ROSSBURG, OH (May 18) – While Jerry Bowersock (UMP DIRTcar Modified) completed his 3-2-1 countdown, Barney Craig (Stock Car) remained stuck on number 1 in Saturday’s Mobil 1 Family Fun Night feature race action at Eldora Speedway.

In the three Modified events this season, veteran Bowersock (Wapakoneta, OH) finished third on opening night, second two weeks ago and then this week was the top of the class as the 25-car field went non-stop for 18 laps around the .500-mile clay oval.   The checkered flag marked victory number 25 for Bowersock, moving him into third behind Scott Orr (34) and Brian Ruhlman (28).

Brent Hole charged from his outside pole position at the green flag to take the early lead, while pole-sitter Zach Schroeder followed in close pursuit.   Before two laps could be completed, Bowersock had already moved from seventh to runner-up.  Keeping him within site was opening night feature winner Brian Post as he chose the same line around the lightning quick track.

As Hole continued to rule top spot, Bowersock and Post soon found a new player, as quick qualifier of the night, Matt Westfall joined in to create a trio of challengers for Hole.

Lap after lap, Hole maintained control; until the half-way mark on lap nine, as Bowersock pulled off the pass that would take him to the checkered flag.  One lap later Westfall inched ahead of Post, and then two laps after that got by Hole for second, but by that time Bowersock had built up an insurmountable lead; especially with no caution flag periods to slow the pace.

Bowersock used his knowledge of Eldora to master the lapped traffic, which placed three cars between himself and Westfall coming down for the checkered flag.   Following them across the line were Post and Aaron Orr, who came on strong in the closing laps.  Schroeder hung on for a top five finish, while Hole slipped back to sixth.

Attrition was the keyword in the Stock Car finale as only eleven of the 21 starters were around at the finish.   Seven caution flags slowed the pace.

Those yellow flags may have slowed up the race, but it had no slowing effect on Craig (Lima, OH) who made it three-for-three in feature race action on the young season.

The first yellow came out before one lap could be completed, as a spin up in front of the field created a chain reaction that collected a total of seven cars.   As the green unfurled one more time, it was lights out for the balance of the field, as third-place starter Craig got by Earnie Woodard and Jordan Conover down the back stretch to take the lead that he held to the finish.

Lady luck finally dealt Woodard a good hand this week.   He found himself on the top end of a five-car battle that had the huge crowd cheering.

While Craig was out creating a new zip code for himself, Woodard, Jordan Conover, Jeremy Creech, Shawn Phillippi and Paul Pardo waged a wild race to determine who would follow Craig and in what order.   Woodard hung on to finish ahead of Creech and Conover, as Phillippi and Pardo completed the top six.

Bowersock and Craig shared their celebration as a tremendous fireworks extravaganza filled the skies in an annual Family Fun Night tradition.

Eldora returns back to action with a rare Sunday night showing next weekend (May 26) for the four-division Johnny Appleseed Classic by Miller Lite.   Tickets for that event, or any of the other remaining Eldora contests, along with campsites, may be purchased online around the clock at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or during normal business hours by calling the track office (937)338-3815.

STORYLINES:

* Family Fun Night Tradition Accentuated by Fun at Affordable Pricing
* Jerry Bowersock Hoping to Trade an Eldora Trend of 2’s into a 1
* Barney Craig Capitalizing on End of Eldora Victory Drought
* Affordable Eldora Weekend Wraps Up Sunday on Little Eldora

FAST FACTS: Race 8
The Race: Family Fun Night
The Date: May 18, 2013
The Time: Race Time – 7:30 p.m.
The Divisions/Distance/Payoff:
.
Eldora Stock Cars
15 lap Main Event-$400 to win
.
UMP DIRTcar Modifieds
18 lap Main Event-$600 to win

FAMILY FUN NIGHT TRADITION ACCENTUATED BY FUN AT AFFORDABLE PRICING

ROSSBURG, OH (May 15) – Saturday’s (May 18) Mobil 1 Family Fun Night continues an Eldora Speedway tradition that has become eagerly anticipated by fans and families surrounding the legendary speed plant.   Featuring the UMP DIRTcar Modified and Eldora Stock Car divisions, it is a night where racing is accentuated with fun at affordable pricing.  Adult general admission is only $8, and kids 12 and under are free.

It kicks off with a gigantic autograph session in Eldora’s fan zone, featuring the evening’s participating drivers and their cars from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.   That is followed by on-track action at 6:15 with practice laps and group time trial runs.   Simultaneously with these events will be inflatable bouncers and balloon twisting clowns for the kids.

Racing action on Eldora’s historic .500-mile clay oval, featuring a full program of preliminary heat races and main events for each division, commences after a safety services parade at 7:30 p.m.   Wrapping up the night will be a gigantic fireworks display.

 

JERRY BOWERSOCK HOPING TO TRADE AN ELDORA TREND OF 2’S INTO A 1

ROSSBURG, OH (May 15) – Veteran Jerry Bowersock of Wapakoneta, OH comes into Saturday’s (May 18) UMP DIRTcar Modified action at Eldora Speedway hoping to turn this season’s trend of 2’s into a 1.

With his second divisional championship coming two years ago at the famed .500-mile clay oval, Bowersock carries a two point lead into the Mobil 1 Family Fun Night competition.  He finished second two weeks ago, in the most recent Modified action, but the number one position in feature racing action, something that hasn’t happened in two years, has eluded the 24-time victor this year, something he is anxious to correct Saturday.

