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

Having hosted two $1 million races in the past, Eldora Speedway for the time ever will give Sprint Car drivers the chance to cash in a million-dollar cheque come Thursday. The brainchild of NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, the 2023 Eldora Million race, will see Sprint Car’s best 80 drivers bout it out for the  $1,002,023 prize. Tickets for the Eldora Million have been sold in 46 states and five countries, with a viewership turnout expected to surpass NASCAR and Indy Car races.

With the race right around the corner, Eldora Speedway owner Tony Stewart has now warned drivers of the high stakes that separate the Eldora Million from other races.

What did Tony Stewart say? 

From NASCAR icons like Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson to the 39th Kings Royal winner Brent Marks partaking in the million-dollar run, Tony Stewart has prepared the best treat for fans. A staunch believer that all great things should be earned, Stewart has shaken things up for the Eldora Million. Ditching the conventional point system followed by the majority of racing formats, Smoke has applied the ‘Every Lap Matters’ points format to the upcoming million-dollar Sprint Car race.

Speaking in a press conference with FloRacing, Tony Stewart detailed the high stakes of the Eldora Million. Stewart said, “We wanted to do something a little bit different. And the thing that I’m really passionate about, and have a strong feeling about is whoever’s gonna win a million dollars needs to earn it.”

“It shouldn’t be qualify quick time, you start from pole and the next thing you know you are starting from pole in the main event, and you don’t have to race anybody. That’s what’s unique about our format and it’s way too detailed to talk about in this press conference. But we laid down a format with our staff that we felt like was gonna give the fans the best opportunity to see the best racing. And whatever driver it is gets on that stage wanting a million dollars at the end of the night will have earned it for sure,” the NASCAR Hall of Famer further added.

Sending out a warning to the competing drivers, Stewart said, “There is no easy ride, you are gonna have to pass cars no matter what during the portion of the prelim and the main event on Thursday to get there. So whoever it is, is gonna have to work and earn it. It’s not a free ride.”

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With the first-of-its-kind million-dollar race right around the corner, let’s take a look at how the ‘Every Lap Matters’ format differs from the conventional points system.

Eldora Speedway’s ‘Every Lap Matters’ format

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The conventional points system used by NASCAR and various other racing series awards points to drivers for every stage finish in the main event, with the final stage victor bagging the title win. The qualifying races only determine the starting order of the race and the pole winner, serving no other purpose.

The Eldora Speedway’s signature ‘Every Lap Matters’ format awards points to drivers for every lap they run, including the laps in the qualifying rounds. The points accumulated from the preliminary races are then used to seed the Heat race lineups for the main event. This format does level the playing field a lot more, as the winners are not just decided based on their final lap performance.

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Who will bag the $1 million cheque at tomorrow’s Eldora Million? Stay connected to find out.