Going to late model and sprint car racing pictures?

So I'm going to late model and sprint car racing and I was wondering if it would be appropriate to take pictures there? It'll be pretty dusty and stuff so I'll bring a cloth to clean the lens and stuff. But is the dust going to hurt my camera (nikon d60)? If it's fine what settings should I use? It'll be taking place from 7:00-11:00 pm and there will be lots of lights so should I stay on the action setting? ANY tips will help!

You can do several things to protect your camera and lens. First, the camera; if you KNOW there's bound to be a dust up, then get a clear plastic bag and put your camera inside but make a hole large enough for the tip of the lens to protrude through and use a rubber band to hold it down; make another hole for the viewfinder so you can see what you're photographing. To protect the lens, make certain you install a UV filter to protect the lens surface; it's easier and safer to clean the filter (and far cheaper) than the delicate lens surface. I don't know that you will have enough "pull" on your lens at the longest focal range, though. And if you're not certain what setting to use, set your camera on Auto Mode AND Auto Focus so that when you press the shutter button halfway down it will focus and set the exposure for you. Remember the White Balance!

I'm certain the more experienced photogs here will come on and offer you more helpful information.

* Set your cameras white balance to incandescent
* Use shutter speeds of at least 1/500th second or faster
* Raise the ISO to assure high shutter speeds.
* Make sure that you use the fastest lens you own, f/2.8 or wider

I shoot a lot of motocross events and there's a lot of dust and mud flying around. Just make sure that you have a UV filter covering your lens. You can clean the camera and lens when you get home