Joining the Modifieds in Saturday’s affordable to the family doubleheader ($8 adult general admission) will be the Eldora Stock Car division, with a 7:30 p.m. race start time.

 

BARNEY CRAIG CAPITALIZING ON END OF ELDORA VICTORY DROUGHT

ROSSBURG, OH (May 15) – At the end of Saturday’s Mobil 1 Family Fun Night at Eldora Speedway, a gigantic fireworks display will light the skies over Rossburg, OH, but during the night Barney Craig (Lima, OH) is hoping to continue an explosive movement of his own.

Ironically, after an eight-season drought from Eldora’s Stock Car victory lane, the 48-year old veteran detonated last year with eight feature wins en route to his fourth championship title.  His previous honors were collected in 1992, 1993 and 1999.

And he hasn’t slowed down.  Currently leading the cumulative 2013 points chase, Craig has captured the first two feature events of the young season; hoping to make it number three Saturday night when the Stock Cars are joined by the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds.

 

AFFORDABLE ELDORA WEEKEND WRAPS UP SUNDAY ON LITTLE ELDORA

ROSSBURG, OH (May 15) – A weekend of affordable family fun around Eldora Speedway wraps up Sunday afternoon, on the newest addition to the 60-year-old facility – Little Eldora Speedway – with a full menu of go-kart racing.

Located on the northeast corner of the massive facility, Little Eldora is a 1/7 mile clay oval designed to be a breeding ground for drivers seeking experience prior to attacking the famed .500-mile clay Eldora oval.  Several Eldora ‘Big E’ feature winners, including Matt Westfall, Tim Allison, Kyle Sauder and Josh Morton have stepped up from the kart ranks.

With free general admission, the racing action, which will include upwards of 50 racing events, takes the green flag at 12:30 p.m.

—————————————————————————–

Complete event information, along with ticket and campsite purchase opportunities, may be obtained by visiting the track’s website www.EldoraSpeedway.com, or by calling the speedway office at (937) 338-3815.   Additionally, race fans and race teams can get behind-the-scenes access by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, hitting ‘Like’ at Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and view video highlights at YouTube.com/EldoraSpeedwayInc.  The new Eldora Speedway app for the iPhone, iPad and Android is now available for download via iTunes and Google Play.

ROSSBURG, OH (May 15) – Although all available tickets for the inaugural running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Mudsummer Classic on Wednesday, July 24 have been sold, fans now have an added opportunity to catch a glimpse of the historic event.  The Tuesday Night Tailgate (July 23) has been added to the schedule, with tickets going on sale tomorrow (May 16).

Eldora will spring to life July 23-24 during the running of Inaugural Mudsummer Classic

The Mudsummer Classic marks NASCAR’s first national series dirt track event since 1970, and the first-ever dirt race for the Camping World Truck Series.   For many drivers, the added Tuesday night practice sessions will be their first venture on a dirt-track.

Tickets for the doubleheader evening, which will include a pair of two-hour practice periods for the trucks, along with a 25 lap Eldora Dirt Late Model Invitational, are priced as low as $10 for adult General Admission and go on sale at 9 a.m.

The most efficient method to obtain tickets is by using the TicketForce-powered online system at www.EldoraSpeedway.com.  With its capability to process up to 800 different orders simultaneously, it has a flawless track record of handling Eldora’s rich history of marquee events and massive opening day ticket sales.  A backup direct link to the ticketing site of eldoraspeedway.ticketforce.com has also been established.

Race fans that do not have access to a computer can call into the Eldora Box Office at (937) 338-3815 where a full staff of Ticketing Specialists will be available to assist a cue of up to 25 calls at a time.  In addition, the Speedway Box Office will be open for walk-up sales beginning at 9 a.m.

On Tuesday, July 23, the spectator gates will swing open at 1 p.m., with the first NCWTS practice session taking the green flag at 4:30 p.m.

Entrants for the Eldora Dirt Late Model Invitational will be announced after the running of the $100,000-to-win Dirt Late Model Dream presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers (June 6, 7 & 8).

Complete information regarding Eldora Speedway, including seating schematics, facility maps and event schedules may be found on www.EldoraSpeedway.com and additional on-sale date information continues to be released via Twitter.com/EldoraSpeedway and Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway.  The newly released Eldora Speedway app is now also available for download for the iPhone and Android devices.

