By Jonathon Masters

Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, is a place known to most in auto racing. People who have never set foot at a dirt track now know of Eldora thanks to former NASCAR champion Tony Stewart's purchase of the famed half-mile in 2004. I remember being at Daytona in the late 2000s and hearing Stewart introduced to the crowd as owner of Eldora Speedway. The track has been talked about during NASCAR television events, and thanks to the now gone "Prelude" race that put NASCAR drivers and others in Dirt Late Model to compete, Eldora is now a household name. 

In dirt racing, most people know this was not always the case.

During most of its 60-plus years of operation, Eldora was the place dirt racing, especially the late models, called home. The biggest dirt late model race of the year, the World 100, marked the track as the sports premier venue. 

In 1994, owner and founder of Eldora Speedway Earl Baltes started a new event that would begin a summer tradition known as the Dream 100. At the time, it was kind of a novelty race that paid $100,000 to the winner. The idea took off, and it too became an annual event and another reason for the dirt late model world to gather at its favorite venue.

A lot of fans remember Eldora much differently than those of us in and around the industry. I was 8 years old when the second major late model event was added to Eldora, so I do not really remember a time when two yearly trips to Eldora wasn't normal. 

During much of the 1990s and early 2000s, there wasn't much difference between the two events in my mind. The World brought in a few more cars and always seemed more special, but the Dream was close for around 10 years. As time went on, the Dream car counts and the novelty faded a little compared to the World, but a trip to Eldora is always special. 

The events of all those weekends still burn clearly in the minds of all who are involved. It started early in the week or the week prior when you would need to go park your RV to secure a spot in turns one and two. A lot of the drivers or industry people who had RVs always took many of those coveted spots. 



In the days before the grandstands were added in those turns, you would pull the front of your camper right up to the turn so you could see the track without going outside. 

It was perfect for Saturday qualification that would often stretch in the late hours of the night. Before the days of short range radio broadcast and score towers, everyone would have his or her windows open to hear the times be read off of the public address system.

Thursday and Friday night parties were still a huge thing back then. The bar under the front stretch stands would stay open a lot later, and the crowds in that area would be large and unruly. 

A well-known dirt late model driver once told me it was difficult to handle. The way the track was set up forced those people camping on the hill to walk through the crowd to reach their RVs. This would often lead to half the crowd wanting to hug you and half wanting to punch you. I can remember hearing the party continue while trying to fall asleep around 2 AM. Today, the party is more structured and ends around 10 or 11 PM.

Former Dream 100 winner and 2011 World of Outlaws champion Rick Eckert sees the changes at Eldora as well. "It used to be like going to Woodstock," he said. "It was a concert that a race broke out at. It seems like increasing rules and regulations has put a stop to a lot of what made it fun."

Eckert also misses another event that used to be an Eldora tradition. Speedway officials previously teched the cars on Thursday night before you could pull into the track. They would line all the haulers up and make you unload one by one. It would take several hours to complete, but it still added to the atmosphere. 

"You would be there unloading your car, and 500 people would be setting in lawn chairs drinking beer and watching," Eckert recalled. "It was a bit of a pain to do, but it was cool."

All the things happening around the track both during and before the racing made for a welcomed break and release for those of us who spent a week in the cornfields of Ohio twice a year. The racing is still fantastic, and any fan who loves dirt racing should still make it a point to visit Eldora. But the times have changed, and to many of the drivers it's become just another weekend of racing during a long season. 

- Jonathon Masters has a lifelong connection with dirt racing. His family has owned and operated MasterSbilt Race Cars, which manufactures dirt late model chassis, for 35 years. He attended college in North Carolina for motor sports management and has written for various industry publications. Jonathon was an account executive at The International Motorsports Industry Show (IMS), is a founder of the Heartland Auto Racing Show, and has been a racing industry professional for over a decade. 

Exclusive Content 

Weekly Columns by Jonathon Masters

The Rise Of IMIS
The Making of a Crown Jewel
What It Takes To Succeed In Racing, Part 1 Equipment | Part 2, Crew | Part 3, Driver
Steve Casebolt Moves to Jim Beeman Motorsports
Engagement Is One Key To Dirt Racing's Success And NASCAR's Decline

Weekly Columns by JD Hellman

Dover International Speedway Has Some Monster Storylines
Daniel Suarez Translates Opportunity Into Success
Memorial Day Is Christmas For Race Fans
For Ryan Blaney The Future Is Now And It's A Bright One
Change What Matters Most In The All-star race