Tony Stewart - Dirt Track Owner - A Different Hat

Stewart has made some improvements to the vintage track, including a new state-of-the-art scoreboard outside the second turn, significant restroom upgrading, a new catch fence completely around the outside of the track, resurfacing of the track, a new lighting system, and new bleachers behind the south end of the facility. Some fans have indicated that it's becoming the Bristol of dirt racing.

Having been around the sport nearly his entire life, Stewart obviously knows how to play the promotions game. He even approached the IROC folks about having the cars run at Eldora. If the group can get sponsorship to continue running the all-star series, Stewart says IROC may run a race at Eldora in the future.

"I'd sure like to see how well some of those pavement guys would adapt to the Eldora dirt," he says.

With his murderous NASCAR schedule, where just about every minute is choreographed, it's hard to believe that a Nextel Cup superstar could be an active player in the track's operation. But when a Cup race is in the eastern part of the country, it's a safe bet that Stewart will show up if it's humanly possible. And it's certainly not to the sound of the public-address system blaring, "Tony Stewart has just entered the grounds." Nope, that's just not Stewart's style.

"I fly in to the Celina Airport, which is located north of the track," Stewart says. "Then I'll pick up my four-wheeler and go down into the pits and see if everything is running OK. I try not to interfere but help if I can, like picking up a stray part on the track or checking on an accident.

"I always like to look at the condition of the track. That's one thing that I think I really know. I'll let the other operations at the track be done by those who know how to do them."

He says that he loves the short-track fans, many of which watched him during his open wheel days. "They are so laid-back and respectful, they don't rush up to me and demand an autograph," Stewart adds. "They also respect my time when I'm at the track, especially when I'm working with my open wheel teams when they are at the track."

Maybe the most ambitious undertaking that Stewart dreamed up for his new track was the so-called Nextel Prelude, a race featuring a number of Nextel Cup drivers (including Stewart) racing Dirt Late Models on the track's high banks. The event sold out immediately in the two years it has been held, with the track taking on the air of corporate America and NASCAR.

Not to overlook the open wheel fans, Stewart instituted the Old Spice Summer Sizzler, which brought former open wheelers Dave Blaney and Kasey Kahne to the track to join Stewart in racing 360 winged Sprint Cars against the drivers of that type of race vehicle.

Stewart says that he's constantly looking for new events to add to an already ambitious schedule.

"I'm thinking about some kind of big UMP Modified event," he says, "and I've also thought about maybe getting ARCA back to this place, where they ran back in the 1960s." It's not surprising to learn, given his celebrity status, that Stewart has been able to bring significant national sponsorship to his track. The list includes the likes of FedEx, Home Depot, Nextel, Old Spice, Crown Royal, GM Performance Parts, Subway, Chevy, MAC Tools, and Advance Auto Parts.

Eldora Speedway holds a unique position in short tracks by being rated at the top in both open wheel and stock car categories. In open wheel, it's the Kings Royal and the USAC Four-Crown Nationals, while the Dirt Late Models have the World 100 and the $100,000-to-win Dream races.

"Hey, I plan to try as hard as I can to keep that top position for those two types of cars."