With any racing series there are always challenges that present themselves to the teams, to the track and safety crews, to the TV crews and to the photographers. TORC at Eldora Speedway fell short on none of these challenges. With Mother’s Day on the horizon, Mother Nature decided to add her two cents to mix, or let’s say a dollars worth. Cooler temps and periodic rain continued to threaten the historical event of the series at the legendary speedway. But determination and perseverance would prevail to an event of many firsts.
PRO BUGGY
Andy Zipperer got to off to an early lead from the start of the race and quickly checked out from the field, but Luke Johnson was not far behind and was beginning to make up ground lap-after-lap in pursuit of Zipperer. Red Bull driver Luke Johnson is competing in his third year with the series, the first two years piloting a PRO LIGHT truck. This year he finds himself in the Pro Buggy class with a last minute ride for the season. Luke had his first ever career win in the series at the Bark River International Raceway in 2012. Son of famed motocross legend Ricky Johnson, Luke is proving to be a true competitor much like his father. Luke worked his way up through the field before the competition yellow, at the drop of the green flag Johnson was quick to challenge Zipperer eventually overtaking Andy for the lead and the first win of the season in the new Pro Buggy.
PRO LIGHT
As the last of the pictures were taken at the podium for the Pro Buggy winners the PRO LIGHTS lined up for their race, Mother Nature would once again announce her presence as a small band of showers rolled over the race track adding more than enough moisture to make everything a bit more interesting. After a brief rain delay, the PRO LIGHTS were brought back out onto the race track. The high bank oval now saturated with moister, was slick and sloppy and very challenging to drive. Traxxas driver Keegan Kincaid would show the way to a field of mud heavy trucks to take his first win of the 2013 season. With only two seasons under his belt, Olympian Nick Baumgartner showed his driving skills to the crowd at Eldora Speedway to get his first ever podium finishing second on the box and rounding off the top three was Mark Kleiman.
PRO 2
Tighten your belts and strap in for a show. After the unfortunate cancelation of Friday’s race, the PRO 2 division was tuned up and ready to rock the joint. These 900hp race hungry trucks opened up the throttle and showed the Eldora crowd what the PRO 2 TORC Division is all about. The fire breathing machines lined up to more favorable track conditions after the PRO LIGHTS race. CJ Greaves in the Monster Energy number 33 cruised to the front and never looked back in which CJ would get his first ever Oakley Bomb award. The Greaves Motorsports team is running trucks in all three of the PRO Truck divisions with their sights on a championship in all three. Defending champion Bryce Menzies worked his Red Bull truck through the famed banked turns and over the back stretch rhythm section chasing down Greaves, but was able to catch CJ and finish second. Never count out the all time winningest driver Rob MacCachren in the Traxxas sponsored number 21. Rob Mac fell back slightly mid-way through the race, but came back with a force and raced his way to the third spot on the box.
PRO 4
Hold on to your seats, grab your beverage and watch the Big Dogs show how it’s done. The PRO 4 boys are on deck and mud is gonna be flying. The top division in the series is a sure bet to entertain the crowd with long time off-road legends at the wheel. AMSOIL driver Scott Douglas took an early lead in the race and was putting distance between his number 7 truck and second place, but later in the race had to exit to the pits after a right rear tire needed to be changed. Douglas went to the tail of the field after the pit stop and would race his way to a third place finish.

Mark Jenkins in the Traxxas sponsored number 25 claimed the front stretch catch fence after a crazy crash coming off a jump out of turn four. Jenkins PRO 4 got crossed up, landing off camber and flipping into the fence on the front stretch. The safety crew quickly attended to Jenkins who was unharmed in the incident.

Epic battles were the name of the game in the 2011 season between Red Bull driver Ricky Johnson and Monster Energy driver Johnny Greaves and this race was shaping up to be just such a battle. Scott Douglas’s unfortunate pit stop, brought Johnny Greaves to the front of the line, with Ricky Johnson right by his side. As the green flag dropped the battle was on, Johhny maintained the lead throughout the race while Ricky continued to knock on the door lap-after-lap. Coming to the final laps Johnny would get wide out of turn four and Ricky being close behind capitalized and made the clean pass for the lead. Greaves quickly pursued Johnson to regain the lead but was unable to make up the ground. Johnson would go on to win Round 4 with Johnny finishing in second.

The series travels to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for Rounds 5 & 6 to be held at the high speed excitement filled raceway of Bark River, MI. June 15th and 16th. The purpose built off-road facility is a favorite of many of the drivers and fans. Watch the TORC series website (www.torcseries.com), Facebook page and Twitter page for schedule updates and complete race information.

About TORC
The TRAXXAS TORC Series, presented by AMSOIL, is the fastest, most punishing short course racing series on the planet! TORC events are packed with flag-to-flag fender banging action as drivers push the limits over whoops and jump-filled natural terrain race tracks. Off-road racing fans come from far and wide to experience the most challenging form of high-octane competition. And once they taste TORC for the first time they’re hooked for life! For more information visit torcseries.com

ROSSBURG, OH (May 10) – Rain and a developing storm system to the southwest that moved into the region early Friday afternoon (May 10) have brought a halt to the Preliminary Night of the Traxxas TORC (The Off Road Challenge) Championship Series event at Eldora Speedway.

The cancellation has not affected Saturday’s program, which will feature four classes of off road truck racing on a specially built baja-style course on Eldora’s high-banked .500-mile clay oval.  Practice is slated for 3 p.m. on Saturday; followed by an autograph session at 6:15 p.m.  The first race, incorporating double jumps and the table-top jump, will take the green flag at 7:30 p.m.

Patrons with Friday night tickets will be able to use them for the Saturday show.

Complete event and ticket purchase information for Saturday’s Traxxas TORC event, along with the other exciting race events on the 2013 Eldora calendar, is available on the track’s website www.EldoraSpeedway.com. Race fans and race teams can get behind-the-scenes access by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, hitting ‘Like’ at Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and view video highlights at YouTube.com/EldoraSpeedwayInc. The new Eldora Speedway app for the iPhone, iPad and Android is now available for download via iTunes and Google Play.

ROSSBURG, OH (May 4) – Daryn Pittman (World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series) and Jon Henry (UMP DIRTcar Modifieds) both returned to the Victory Lane stage at Eldora Speedway on Saturday night, putting an end to winless streaks in their respective divisions that carry back to 2008.

Pittman, who started seventh in the WoO main event, turned in his race car for a rocket ship when he blasted off during a restart. Pittman shot past race leader Brian Brown, who had paced the field for the first 22 laps, to lead the final eight and capture the 30-lap feature. Brown finished second for his highest career Eldora finish, topping a fifth place run last year.

“We just had great restarts all night,” said Pittman following his third career WoO victory at Eldora and the first since winning the Kings Royal on July 12, 2008. “(Friday) night my restarts were pathetic. We rebounded and that’s what won us the race.”

