Good read about Eldora locals!

[play4kps]

https://www.dirtunlimited.com/post/local-drivers-fans-are-fed-up-with-the-current-state-of-eldora-speedway?fbclid=IwAR3Y-hfLvJcGeq2FKoTNqrPfEiosWSdrfzBNQIcoJ31xunV-hBMzjCrR8BQ

[WisWildManFan]

I guess they could race every Saturday and then they could raise the beer and food prices by 3 times the amount. Super Weekly racing is almost dead across the country... it’s just a sign of the times. My local track closed this year.

[Tireguy17]

When you have a crown jewel schedule like Eldora has, and in this current "racing economy", weekly racing is mostly a money-losing deal. I once heard that Knoxville's weekly racing programs lost money and the Knoxville Sprint Car Nationals basically funded the rest of the season.

After making my 1st trip to Eldora for the Dream this year I think Eldora does everything right to put on a great show at a 1st class facility. I understand that weekly racing has been chopped from the schedule, but there is nothing wrong with running mostly big races as long as you do it successfully, which they are.

[millermw]

If you don’t have weekly racing, how do you get more young talent to race the big shows?

[JabberJaws83]

How do we know locals are unhappy? Zero quotes in the whole story lol

[jensenracing18]

There are plenty of small tracks in the area for weekly racing, A mega facility like Eldora cannot operate in this day and age with a couple hundred people in the stands and a half pit full of mods and stocks on a weekly basis.

[jensenracing18]

I didn't see people lining up to go spend the money necessary to run on a big 1/2 mile like Eldora all year either....

[brsteg]

How do we know locals are unhappy? Zero quotes in the whole story lol

Exactly my thoughts. Purely an opinion piece of one man. And no information about the author of the story is given.

To be an impactful piece, needs to be 5 interviews minimum with local Mod and Stock racers either current or former.

As is, just one guy wishing for the way it was. Not that good points aren't brought up, the piece doesn't live up to the title nor have the impact if could if the piece actually served the title given.

[JimBo]

Looks like the site is run by this guy. Gannon Pritchard who used to have a Facebook Page titled "Living the Dream Dirt to Daytona". The article is credited to Shannon Bolin who I have never heard of. Anybody ever heard of him?

[Krooser]

Just one guy with a website voicing his opinion.

Weekly racing at Eldora would be nice but until.I write that check I have no say.

[play4kps]

The article goes on to mention that Williams Grove and Knoxville which are just as big as eldora still continue to support grassroots level racing. How do you expect the sport to grow when you have one late model team within 60 miles of eldora and only two more within 90 miles of eldora. Nobody around the track is building cars because it's too far to race. The closest track to eldora is oakshade which is probably 2 hours and 15 minutes and then it's probably Florence which is close to 3 hours. It's amazing the people who defend eldora don't live near the track and don't have a track in their backyard that is closed two out of the three months of summer time and continually make excuses for the track not being open. And then cry because of low car counts. Or make excuses when certain tracks don't get a good car count but eldora always gets a pass.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

The article goes on to mention that Williams Grove and Knoxville which are just as big as eldora still continue to support grassroots level racing. How do you expect the sport to grow when you have one late model team within 60 miles of eldora and only two more within 90 miles of eldora. Nobody around the track is building cars because it's too far to race. The closest track to eldora is oakshade which is probably 2 hours and 15 minutes and then it's probably Florence which is close to 3 hours. It's amazing the people who defend eldora don't live near the track and don't have a track in their backyard that is closed two out of the three months of summer time and continually make excuses for the track not being open. And then cry because of low car counts. Or make excuses when certain tracks don't get a good car count but eldora always gets a pass.

Moler is 2 hours. Attica is 2.5 hours. Wayne Co. Is about 3 hours. It's been a long time since John Lawhorn raced. How many cars were near the track 20 years ago? 2 hour tows are fairly normal for guys who want to race.

[JabberJaws83]

Knoxville and Williams Grove have always had a healthy amount of. local main event class cars (sprints) to draw cars. Eldora will never draw enough late models to support a weekly division and be financially viable. It’s not giving them a pass, it’s reality. Like I said above, how do we know people are upset besides the guy who wrote the article?

[Rocky]

I tow an hour to the closest track 2 hours to the second closest one the 2 hour tow is better for me because it’s a Saturday track. I get to the races in time to help my buddy with his street stock on Friday night though cause I am an adult lol.👍 Hey man you could totally get a modified and run Limaland, right? I hear that a pretty cool little joint. We gotta support those tracks that are running every week and if Roger and Tony choose not to compete with the other area tracks, I can get behind that.

