When one door closes, another opens. And Tony Stewart made sure the other door yielded a golden opportunity. As the United States Auto Club (USAC) series reeled under tragedy in May, several problems surfaced. Yet as Eldora Speedway pulled through under the guidance of reliable officials, Stewart silently cooked plans to attract a top-ranking IndyCar official.

That individual would also be going back to his roots. After all, what could be better than to appoint a seven-time USAC championship winner as the top brass of the World’s Greatest Dirt Track? Fans also showed their support for this decision, although it came without much prior trumpeting.

Tony Stewart replenishing Eldora’s brass

Back in May, Eldora general manager Jerry Gappens Jr. passed away, leaving behind a winning legacy and heavy hearts. However, the dirt track officials had less than two weeks to prepare for the Dirt Late Model Dream. Jonathan Bateman, acting as interim manager, tackled the issues smoothly. In the meantime, Eldora track owner Tony Stewart worked on roping in Gappens’ successor in a hushed manner. Over three months after Gappens’ tragedy, Stewart announced his selection.

Levi Jones was working as the director of Indy NXT by Firestone, the stepping-stone division to the flagship NTT IndyCar Series. After a three-year stint in the open-wheel series, Tony Stewart has summoned him back to his dirt racing roots. Eldora Speedway released the news on X, as they wrote, “Levi Jones has been hired as the new General Manager of Eldora Speedway! The championship-winning USAC driver and motorsports industry veteran was just introduced on the stage during tonight’s World 100 pre-race show.”

Besides working at IndyCar’s top level, Levi Jones had also worked at USAC’s national series. He won 35 USAC feature races, including Sprint Car, Midget, and Silver Crown, besides clinching seven championships. All but the 2005 championship came under Tony Stewart Racing. So, Stewart could not emphasize Jones’ worth more: “In his role as general manager, he combines a racer’s perspective with excellent managerial and promotional experience, which he has earned at USAC and IndyCar. Our fans and competitors should know that Eldora is in very good hands, just as it had been before.”

And fans do agree with Tony Stewart’s decision, as they salute Eldora’s new brass.

Motorsport community welcomes new official

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Tony Stewart holds laurels from multiple racing series. 49 victories and three championships in the NASCAR Cup Series, 1996-97 champion and three victories in IndyCar, and also two-time USAC champion. So motorsport fans would wholeheartedly agree with his executive calls, as they rallied to support his decision. Moreover, his selection is top brass too, as one fan commented: “Congratulations to @levijones_1, @HeidiJones31 & family! Perfect selection @TonyStewart 🏁 👏🏻👏🏻” 

Another fan tipped their hat to both Stewart and Jones, wishing both the best. “I believe Levi is a great hire and will do a top notch job!! Good luck!!” 

Indeed, Levi’s resume speaks for itself. Before joining IndyCar in October 2021, Jones had a dynamic seven-year stint with USAC. He kicked things off as the national series competition director from 2015 to 2019 and then leveled up to executive vice president from 2019 to 2021. Somebody else chimed in with their congratulations message. “Congrats Levi 👏🏁”

Carved from a cornfield in 1954, Eldora Speedway holds hallowed significance in fans’ hearts. The half-mile dirt oval is a grassroots racing heaven, so fans want nobody but the best to take care of it. So one fan slipped a wish upon witnessing Levi Jones’ job update: “Does this mean better track prep?” Somebody else harped on the compensation factor, calling for a bigger paycheck for sprint racing on the Greatest Dirt Track. “Great news. Putting a six figure payday for the USAC sprint cars at the Big E on my wishlist.”

With all these well wishes, Tony Stewart and his new track official are bound to do wonders at Eldora Speedway. Let us see how they fare at the 4-Crown Nationals event on September 20-21st.