A caution with 22 laps complete put Brown and Donny Schatz on the front row for the double-file restart. Pittman rocketed past them both and led by 1.6 seconds just two laps later. The win salvaged a strong effort for the current WoO point leader following Friday night’s 13th place finish that kicked off the doubleheader weekend at Eldora.

“We were terrible (Friday) night. I tell you what, for us to come back tonight as bad as were (Friday night), this is probably one of the toughest race tracks to race at,” Pittman said. “Brown, hats off to him because he doesn’t come here very often.”

Brown was unable to mount a challenge after that restart and finished 1.9 seconds behind Pittman at the checkered flag.

“I just didn’t get it done on that last restart and it ended up costing us,” Brown said. “Nothing to hang our head about. … It was my job as a leader to get going and I didn’t get going like I should.”

Brown fought to keep the lead on lap 13, this time with a WoO official; when Brown stopped on the front stretch during a yellow-light caution as the rest of the 24-car field continued at caution speed. Brown said he needed to make an adjustment to his safety belts and was granted his first-place spot back.

“My belts had been undone since about the fourth or fifth lap. That’s probably not too smart running Eldora with your belts undone,” Brown said. “When that yellow came out I thought it was a good opportunity to hook them back up. … Congrats to Daryn and his team. He’s got a great team and they deserve to win. If you’re going to win these Outlaws shows you better put 30 good laps together.”
Schatz, Jac Haudenschild and Joey Saldana rounded out the top five.

Track owner and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart again made the 1,200-mile round-trip journey from Talladega, Ala., to race with the Outlaws. After mechanical problems forced him out of his heat race, Stewart won the Last Chance Showdown to qualify for the feature. He started 11th and finished 17th.

In the Modified feature, Ada’s Henry started on the outside pole and vaulted past inside pole sitter Brandon Vaughan of Spencerville. Henry and Wapakoneta’s Jerry Bowersock recreated their duel from Limaland Motor Sports Park on Friday night when the two battled in that Modified feature. Henry edged out Bowersock for that win, too.

Bowersock appeared to take the lead with two laps left when Henry slowed on the front stretch, but got back on the gas in Turn 1. Henry said he thought a caution came out but realized it hadn’t when Bowersock shot past him. Fortunately for Henry a caution did come out before Bowersock could click off the lap. Without the completed lap the lead reverted back to Henry.

He kept it this time with a two-lap shootout despite another caution on the white flag lap. Bowersock tried to peek under Henry on the final turn but was too far behind to pull off a slide job.

The Modified win was the first for Henry at Eldora since winning two straight on June 4 and June 28 in 2008. It was his fifth Modified win overall at Eldora.

“It’s absolutely awesome to be back here in Victory Lane at Eldora,” Henry said. “I have to thank Miracle Motorsports and Dean and Jane for letting me wheel this race car. We’re having fun out here. I’m just blessed to be able to do this.”

Eldora Speedway returns to action when the TRAXXAS TORC Series hits the high banks for its first-ever appearance at Eldora Speedway on May 10-11. The off-road racing series is scheduled to run its PRO Buggy, PRO Light, PRO 2WD and PRO 4×4 divisions. Complete event and ticket purchase information for the TRAXXAS TORC Series, along with the other exciting race events on the 2013 Eldora calendar, is available on the track’s website www.EldoraSpeedway.com. Race fans and race teams can get behind-the-scenes access by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, hitting ‘Like’ at Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and view video highlights at YouTube.com/EldoraSpeedwayInc. The new Eldora Speedway app for the iPhone, iPad and Android is now available for download via iTunes and Google Play.

ROSSBURG, OH  (May 3) – While World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series hotfoot Kerry Madsen has finally reached Eldora Speedway’s coveted Victory Lane stage,  Stock Car driver Barney Craig doesn’t want to leave it.

Madsen slipped past Craig Dollansky with 17 laps to go in Friday night’s 30-lap feature; then maneuvered through lapped traffic to score his first career victory at the famed .500-mile speed plant. As for Craig, he grabbed the stock car lead with three laps complete in the caution-free 15-lapper to score his second victory in as many races this season.

As for Madsen, he’s glad to finally enjoy the view and soak in the cheers from the fans in the grandstands. The driver of the Keneric Racing No. 29 has finished runner-up in Eldora’s premier Sprint Car race, the Kings Royal, in 2010 and again in 2012.

“I’m just relieved to win. I just wanted so bad to win here so to get one is great,” Madsen said. “It’s a special place for us.”

Brad Sweet started on the pole and jumped out to a commanding 1.1-second lead six laps into the race. But that dominance ended when he pitted two laps later with a broken spark plug that shut down his engine. Craig Dollansky inherited the lead at that point, with Paul McMahan and Madsen in pursuit.

A couple of event slow downs, including a turn-three flip by Madsen’s brother, Ian, kept Madsen in the hunt.

He was able to jump in front with 13 laps remaining, then had to hold off the field with two cautions with 10 laps to go. A final single-file restart with six laps to go helped Madsen stretch his lead to 2.7 seconds.   As he was weaving through lapped traffic, Dollansky moved closer, but fell short by 1.7 seconds.

“Just run consistent laps, bring it on,” Madsen said of what was going through his mind as he clicked off the late laps. “I knew lapped traffic was going to come so pay attention to the traffic. We’ve been so good here I figured we’d get one.”

Dollansky, McMahan, Donny Schatz and Jac Haudenschild rounded out the top five.