Unless you don’t want to of course. If traveling with the big show is your thing rock on amigo.👍

[Rocky]

That last post should have said addict not adult, and edit ain't working. Sorry guys, my phone got me.

[latemodelman]

Well when Eldora decided to change the rules on safety before UMP and all tracks did they had great car counts. Also why run USAC and WOO on the same night when you could run them on different nights and run mods and stocks as a support. Also the UMP Nationals were big when they paid 10,000 to win for late models and 3,000 for mods. Now for me the 4 crown is the race I like.

[play4kps]

Eldora 20 years ago probably had maybe 12 to 15 teams within 90 miles of the track. I believe the article is more modified and street stock based. 20 years ago their was probably 35 plus modified teams that called Eldora their home track and 25 plus street stocks likewise. I believe they only scheduled 3 modified races all year. And Ricky Weiss was track champion this year, imagine how suprised he would be to find that out. running one race outside the Dream and World.

[jensenracing18]

true but 20 years ago every track that's now closed and bulldozed probably had the same car counts as well, it sure is a different world now... and for Weiss considering each night of the dream and world were separate point nights and he never finished outside of the top 10 at Eldora I believe his worst finish was 7th this year

[ThebigE]

I'm a local.... And this is spot on.

[jensenracing18]

I get it people want it open weekly it would be awesome.. but with 4 tracks all within an hour of the big E the area isn't hurting for weekly shows

[chathamracefan]

Not only is the # of tracks shrinking, but the # of tracks of Eldora's size & relative strain on equipment running weekly seems to be shrinking even more rapidly. Some tracks have gone the Granite City (IL) route & downsized or gone to a specials only type of schedule similar to what Eldora has done.

Knoxville & Williams Grove draw pretty good on the sprint car side, but they pay upwards of $3k or $4k to win each week & several weekly shows during the year paying more than that. Outside of Fairbury's stepped up payouts, I don't know of a late model track coming close to that for a weekly payout for late models. Can't imagine it would be a $ maker for Eldora to try to run weekly shows these days.

[Dlmfan123]

Not only is the # of tracks shrinking, but the # of tracks of Eldora's size & relative strain on equipment running weekly seems to be shrinking even more rapidly. Some tracks have gone the Granite City (IL) route & downsized or gone to a specials only type of schedule similar to what Eldora has done. Knoxville & Williams Grove draw pretty good on the sprint car side, but they pay upwards of $3k or $4k to win each week & several weekly shows during the year paying more than that. Outside of Fairbury's stepped up payouts, I don't know of a late model track coming close to that for a weekly payout for late models. Can't imagine it would be a $ maker for Eldora to try to run weekly shows these days.Port royal pays at least 2 grand to win weeekly

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Port royal pays at least 2 grand to win weeeklyAtomic too.

[zyoung25]

Prp has paid 2k for awhile now. I'd say it's been 2k for 10 years or maybe more.

[Rocky]

Half miles are hard on motors, and you cash harder at them too.

[1forthe$]

I bet the workers at The Big E are glad the gates aren't open every weekend. I worked our racetrack almost every weekend they were open for like 2 years straight. It got really old pretty quick just not being able to do stuff with the family.

[Jim11h]

On 2000 Eldora ran weekly schedule. Stocks had 13 races scheduled and ran 11. Mods had few more obviously. Was 30- 40 stocks and same with mods each night. The headline division changed weekly but the 360 sprints were considered the weekly headline division. Keep in mind when Eldora has qtr full stands there's still double other tracks packed house attendance. Also Eldora draws cars from far away weekly because it's Eldora! Eldora track champ or Sharon track champ, which sounds more impressive to majority?

[play4kps]

Jim your exactly right, Earl always said, he made enough on the World 100 to pay all the purses and the bills for the year. If Eldora has a 10,000 to win late model race 6 times a year, and a 25,000 point fund for 1st and 15,000 for second and 10,000 for 3rd and so on. They will make money, they already charge 24 bucks for the Baltes classic. Make it 21 and 4 extra for reserved, thats 25 bucks, they will draw easily 6000 to 10,000 people, Thats 150,000 dollars not including the beer and food profits. (and thats the 6000 number), Dont tell me it would not pay open that track. And you would easily get a good core of 10 to 12 drivers, plus a bunch of others, guys in the area would start building late models again, There is a lot of people in that area can afford to race late models. Pay the mods and street stocks well it will work.
These cars would probably be a lock to race the series.
Casebolt
Insane Duane
Scott James
Kent Robinson
Jason Jamison
A Conley or 2
Z. Dohm
Rusty Schlenk
Devin Gilpin
Andrew Rheume
John Henry ????
Jerry Bowersock
Kody Evans
Chad Smith
Dustin Nobbe
and would not be suprised to see some Illinois guys like 99jr, Baab, Pierce, Shirley or Feger.
And maybe Jeep would take racing seriously again.
There is easily 30 modifieds in that area that are driving a distance to race. bring back Eldora.

