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ELDORA'S NEXTEL PRELUDE ROSTER GROWS

ROSSBURG, OH (May 23) -- A well-rounded representation of driver talent is taking shape for Eldora Speedway’s June 8 Nextel Prelude to the Dream, as indicated by the recent additions to the star-studded line-up.

Joining previously announced NASCAR Nextel Cup stars Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Dave Blaney, Kenny Schrader, Kyle Petty and Kenny Wallace in dirt Super Late Models that night will be Jeff Green, Danny Lasoski, Ron Capps, Mike Wallace and Red Farmer.

With diverse auto racing backgrounds, and impressive credentials on their resumes, this group; will provide an interesting flair to the inaugural Nextel Prelude.

Farmer has established himself as a legend among stock car racing circles; having started with NASCAR in the early-years when they frequented the short dirt tracks of the South, raced on the beach at Daytona and followed the spiral to today’s super speedway racing.

Even at 70 plus years of age, he still loves to race, and he remains competitive while having fun and pursuing his hobby. As one of the original members of the fabled ‘Alabama Gang’, Farmer admits that he “loves racing with these youngsters” and looks forward to showcasing his talents in this special appearance on Eldora’s one-half mile clay oval.

Lasoski has raced against many of the Nextel Cup drivers in the International Race of Champions (IROC) and even beat them at their game at the Texas Motor Speedway last year. Now, with the Nextel Prelude, the tables are being turned, and Lasoski will be within more comfortable and familiar territory - dirt track racing.

More commonly known as “the Dude” among the racing fraternity, Lasoski is coming off a runner-up finish in the 2004 World of Outlaw (WoO) Sprints points chase, where he drove Tony Stewart’s J.D. Byrider sponsored sprinter to 11 feature wins.

Capps will be representing the drag racing world. He is a perennial fan favorite among the ‘straight-liners’ and has driven to victories in Top Fuel and Funny Car racing since joining the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) in 1995.

Jeff Green, a former Nashville Speedway USA track champion, absolutely steamrolled the competition in 2000 en route to the NASCAR Busch Series championship.

Rounding out the most recent list of announced talent is Mike Wallace, who started his driving career in big fashion by winning more than 300 short track events in the Midwest during his 1970’s and 80’s. He also owns a trio of NASCAR Busch Series wins.

A brief practice session will acclimate the Prelude drivers to their assigned Late Models prior to taking single-lap qualifying runs to determine their placement in one of two preliminary heat races. Those finishing positions will then be used for placement in the Nextel finale, as the ’stars’ will be racing against each other for bragging rights and another chapter of Eldora’s illustrated history is created.

Completing the racing program that night will be a full program of FASTAK Champions Series racing as they make their Eldora debut. While looking similar in appearance to the Late Models that the Eldora fans have witnessed and appreciated over the years, the difference comes ‘under the hood’ as the FASTRAK teams are governed by ‘crate engines’ delivered directly by General Motors, with only a limited number of modifications permitted.

Gates for the Nextel Prelude to the Dream open at 3:30, with the first round of practice slated for 6:30 and the racing set to take the green flat at 8:00 PM.