McMahan topped the two-lap qualifying session by turning the fastest lap around the .500-mile clay oval in 13.145 seconds (averaging 136.934 mph). Thirty nine cars participated in qualifying, including track owner and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. Stewart, who traveled 1,200-miles roundtrip from his NASCAR duties in Talladega, Ala., qualified 24^th out of 39 cars with a best lap of 13.504 seconds.

Stewart finished 16^th after starting 23^rd in the feature.

In the stock car main event, Craig had to work hard for his second feature win of the season. First it was an electrical problem that caused him concern after hot laps. Then it was Shawn Phillippi putting on the heat.

Phillippi led the first three laps, but Craig was closing the gap. The 2012 points champion found a line around Phillipi in Turns 1-2 and clicked off the final 11 laps in front of the 18-car field. Phillipi then found himself locked in a door-to-door battle with Paul Pardo for second. Phillippi; meanwhile, fell off the pace and directed his car into the pits to finish 14^th.

Pardo continued to reel in Craig, but ran into trouble attempting to go low on a lapped car with five laps remaining. Pardo quickly made up the lost ground and took a peek underneath Craig in Turns 3-4 but didn’t have the momentum for the slide job. Pardo appeared to bobble in Turns 1-2 on the last lap giving Craig enough cushion to pull away for another trip to Eldora’s stage.

“In the heat race we had an electrical problem. It started poppin’ and carryin’ on and we didn’t think we could find it,” Craig said. “The guys jumped on the car, found it and made us super fast.”

Eldora Speedway returns to action as the World of Outlaws STP SprintCars return Saturday for another full doubleheader show with the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds . Complete event and ticket purchase information for the World of Outlaws, along with the other exciting race events on the 2013 Eldora calendar, is available on the track’s website www.EldoraSpeedway.com. Race fans and race teams can get behind-the-scenes access by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, hitting ‘Like’ at Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and view video highlights at YouTube.com/EldoraSpeedwayInc. The new Eldora Speedway app for the iPhone, iPad and Android is now available for download via iTunes and Google Play.

STORYLINES:

* Saldana Looking to Continue WoO Parity Trend with an Eldora Victory
* At 38.3 Average Age, WoO Drivers Buck Sports Trend of Younger is Better
* Series Leader, Pittman, Shares WoO Birthdate
* 1200 Mile Roundtrip Is Irrelevant; It’s the 15-mile Chase That Stewart Is Concerned About
* Weekend Following WoO STP Sprint Cars Brings Unique Event to Eldora

SALDANA LOOKING TO CONTINUE WoO PARITY TREND WITH AN ELDORA VICTORY

FAST FACTS: Race 4 & 5 – 2013
The Race: World of Outlaws weekend
The Date: May 3 and May 4
The Time: Race Time – 7:30 p.m.
The Divisions/Distance/Payoff:
.
World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars
30 lap Main Event-$10,000 to win
.
Eldora Stock Cars (Fri only)
15 lap Main Event-$400 to win
.
UMP DIRTcar Modifieds (Sat only)
18 lap Main Event-$600 to win

ROSSBURG, OH (April 29) – Coming into this weekend’s World of Outlaws (WoO) STP Sprint Car Series doubleheader at Eldora Speedway, parity has been the rule of the season, as 11 different drivers have shared victory honors in the 17 events completed to date.   One driver that is in favor of that statistic and hoping the trend continues is Joey Saldana of Brownsburg, IN.

Although sitting third in the cumulative points chase, Saldana remains winless on the season.  But Eldora and two nights of racing plays right into Saldana’s hand, as the second-generation driver has posted at least one WoO victory in six of the past seven seasons and ranks third on Eldora’s all-time WoO win list.

Saldana knows Eldora well and has become a fan favorite with his rim-riding style; often running above the cushion and only inches from the outer concrete wall.

He will be coming into the Eldora weekend as driver of a recently revived Sprint Car team that has had pretty good success at the historic speed plant as well.  After a lengthy layoff from the sport, Dan Motter has returned and with the same familiar paint scheme that was used as Kenny Jacobs compiled multiple victories including a $100,000 win in the 1994 Historical Big One at Eldora.

Saldana has wasted little time in adapting to the new team, as he has compiled four top five finishes on the tour thus far, and has been the quickest qualifier twice.   However, it is the feature win column that Saldana is seeking and his confidence level has been raised coming into Eldora and two opportunities to complete that goal.

Each night (May 3 and May 4) will feature a full program of competition for the WoO STP Sprint Car Series.   Joining the Friday night leg will be the Eldora Stock Cars, while the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds complete Saturday’s twinbill.   Both nights share a 7:30 p.m. race starting time.

 

AT 38.3 AVERAGE AGE, WoO DRIVERS BUCK SPORTS TREND OF YOUNGER IS BETTER

ROSSBURG, OH (April 29) – While the majority of the sports world statistics and peak performance standards favor younger participants, the World of Outlaws (WoO) STP Sprint Car Series boldly bucks that trend.   In fact, the average age among the top ten drivers coming into this weekend’s doubleheader of action (May 3-4) at Eldora Speedway is 38.3.

Heading up the top end of that age list is 20-time champion Steve Kinser of Bloomington, IN at 58 years of age; with David Gravel of Watertown, CT coming in as the youngest at 20-years old.

Since the WoO Series was inaugurated in 1978, Kinser, who comes into the Eldora weekend 9th in points, has captured feature wins in 33 of those 35 years; including one this year that increased his total to 574 WoO wins.  He also sits atop of the all-time WoO win list on Eldora’s high-banked .500-mile clay oval with 35 triumphs.