[JabberJaws83]

Jim your exactly right, Earl always said, he made enough on the World 100 to pay all the purses and the bills for the year. If Eldora has a 10,000 to win late model race 6 times a year, and a 25,000 point fund for 1st and 15,000 for second and 10,000 for 3rd and so on. They will make money, they already charge 24 bucks for the Baltes classic. Make it 21 and 4 extra for reserved, thats 25 bucks, they will draw easily 6000 to 10,000 people, Thats 150,000 dollars not including the beer and food profits. Dont tell me it would not pay open that track. And you would easily get a good core of 10 to 12 drivers, plus a bunch of others, guys in the area would start building late models again, There is a lot of people in that area can afford to race late models. Pay the mods and street stocks well it will work.
These cars would probably be a lock to race the series.
Casebolt
Insane Duane
Scott James
Kent Robinson
Jason Jamison
A Conley or 2
Z. Dohm
Rusty Schlenk
Devin Gilpin
Andrew Rheume
and would not be suprised to see some Illinois guys like 99jr, Baab, Pierce, Shirley or Feger.
And maybe Jeep would take racing seriously again.
There is easily 30 modifieds in that area that are driving a distance to race. bring back Eldora.

I like the idea of that actually. It would take a good chunk of change to draw cars, but it could be done!

[play4kps]

Its simple math on the payout!
1st 10,000 , 2nd 6000, 3rd 5000, 4th 4000, 5 3000, 6th 2500, 7th 2000, 8th 1500, 9th 1250, 10th 1000, 11th 800, and then -20 from there paying 600 to start. thats less than 45,000 dollar purse for that pay. mods and stockers, thats less than 65,000 for all 3 classes. figure 15,000 of that goes to point fund. thats a total of 80,000 in cost. There is no way it cost 70,000 dollars to operate that track for the evening. If thats the case close it for good.
And you could even make the Baltes classic championship night for the series and pay 25,000 to win, raise the prices to 30 bucks for general admission.

[ThebigE]

Its simple math on the payout!
1st 10,000 , 2nd 6000, 3rd 5000, 4th 4000, 5 3000, 6th 2500, 7th 2000, 8th 1500, 9th 1250, 10th 1000, 11th 800, and then -20 from there paying 600 to start. thats less than 45,000 dollar purse for that pay. mods and stockers, thats less than 65,000 for all 3 classes. figure 15,000 of that goes to point fund. thats a total of 80,000 in cost. There is no way it cost 70,000 dollars to operate that track for the evening. If thats the case close it for good.
And you could even make the Baltes classic championship night for the series and pay 25,000 to win, raise the prices to 30 bucks for general admission.

Agree... Hopefully Slack gets the boot this year. He's useless at Eldora and if he doesn't get canned or quits there will be a lot of employees quitting.

[play4kps]

Its amazing, even Tony only scheduled his All-Star sprint series only twice at Eldora this past year. 90% of the people on here who defend Eldora have no clue who Chick Hale, John Lawhorn or Larry Moore is!

[hucktyson]

Eldora is the finest , best run dirt racing facility on the planet. A track built to host current world 100 caliber events can’t run regular weekly shows. Do you want productions like the world 100 or weekly shows ?? You can’t have both , I’ll take productions like the world 100 any day. Go to a place like Pittsburgh or lernerville and then report back to me how terrible eldora is. Slack is doing exactly what he was hired to do. Who in the dirt world do you think is doing a better job than roger slack ?? Matt Miley ???? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Snowmanracr21]

Spoken like someone who goes to Eldora once or twice a year or not at all. Knoxville runs weekly and they're very successful doing it. When lots of long time Eldora staff are quitting something is wrong. Roger was driving through the pits on his Side by side at the 4 crown and you should've seen the looks he was getting from staff and officials. Yes its an awesome place and the big events are awesome, but that's not all racing is about. If you don't go there or only to the World 100 and the Dream your opinion is useless.