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 15 |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 3 | 5 | 34 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 4 | 6 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 5 | 7 | 74 | Darwin Peters Jr. | Lou Goss Racing | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 6 | 3 | 32 | Devin Dodson | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 14 |
| 7 | 1 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | AM Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |

### Starting lineup

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 27 | Chase Briscoe (i) | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 3 | 24 | Brett Moffitt | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 54 | Kyle Strickler | DGR-Crosley | Toyota |
| 6 | 13 | Johnny Sauter | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 02 | Tyler Dippel (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota |
| 9 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 18 | Harrison Burton (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota |
| 12 | 45 | Ross Chastain | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 3 | Carson Hocevar | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 80 | Justin Shipley | Jacob Wallace Racing | Ford |
| 15 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 16 | 8 | Colt Gilliam | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 51 | Christian Eckes | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota |
| 18 | 03 | Jake Griffin | Mike Affarano Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 19 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota |
| 20 | 12 | Gus Dean (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 21 | 44 | Jeffrey Abbey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 20 | Landon Huffman | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 23 | 33 | Mike Marlar | Reaume Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | 38 | Mark Smith | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 25 | 08 | Tim Ward | Kart Idaho Racing | Toyota |
| 26 | 17 | Tyler Ankrum (R) | DGR-Crosley | Toyota |
| 27 | 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet |
| 28 | 34 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet |
| 30 | 74 | Darwin Peters Jr. | Lou Goss Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | 32 | Devin Dodson | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | AM Racing | Chevrolet |

## Race
### Summary

Chase Briscoe started on pole and remained in the lead, winning Stage 1 despite cautions caused by Landon Huffman and Jake Griffin spinning on separate occasions. Harrison Burton later spun on the backstretch on lap 57. A huge crash occurred on lap 65 after Christian Eckes spun around and collected numerous others including Johnny Sauter, Mason Massey, and Jeffrey Abbey. Stage 2 was also won by Briscoe, who had continued his strong lead.
After Stage 2, Stewart Friesen took over the lead. Ross Chastain spun in front of the field, though did not cause any major damage. Kyle Strickler brought out the next caution after spinning out, while another crash collected Briscoe, Sauter, and Tyler Dippel. At the same time, Jennifer Jo Cobb got turned by Norm Benning and collected Devin Dodson.
Dippel failed an attempted slide job on Ben Rhodes late in the race, pushing Rhodes into the fence and dropping him six spots behind Dippel. After the race, Dippel rammed into Rhodes on the cool-down lap, leading Rhodes to attempt to drag Dippel out of his truck on pit road after the race before being pulled away by NASCAR officials. Dippel later called out Rhodes in an expletive-laced tirade, calling it "cool" that Rhodes would miss the playoffs and implying that Rhodes was scared of fighting him. Rhodes, in a calmer post-race interview, called Dippel a dirty driver.
On the final restart, Friesen stayed out and was able to maintain his lead, holding off Sheldon Creed and Grant Enfinger to win the dirt derby. This was also Friesen's first win in the truck series.

### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 40
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 27 | Chase Briscoe (i) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 24 | Brett Moffitt | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 3 | Carson Hocevar | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 45 | Ross Chastain | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 54 | Kyle Strickler | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 1 |
Stage Two Laps: 50
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 27 | Chase Briscoe (i) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 2 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 54 | Kyle Strickler | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 45 | Ross Chastain | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 33 | Mike Marlar | Reaume Brothers Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 02 | Tyler Dippel (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 1 |

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 60
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 4 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 54 |
| 2 | 10 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 42 |
| 3 | 15 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 150 | 40 |
| 4 | 23 | 33 | Mike Marlar | Reaume Brothers Racing | Toyota | 150 | 36 |
| 5 | 8 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 150 | 45 |
| 6 | 17 | 51 | Christian Eckes | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 150 | 31 |
| 7 | 1 | 27 | Chase Briscoe (i) | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 150 | 0 |
| 8 | 7 | 02 | Tyler Dippel (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 31 |
| 9 | 26 | 17 | Tyler Ankrum (R) | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 150 | 28 |
| 10 | 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 150 | 41 |
| 11 | 14 | 80 | Justin Shipley | Jacob Wallace Racing | Ford | 150 | 26 |
| 12 | 12 | 45 | Ross Chastain | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 32 |
| 13 | 32 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | AM Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 24 |
| 14 | 9 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 150 | 28 |
| 15 | 24 | 38 | Mark Smith | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 22 |
| 16 | 25 | 08 | Tim Ward | Kart Idaho Racing | Toyota | 150 | 21 |
| 17 | 30 | 74 | Darwin Peters Jr. | Lou Goss Racing | Chevrolet | 150 | 20 |
| 18 | 5 | 54 | Kyle Strickler | DGR-Crosley | Toyota | 149 | 27 |
| 19 | 29 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing | Chevrolet | 149 | 18 |
| 20 | 21 | 44 | Jeffrey Abbey | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 17 |
| 21 | 6 | 13 | Johnny Sauter | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 145 | 16 |
| 22 | 27 | 6 | Norm Benning | Norm Benning Racing | Chevrolet | 145 | 15 |
| 23 | 28 | 34 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 144 | 14 |
| 24 | 22 | 20 | Landon Huffman | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 144 | 13 |
| 25 | 13 | 3 | Carson Hocevar | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 15 |
| 26 | 18 | 03 | Jake Griffin | Mike Affarano Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 11 |
| 27 | 16 | 8 | Colt Gilliam | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 10 |
| 28 | 20 | 12 | Gus Dean (R) | Young's Motorsports | Chevrolet | 142 | 9 |
| 29 | 3 | 24 | Brett Moffitt | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 141 | 16 |
| 30 | 31 | 32 | Devin Dodson | Reaume Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 141 | 7 |
| 31 | 11 | 18 | Harrison Burton (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 127 | 6 |
| 32 | 19 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 79 | 5 |