Standing right behind Kinser in the age, and ironically the win, category is 57-year Sammy Swindell who calls Germantown, TN home and is ranked fourth in the 2013 point standings.  Swindell has three WoO championship titles on his resume and is coming off a strong year that found him finishing third in the overall points by capturing a series high 12 feature wins in 2012.  With a victory earlier this year, Swindell has accumulated his 289 WoO victories by scoring in 29 different years.  He follows Kinser in the Eldora win list at 20.

At the other end of the spectrum, trying to keep up with, and beat, the veterans, sits Gravel.   Leading into this weekend’s Eldora twin bill, he is ranked sixth in cumulative standing; an amazing fete considering he is filling the role of substitute driver for Bill Rose who injured his arm earlier this year.  Consistent runs by Gravel, who has one WoO career feature win to his credit, have seen him among the top five four times and the top ten nine times so far this year.   His lone checkered flag at Eldora came in 2011 during NRA Sprint Invader competition during the Knight Before the Kings Royal.

Completing the age rundown, in chronological order are Craig Dollansky (46), Paul McMahan (42), Joey Saldana (40), Donny Schatz (35), Daryn Pittman (34), Kraig Kinser (28) and Cody Darrah (23).

 

SERIES LEADER, PITTMAN, SHARES WoO BIRTHDATE

ROSSBURG, OH (April 29) – It may be irony, or it may fate, but the current point leader of the World of Outlaws (WoO) STP Sprint Car Series, Daryn Pittman, was born the same year that the nationally recognized series was created – 1978.

The 35-year old tour will be heading into Eldora Speedway this weekend (May 3-4) with two complete nights of racing that each pay $10,000 to win and award full points towards the 2013 crown that Pittman has aspirations of taking home.

The Owasso, OK native has a comfortable 136 point margin over runner-up Paul McMahan, who in turn leads Joey Saldana by another 19 markers.

Pittman came into the 2013 season replacing Saldana in the Kasey Kahne Racing prepared machine and has shown no difficulty adjusting to the team.   Three feature wins, twelve top five finishes and three quick times thus far into the season have been the propellants to his lead.

Pittman’s credentials at Eldora carry some impact; having come in high profile events.   His two Eldora WoO wins include the $50,000 to win Kings Royal in 2008, an honor he preceded with a Knight Before the Kings Royal victory in 2002.   Sandwiched between those two was a $100,000 payday in Eldora’s 2003 Historical Big One.

 

1200 MILE ROUNDTRIP IS IRRELEVANT; IT’S THE 15-MILE CHASE THAT STEWART IS CONCERNED ABOUT

ROSSBURG, OH (May 1) – It’s not the 1200 mile round trip from Talladega, AL to Rossburg, OH each night this weekend (May 3 & 4) that Tony Stewart is concerned about, it’s the 15-mile World of Outlaws (WoO) STP Sprint Car Series nightly feature event on Eldora Speedway’s .500-mile clay oval that he wants to chart successfully.

Jetting between roles as NASCAR Sprint Cup driver at Talladega Superspeedway and WoO Sprint Car driver at Eldora, a facility he owns, will give Stewart two opportunities this weekend to capture his first-ever WoO victory on home turf.   The three-time NASCAR Cup champion has already captured victories in USAC Sprint, USAC Midget, UMP DIRTcar Modified, UMP DIRTcar Late Model and NRA Sprint Invader competition, along with three victories in the talent-laden Prelude to the Dream charity event at his Eldora oval.

WEEKEND FOLLOWING WoO STP SPRINT CARS BRINGS UNIQUE EVENT TO ELDORA

ROSSBURG, OH (January 10) – Already known for its speed, diversity and action-packed events, Eldora Speedway is entering yet another dimension and reaching out to a new demographic with the Traxxas TORC (The Off Road Championship) event for May 10 & 11, 2013.

Off-road racing’s greatest stars will invade the clay oval of Eldora for the first time in the track’s 60 year history. Led by 7 time AMA Motocross Champion Ricky Johnson, TORC’s driver line up includes off-road and Baja Champions Bryce Menzies, Rob MacCachren, Johnny Greaves, Scott Douglas along with newcomers Cassie Currie, Matt Cook and Mitchell Dejong.

The Traxxas TORC Series, sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC), is billed as the fastest, most punishing short course racing series on the planet; featuring flag-to-flag fender banging as the drivers push the limits over whoop and jump filled natural terrain.  TORC bridges the gap between extreme sports, traditional racing and even mixed martial arts.

Eldora’s traditional clay 1/2 mile oval will be transformed for the two-night racing event into an odd-road course including table tops, rolling jumps, moguls and high speed action on the tracks steep banked turns. TORC has visited similar dirt tracks at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Chicagoland’s Route 66.

TORC will bring multiple divisions to Eldora for the two night event (May 10 & 11). The PRO Lights will kick off the PRO divisions, along with PRO 2WD and PRO 4×4 divisions.

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Complete event information, along with ticket and campsite purchase opportunities, may be obtained by visiting the track’s website www.EldoraSpeedway.com, or by calling the speedway office at (937) 338-3815.   Additionally, race fans and race teams can get behind-the-scenes access by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, hitting ‘Like’ at Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and view video highlights at YouTube.com/EldoraSpeedwayInc.  The new Eldora Speedway app for the iPhone, iPad and Android is now available for download via iTunes and Google Play.

