Stewart has made Eldora into haven for fans
ROSSBURG, Ohio - Before 11 a.m., Tom Gruber picked up his wife Alicia from work and headed north for the 90-minute trip to Eldora Speedway.
The gates didn't open until 3:30 p.m., but Gruber felt the need to mark the couple's spot in the grass between Turns 2 and 3 of the historic half-mile dirt track long before the crowd arrived for the sold-out Prelude to the Dream.
It's not the first time the 39-year-old mechanic from Dayton has made the trip to Rossburg — and it definitely won't be the last. Gruber has attended every Prelude to the Dream that Tony Stewart has hosted at Eldora since 2005. At $23 for a general admission ticket, it's affordable for a working-class race fan. Think of it as Eldora's bleacher section.
"That's where the mud is," Gruber laughs. "That's the best part about it."
The Prelude to the Dream is the only all-star charity event of its kind. The lineup is a who's who of Nextel Cup's finest including Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne.
Although Juan Pablo Montoya is no novice to racing, fans tonight will witness the international superstar's dirt debut. The race will benefit Victory Junction Gang Camp and the Tony Stewart Foundation and will be covered live and in high definition on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 7 p.m. ET (www.hbo.com/sports).
This is grassroots racing. This is not for the wine and cheese crowd. Race fans know going into Eldora what to expect from an evening of dirt-track racing. White pants are not an option. Eldora is a Mecca in motorsports. It's one of those facilities that not only race fans should visit at least once in their lives, but hardcore sports fan would value the experience in the same fashion as seeing the Yankees play the Red Sox at Fenway or the Green Bay Packers hosting the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.
The capital improvements over the last three years have been obvious. The track added a new lighting and sound system, renovated and doubled the number of bathrooms and the sewage system, replaced the existing safety fence with a stronger barrier designed by Indianapolis engineers, added over 2,000 reserved seats, resurfaced the dirt and created a by-pass system to alleviate the traffic logjams.
Brett Frood, chief operating officer of Eldora Speedway, says it best.
"Tony has enhanced Eldora while maintaining the aura and traditions that fans and competitors alike have come to expect from the whole spectrum of grassroots racing," Frood said. "Tony Stewart has worn both hats — fan and competitor — and now promoter. So he has the focus on creating the perfect environment for drivers and fans to make the track continually successful."
The changes don't go unnoticed — especially to a devoted fan like Gruber, who also comes for the World of Outlaw races and travels to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400.
"We came to Eldora even before Tony Stewart bought it," Gruber said. "After he bought it that was part of the draw. I've been a Tony Stewart fan since his IRL days and I've seen his passion for racing. They've put in new fencing and changed the lighting this year. When we were out here just after he bought it the lights went out and stayed out for about three hours before it got fixed but now it works great.
"Before Tony Stewart bought the track you never heard about Eldora, but with all the NASCAR coverage, everyone's talking about it. We usually go to at least two NASCAR races a year, but we'll come up to Eldora for the six major events — and you'll see Tony Stewart at all of them. Tony really saved the place."
Gruber appreciates the talent that has graced the dirt of Eldora. He's watched the legendary Steve Kinser battle in WoO races. He remembers Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon using the track as a stepping-stone to the big leagues of NASCAR and knows that there's a youngster or two racing weekends at Eldora that will be part of the next generation that makes the trek to Nextel Cup in the future.
Then Gruber can turn to his buddies and say, "I can remember when..."
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