The temperatures are cooler at the track these days, but the racing action remains hot at Eldora Speedway as drivers battle for a pair of track titles today and Saturday.

The Darke County track hosts the UMP DIRTcar National Championships, which will decide the track champions in the modifieds and late models, while also crowning the United Midwestern Promoters’ national champs.

In the modified division, the top four drivers are separated by five points. Indiana’s Joey Kramer leads the pack with 226 points and is followed by Eaton’s Rob Williams (224), Ludlow Falls’ Matt Westfall (222) and Coldwater’s Ryan Sutter (221). The winner of the feature earns 40 points, second place earns 38 and it continues on a one-point slide down to 24th place earning 16 points.

The late model points chase is coming down to a three-car chase led by Whitehouse’s Matt Miller (114 points). He leads Michigan’s Jeep Van Wormer by eight and Canada’s Andrew Reaume by 14. Reaume, should he pull off a stunner, would become the track’s first Canadian champion.

In the national points battles, Brian Shirley leads fellow Illinois driver Kevin Weaver by 53 points in the late models and Indiana’s Devin Gilpin holds a 40-point lead over fellow Hoosier Nick Allen in the modifieds.

Champions crowned: Shadybowl Speedway announced its track champions after points racing concluded last weekend. Matt Parsons (late models), Greg Stapleton (modifieds), Rodney Roush (sport stocks), Gary Eaton (Tuners), Matt Jackson (compacts) and Jesse Gade (dwarfs) earned points titles.

Derby at WPAFB: Wright Patterson Air Force Base hosts a Soapbox Derby race at 11 a.m. today on the “Acceleration Test Ramp” in Area B. All proceeds benefit the Miami Valley Combined Federal Campaign. Teams will compete on an obstacle course while — according to WPAFB — “transporting an item crucial to the war effort:” The general’s doughnuts. Teams will be scored on time, car design, and the amount of doughnuts that make it down the hill successfully.

Mark your calendar: NASCAR released its Sprint Cup schedule last week, starting with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 (FOX). The series returns to Kentucky Speedway for a night race on Saturday, June 30 (7:30, TNT). Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the series on July 29 (1 p.m., ESPN). Michigan International Speedway again has a pair of races next season: June 17 (TNT) and Aug. 19 (ESPN), both at 1 p.m.