ROSSBURG, OH (April 27) – While Brian Post (UMP DIRTcar Modifieds) and Logan Yelton (Waynesfield Tuff Trucks) scored their first career Eldora Speedway victories it was Barney Craig (Stock Cars) picking up where he left off from last season as Eldora Speedway finally celebrated its 60^th season opener on Saturday with some dramatic racing.

Dubbed Saturday Night SpeedFest, it was the historic track’s third attempt to race this season.  Mother Nature tried to intervene again, as light rain fell several times throughout the night, but the teams rallied and the entire show was completed in two hours and eight minutes.

The score sheets may show Post leading all 18 laps, but the replay video shows a host of drivers on his bumper the entire distance.  Five cautions and one red flag bunched up the field behind Post, yet each time he was able to maintain control. The final slow down, a red flag, came with three laps to go as Schuyler Nahre’s front tire made contact with another driver’s front tire, sending him barrel flipping high in the air before slamming hard to the track. He walked away under his own power but was later transferred to Community Health Center in Coldwater, OH for observation.

On that last restart, Post pulled away from Jeff Babcock and Jerry Bowersock – two veteran drivers who have a combined 32 Modified wins between them — down the backstretch and won by 0.748 seconds.

“This is our first time in this car so this is awesome to come out here and beat the best Modified drivers in the country,” said Post, who pumped his fist in the air in celebration after taking the checkered flag. “I want to thank the fans for coming out and my dad for believing we could win, especially here.”

Yelton was equally excited in his Tuff Truck victory. He wrestled the lead away from Danny Kelly after eight completed laps, and then fought off bumper-to-bumper, door-to-door challenges from Jerry Sawmiller, Roy Miller and Mike Sawmiller.  Able to throw a blanket over those top four cars the final seven laps of the 15-lapper, Yelton received a bump draft push of sorts from Miller to keep him out front. Yelton then pulled off a veteran move in the final turn. Jerry Sawmiller pulled an Eldora slide job and got underneath Yelton in Turn 3, but Yelton returned the favor and went low in Turn 4 to beat Sawmiller to the finish line by 0.158 seconds.

“Man, I thought he had me. I took a chance and just dove,” Yelton said of that winning slide job. “That’s good racing by Jerry, by everybody. … We just got the truck put together this morning. I couldn’t have asked for a better night.”

In the Stock Cars, Craig opened defense of his 2012 Eldora track title with a comfortable victory. Craig needed just three laps to leap from third to first, and never relinquished his lead once he got there. With two laps complete Craig used a slide job to take second away from Shawn Phillipi, then set sail for leader Chris Douglas. He caught him on the next lap and went high in Turns 3-4. Craig used the momentum to drag race Douglas to the finish line and grab first.

Craig stretched his lead to 3.1 seconds over the field after nine laps but a caution grouped the field behind him. Douglas went low on the restart and nearly got underneath Craig. But the momentum of running high helped Craig hold off the challenge.

“The track was heavy, it was hammer down and I did what I had to get it to the front,” Craig said of the win.

Eldora Speedway returns to action with the World of Outlaws STP Sprints on May 3-4. The Eldora Stock Cars join the Outlaws on Friday and the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds on Saturday. Complete event and advance ticket purchase information for the World of Outlaws weekend, along with the other exciting race events on the 2013 Eldora calendar, is available on the track’s website www.EldoraSpeedway.com. Race fans and race teams can get behind-the-scenes access by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, hitting ‘Like’ at Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and view video highlights at YouTube.com/EldoraSpeedwayInc. The new Eldora Speedway app for the iPhone, iPad and Android is now available for download via iTunes and Google Play.

STORYLINES:
* Looking to Saturday, Eldora Banking on “Third Time’s the Charm”
* Aaron Orr Seeks to Join Brother Scott as Champion to Become 4th Such Eldora Combination
* Odds of Backing Up Modified Championship Against Kramer
* Sawmiller Father/Son Team to Lead Waynesfield Tuff Trucks Into Eldora
* Flash News:  Eldora Owner Tony Stewart to Tackle World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars May 3 & 4

LOOKING TO SATURDAY, ELDORA BANKING ON “THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM”

FAST FACTS: Race 3 – 2013
The Race: Saturday Night Speedfest
The Date: Saturday, April 27, 2013
The Time: Race Time – 7:30 p.m.
The Divisions/Distance/Payoff:
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UMP DIRTcar Modifieds
18 lap Main Event-$600 to win
.
Eldora Stock Cars
15 lap Main Event-$400 to win
.
Waynesfield Tuff Trucks
15 lap Main Event-$400 to win

ROSSBURG, OH (April 23) – A widely used English idiom suggests that “the third time’s the charm” and that’s exactly what Eldora Speedway race fans and race teams are counting on this Saturday (April 27).  The historic .500 clay oval will be trying for the third straight week to kick off its 60^th consecutive season of racing.  Two previous attempts have been thwarted by unseasonably cold and wet weather conditions.Hoping to turn the tables on Mother Nature will be three divisions of racing in an affordably priced ($12 General Admission) event dubbed as ‘Saturday Night SpeedFest’. The UMP DIRTcar Modified and Eldora Stock Car drivers will begin their chase towards 2013 championship titles, while the Tuff Truck division from Waynesfield Raceway Park will make a special visit.

Early season gremlins along the racing trail have defending Modified champion Joey Kramer (Hanover, IN) behind the eight-ball and listed as ‘unsure’ for Saturday night.  Not so; however, for the Stock Car defender, Barney Craig (Lima, OH), who has used the past couple of off-weeks to prep his machine and is anxious to go.

