Eldora Speedway | 13929
St Route 118 | New Weston | OH | 45348
For immediate news release e-mail: mail@eldoraspeedway.com
NEXTEL
PRELUDE TO THE DREAM - FAST FACTS
WHAT:
Third
Annual NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice
WHERE:
Eldora
Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio (Half-mile dirt oval)
WHEN:
7
p.m. (EDT), Wednesday, June 6, 2007
DISTANCE:
Feature
consists of 30 laps
CARS:
Dirt
late-model stock cars
PAST
WINNERS:
2006:
Tony Stewart
2005:
Kenny Wallace
TV:
HBO
Pay-Per-View, 7 p.m. (EDT), June 6, 2007
Announcers:
Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Kyle Petty
Pit
reporters: Dick Berggren, Matt Yocum
HOW
TO ORDER:
·
The live broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT), with
an immediate replay and subsequent replays throughout the week
and the following weekend.
·
Prospective viewers can order the event as early as Sunday,
June 3, right up until race time on June 6. All that is necessary
to order the event is digital cable or satellite service. A
subscription to HBO is not required.
·
The suggested retail price is $24.95 and available to more than
61 million pay-per-view homes. Ordering information and up-to-the
minute racing information is available at www.hbo.com/sports.
SCHEDULE
(All times local – EDT; subject to change):
8 a.m.
General
Admission markings may begin (Chairs/Blankets ONLY)
1 p.m.
Ticket
Office Opens
3:30 p.m.
All
Admission Gates Open
6 p.m.
Qualifying
Draw (Stage)
6:10 p.m.
Warm
up laps for support races
7 p.m.
HBO
Pay-Per-View Broadcast begins
7:10 p.m.
Prelude
Hot Laps
7:35 p.m.
Prelude QualifyinG
8:15 p.m.
Driver
Introductions
8:30 p.m.
Invocation
& National Anthem
8:35 p.m.
Racing
begins
·
Three Prelude Heats (10 laps each)
·
Support Division Feature (15 laps/ max 12 minutes)
·
Prelude Consolation (12 laps)
·
Support Division feature (17 laps/ max 12 minutes)
·
Prelude Feature (30 laps)
9:45 p.m.
Post
Race Winner’s Circle / Victory Junction Gang Camp Presentation
THE
LINEUP:
Aric
Almirola
Promising
NASCAR driver has limited dirt experience
Dave Blaney
No
problem with dirt – Won 1995 World of Outlaws title and
1997 Knoxville Nationals
Clint Bowyer
Grew
up on dirt and won the 2002 track title on dirt at Kansas’
Lakeside Speedway
Kyle Busch
Four-time
Nextel Cup winner grew up on asphalt, but adapts quickly
Ron Capps
NHRA
star will have to get used to turning left – and doing
it on dirt
Carl Edwards
Four-time
Nextel Cup winner will be at home in a dirt-late model
Bill Elliott
Plenty
of dirt experience for the 1988 NEXTEL Cup Champion
Ray Evernham
Trading
his ownership hat for a helmet and a steering wheel at Eldora
Red Farmer
A
legend, who even at more than 75 years of age is not afraid
to mix it up on dirt
Jeff Gordon
Four-time
Nextel Cup champ will race at Eldora for the first time since
1991.
Denny Hamlin
Not
a lot of dirt experience, but plenty of late-model experience
Kevin Harvick
Made
his dirt-track debut two years ago at the Prelude to the Dream
Kasey Kahne
Cut
his teeth on dirt in USAC competition
Matt Kenseth
2003 Nextel Cup champ has limited dirt experience
Bobby Labonte
Owns
a dirt late model team, but has not driven much on dirt
Mark Martin
One
of the all-time greats, doesn’t have much dirt experience,
but can adapt quickly
Juan Pablo
Montoya
Zero
dirt experience, but can become the first to win at Indy, Monaco
and Eldora
Ryan Newman
Like
Kahne, cut his teeth in USAC competition on dirt
Cruz Pedregon
Like
Capps, this NHRA star will have to get used to turning left
– and doing it on dirt.
David Reutimann
Began
racing in dirt-late models
Elliott
Sadler
Three-time
Nextel Cup winner has limited dirt experience
Kenny Schrader
Could
be the favorite as he will race anywhere, anytime – especially
on dirt.
Tony Stewart
Liked
Eldora so much he bought it in 2004
Kenny Wallace
2006
Prelude winner, grew up on dirt
Mike Wallace
Plenty of Midwest dirt experience
J.J. Yeley
Like Kahne and Stewart, cut his teeth on dirt in USAC competition
THE
TRACK:
Half-mile
dirt oval
Banking:
Turns: 24 degrees; Straightaways: 8 degrees
Capacity:
17,905 permanent seats plus hillside seating
Eldora
Speedway is a half-mile dirt racing facility located in western
Ohio. The “Big E” is owned by two-time NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup champion Tony Stewart. The Indiana native purchased Eldora
from legendary promoter Earl Baltes in 2004. Baltes built Eldora
in 1954 and had been the sole owner of the facility for 50 years.
Eldora plays host to some of the largest dirt racing events
in the country, including the Prelude, Dream, Kings Royal, and
World 100 – all of which attract more than 20,000 spectators
on an annual basis.
RACE
NOTES:
·
Five NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champions are scheduled to participate
in the Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice: Bill Elliott
(1988), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001), Bobby Labonte
(2000), Tony Stewart (2002, 2005), Matt Kenseth (2003).
·
Three Daytona 500 winners are scheduled to participate in the
Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice: Elliott (1985),
Gordon (1997, 1999, 2005), Kevin Harvick (2007).
·
Juan Pablo Montoya, who won the 2000 Indianapolis 500 and the
2003 Monaco Grand Prix, is attempting to become the first driver
in automobile racing history to have won the Indianapolis 500,
Monaco Grand Prix and the NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented
by Old Spice. No driver has ever won Indianapolis, Monaco and
Eldora.
·
Drag racing standouts Ron Capps and Cruz Pedregon will compete
in the NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice. Capps
has 25 career NHRA victories and has finished second in Funny
Car points three times (1998, 2000 & 2005). Pedregon won
the 1992 NHRA Funny Car title and has 27 career victories.
·
The elite group of drivers in the field have combined for a
staggering 579 victories in Nextel Cup, NASCAR Busch Series,
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Formula One, Indy-style, IROC
and NHRA competition. (Nextel Cup – 269; Busch Series
– 176; NHRA – 52; Craftsman Truck – 33; IROC
– 28; Indy-style – 14; Formula One – 7).
·
A total of 24 major championships have been won by drivers in
the NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream presented by Old Spice: Nextel
Cup [9] – Elliott (1988), Gordon (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001),
B. Labonte (2000), Stewart (2002, 2005), Kenseth (2003); IROC
[9] – Mark Martin (1994, 1996-1998, 2005), B. Labonte
(2001), Kevin Harvick (2002), Kenseth (2004), Stewart (2006);
Busch Series [3] – B. Labonte (1991), Harvick (2001, 2006);
IndyCar Series [1] – Stewart (1997); CART [1] –
Montoya (1999); NHRA Funny Car [1] – C. Pedregon (1992).
·
Jeff Gordon will return to Eldora for the first time in since
1991 when he won the midget portion of the USAC Four Crown Nationals.
-TSC-
