Eldora Speedway | 13929
St Route 118 | New Weston | OH | 45348
For immediate news release e-mail: mail@eldoraspeedway.com
STEWART
REVEALS BALTES TRIBUTE AT THE DREAM
ROSSBURG, OH (June 11) – For 51 straight
years Earl Baltes, along with wife Berneice, held a watchful
eye over his beloved Eldora Speedway, with a powerful presence.
Even after selling the famed facility, which opened in June
of 1954, to two-time NASCAR Cup champion Tony Stewart in the
fall of 2004, the Baltes’s have attended every race meet
under Stewart’s guidance.
Their presence is now perpetual.
During Saturday’s Dirt Late Model Dream,
Stewart brought Earl and Berneice to the stage and unveiled
a life-sized, true to detail, bronzed statue of them, as the
massive crowd rose to their feet in a roar of approval.
In typical Baltes fashion, the statue finds
the pair smiling a waving to the crowd, and will be permanently
displayed just inside the main gates of Eldora to serve as an
unprecedented Baltes welcome to the fans.
Stewart, who acknowledged, “Earl is
my backbone, and helps to keep my spirits up”, revealed
that the statue is the culmination of a three-year dream. Raymond
Gibby of Arkansas was commissioned to build the unique effigy;
solely from pictures provided by the family, who were sworn
to secrecy and had a hard time keeping it from the always inquisitive
Baltes. Gibby put ten months of work into the endeavor and was
on hand Saturday night to meet Baltes, personally, for the first
time.
“Earl and Berneice are forever and ever
going to be a part of Eldora Speedway”, said Stewart.
In addition, Stewart revealed an annual race
to be named after the Eldora founders. The Baltes Classic has
found an enduring location on the Eldora schedule. “This
race is for the fans”, said Stewart. “Eldora already
has a rich tradition of big money races for the drivers, but
this is more than a race. The Baltes Classic is a salute to
the fans; thanking them for their loyalty to this great track.”
As such,
it was announced that this year’s Baltes Classic, to be
held August 31, will offer $50,000 in prizes. Aesthetic Finishers
has jumped on board as the event sponsor.
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