With a clean slate before them, the SpeedFest will serve as an equal opportunity for everyone as the race for the 2013 Modified and Stock Car titles gets underway.

 

AARON ORR SEEKS TO JOIN BROTHER SCOTT AS CHAMPION TO BECOME 4^TH SUCH ELDORA COMBINATION

ROSSBURG, OH (April 23) – Saturday’s (April 27) kickoff to the 2013 racing calendar will mark the 60^th consecutive year of racing at the rural Ohio speed plant that has put Darke County Ohio into the national spotlight.  For 41 of those years, drivers have chased for divisional championship honors; compiling 154 titles by 78 different drivers.

Included within those 78 drivers are three sets of brothers:  Brian and Chad Ruhlman, Jerry and Scott Bowersock and Kenny and Kevin Gossard.   Going into the 2013 points chase, there is another potential brother combination as Aaron Orr attempts to join Scott as an Eldora champion.

The Ruhlmans have combined for the most titles at eight.  Brian has accumulated four Late Model and one Modified honors, while Chad has one Late Model and two Modified awards.   The Bowersocks and Gossards have each earned a total of four championship drives.  Jerry Bowersock has two Modified and one Late Model award on his resume, while Scott has captured a Stock Car title.  For the Gossards it’s an even split of two each.   Kenny has a Late Model and Stock Car championship, while Kevin’s two limelight appearances came in the Stock Cars.

A 2013 season honor by Aaron would instantly move the Orrs into second place with six earned championships, as Scott has five titles to date.  Also, it would mark the first brother combination to earn all of their rewards within the same division – Modifieds.

Saturday’s SpeedFest will showcase three divisions of racing – UMP DIRTcar Modifieds, Eldora Stock Cars and Waynesfield Tuff Trucks – with a 7:30 p.m. race start time on tap.

 

ODDS OF BACKING UP MODIFIED CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST KRAMER

ROSSBURG, OH (April 23) – For Joey Kramer, the odds of the Hanover, IN chauffeur capturing his second consecutive UMP DIRTcar Modified championship at Eldora Speedway are stacked against him.  It has been twelve years since that back-to-back fete was accomplished by Scott Orr; 2000 and 2001.

For the balance of the competitors, that is good news as it seemingly opens the gate for any one of them to enter their name on to the coveted list of Eldora champions.  That chase begins this Saturday, April 27.

And the field of aspirants is healthy.   Rob Williams (Eaton, OH) is anxious to pick up the pace from 2012 when he challenged Kramer right down to the final laps of the final race only to fall short of a title by a mere five points.

Matt Westfall (Ludlow Falls, OH) is banking on the early season success he is having on area speedways to carry over to Eldora, as is Jeff Babcock (Wayne, OH).   Jon Henry (Ada, OH) will join Jerry Bowersock (Wapakoneta, OH) and Orr (Columbia City, IN) as former champions looking to duplicate previous titles, and the list just goes on and on to make the UMP DIRTcar field at Eldora one of the most competitive in the Midwest.

Rounding out Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. tripleheader will be the Eldora Stock Cars in their point race debut and a special appearance by the Waynesfield Tuff Truck division.

 

SAWMILLER FATHER/SON TEAM TO LEAD WAYNESFIELD TUFF TRUCKS INTO ELDORA

ROSSBURG, OH (April 23) – Following a successful run in last season’s Blue Collar Bash, the Tuff Truck division from Waynesfield Raceway Park has been invited to join Eldora Speedway’s Saturday Night SpeedFest tripleheader this weekend (April 27).   The mini-trucks will be added to the card that also features UMP DIRTcar Modifieds and Eldora Stock Cars in a 7:30 p.m. racing start.

One team anxious to get back to Eldora is the father/son Sawmiller team; as they have an internal score to settle.   Son Mike of St. Marys, OH edged out his father, Jerry, of Wapakoneta, OH in October’s Bash main event.   This has set up a race within a race, as each driver, including the Sawmillers will be racing to the checkered flag of victory at the end of 15 laps; but the Sawmillers have their own family grudge match on tap.

 

FLASH NEWS:  ELDORA OWNER TONY STEWART TO TACKLE WORLD OF OUTLAWS STP SPRINT CARS

ROSSBURG, OH (April 23) – Eldora Speedway owner and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart was recently featured in USA Today; showcasing how he uses short-track racing as an inspiration in his NASCAR efforts.   He will be bringing that formula to his own track over the weekend of May 3 and 4 when he challenges the touring pros of the World of Outlaws (WoO) STP Sprint Cars.

Stewart is no stranger to the Eldora victory lane; having already compiled wins in USAC non-winged Sprint Cars, USAC Midgets, UMP DIRTcar Modifieds and Late Models, NRA winged Sprint Cars and against his peers in the Prelude to the Dream.   A World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars win on the .500 mile Eldora clay oval is next on his bucket list and with three previously earned victories along the competitive WoO trail he knows how to get the job done.

Two full nights of doubleheader racing (May 3 & 4) are on the racing menu, with the Eldora Stock Cars joining on Friday night and the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds on Saturday night.

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Complete event information, along with ticket and campsite purchase opportunities, may be obtained by visiting the track’s website www.EldoraSpeedway.com, or by calling the speedway office at (937) 338-3815.   Additionally, race fans and race teams can get behind-the-scenes access by following @EldoraSpeedway on Twitter, hitting ‘Like’ at Facebook.com/EldoraSpeedway and view video highlights at YouTube.com/EldoraSpeedwayInc.  The new Eldora Speedway app for the iPhone, iPad and Android is now available for download via iTunes and Google Play.