Eldora Dirt Derby 2017: Full video highlights

The heat races are over, so let’s get to the good stuff: full highlights of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers in the dirt at Eldora Speedway.

The Eldora Dirt Derby has gone from a gimmick to an unquestioned highlight on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule. Not only is a dirt race a tribute to a part of racing at its grassroot levels, there’s something that’s just so compelling about seeing the trucks go around the half-mile dirt track.

It makes for great visuals, especially at night, and generally some wild action as well. This year’s field has a nice mix of Truck Series regulars and drivers who are looking at Eldora as their shot to get noticed with a victory in one of NASCAR’s top series.

Pole-sitter Stewart Friesen is part of that latter category, a part-time Truck Series racer with a rich dirt racing background who could receive a big profile boost if he’s able to hold off the field. Right beside him in the front row is Matt Crafton, a two-time series champ who’s one of the cagiest veterans around.

Be sure to bookmark this page as we add more highlights from the Eldora Dirt Derby as they happen.

One cool thing they do at the Eldora Dirt Derby is to line the trucks up four-wide for the laps prior to the green flag.

The drivers stayed four-wide for the first few turns of Lap 1, kicking up tons of dirt onto the windshields and grills of the trucks mired back in traffic.

How can you even see out of a windshield that looks like this?

it did not take long for the first incident of the night at Eldora. J.J. Yeley got into Bobby Pierce and spun him around, bringing out the first yellow flag — and almost certainly not the last.

Speaking of which, Stage 1 didn’t even finish before an incident collected one of the Truck Series’ top challengers and a heat race winner.

Lots of people pointed to Christopher Bell, who already has one Eldora victory under his belt, as the man to beat this year. That looks unlikely now, even though the damaged vehicle policy for this race is more lenient than for other races in the 2017 season.

Even Kevin Harvick thought Bell’s night was over, but not so fast.

Bell actually earned points for coming home fourth in Stage 2, which was won by Stewart Friesen. Bell told Michael Waltrip and Harvick before the final stage that he, too, believed he was done after his earlier collision, but he was hoping the No. 4 would hold together for another 60 laps.

Bell and Friesen looked like they might wage an epic battle for the victory. However …

Luckily, Bell saw a caution come out at just the right time and was able to change all four tires. He was back in the top 10 with less than 20 laps to go.

In the end, though, most of the battling was between Friesen and Chase Briscoe for second place. Friesen eventually prevailed, but it was Matt Crafton who was comfortably out in front, eventually coming home with the checkered flag.

The win was the first in more than a year for Crafton. More importantly, it locks him into the playoffs and enables him to go for a third championship. Don’t count him out.