Despite Desperately Wanting to Race, Tony Stewart Discloses Why he won’t Compete at Eldora

Located to the north of a small village in Rossburg, Ohio, is the Eldora Speedway. The ‘Big E’s ownership lies with three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. Eldora is the haven of dirt-track racing lovers, with Tony being one himself. Hosting multiple high-profile dirt racing events yearly, Eldora has risen in prominence ever since the takeover.

But with Tony being a dirt racing legend, his participation in this year’s historic Eldora Million was much needed. Speaking to FloRacing about his idea to skip this year’s Eldora Million, which will hand out a million dollars to a Sprint Cup driver for the first time, the Stewart-Haas Racing owner emphasizes the need for acquaintance with a racing schedule.

“It would be hard for me”: Tony Stewart on missing out on the Eldora Million this year

The Eldora Speedway is known for hosting popular events like Dirt Late Model Dream, Kings Royal, and World 100, among many other notable races. As an estimate, the venue attracts around 20,000 viewers annually and thus becomes an attractive destination for many drivers. This year, the 50-lap Sprint Car race is looking to reward the winner with one million dollars. Kyle Larson will be keeping close tabs on this one.

But Tony not running a car at the iconic 0.5-mile track will be unsightly indeed. Citing his reasons for opting out of the lucrative race, he says,

“I’m old and out of shape. And trust me, I can promise you this, I’ve raced with a majority of the guys that are gonna be here. They’re tough. It would be hard for me to compete these guys. These guys run 60-7- races a year, and if you’re not doing the same thing, you’re not racing the caliber that those guys are.”

Reiterating his admiration and applause for the drivers who will be competing in the biggest dirt car race of the year, he adds, “I’ve got a very high level of respect for every driver that is coming to this event. I can promise you that the 24 cars starting field on Thursday night is gonna be the who’s who of sprint car racing.”

Ever since his takeover in 2004 from renowned promoter Earl Bates, Tony has been attentive to the development of the track. Over time, it has evolved into one of the most sought-after venues for dirt car racing. The high-banked clay dirt oval hosting a million-dollar prize has been Stewart’s goal since long ago, as he explains.

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“$2 million over the course of four days”, is historic, says Tony

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Tony Stewart has been a part of initiating his plans for the Sprint Cup, according to FloRacing, Tony mentioned: “It’s always been in my mind to be the first to do a million-dollar sprint car race. It’s a financial responsibility for sure, but there’s just things that feel right and you know you’re doing for the right reason, this is one of them.”

Tony Stewart highlights the fact that, although the format of the competition is far too complicated to explain, what should be the main focus of the event is that a Sprint Car driver will get a chance at going home with a million dollars. Explaining the same, he added, “It shouldn’t be qualify, quick time and start on the pole, and the next thing you know you start on the pole for the main event and you don’t have to race anybody. We laid out a format with our staff that we felt like was going to give the fans the best opportunity to see the best racing. It’s not a free ride. You’re going to have to pass cars no matter what during the prelim and the main event … to get there.”

To make history, SHR’s co-founder has decided that they will be handing out a record amount of standalone prize money which will make it $2 million in winning course over a time span of four days at the iconic dirt track.

“We’re going to pay out over $2 million over the course of four days at Eldora,” Stewart says. “It’s about making history more than it is anything else at this point.”

Read More: “Work and Earn It”- Tony Stewart Warns Drivers of the High Stakes That Define Difficulty of Eldora’s $1 Million Race