Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, will be quite busy over the next week.
The half-mile facility hosts its biggest week of racing this year. Starting Sunday night, the track will host the 10th annual Baltes Classic for late models and modifieds.
The race, in honor of Eldora founder Earl Baltes and his wife Berneice, will pay $3,000 to win. Baltes opened the track in 1954 and owned and promoted it until Stewart purchased it in 2004.
Then on Thursday and Friday, Eldora will run twin-25 lap features for dirt late models each night, paying $10,000 to win for each. Sept. 9 will be the most prestigious race for late models in the country when the 47th annual World 100 will take place, paying $50,000 to win.
Kent Robinson of Bloomington is the current late models points leader at Eldora. Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Illinois, is the defending World 100 champion. For more information, visit eldoraspeedway.com.
Stapleton wins at Brownstown
Chad Stapleton of Edinburgh won his fourth Indiana Pro late model series feature event of the year at Brownstown Speedway on Aug. 26. Marty O’Neal of Spencer finished in second, with Shelby Miles of Bloomington finishing third. Justin Shaw of Whiteland and Dylan Norman of Bedford completed the top five.
Stapleton’s Club 29 Race Car is sponsored by Thirty-One Auto Group, Sub Surface of Indiana, Roger’s Bar, Print Worx, Rightway Construction and Jason Clarkson Logging.
Defending modifieds track champion Jacoby Hines of Nineveh won his third Brownstown main event of the year, outdistancing Seymour drivers Matt Boknecht and Ryan Thomas for the victory. Victor Lee of Danville, Kentucky, was fourth, with Trent Young of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, taking fifth.
Jason Hehman of Brownstown picked up his third super stocks win of the season, leading Mike Fields of Scottsburg, Steve Peeden of Paragon, Aubrey Eagan of Bedford and Colton Sullivan of Columbus across the finish line.
Tim Rivers of Salem extended the points lead in the pure stocks class by winning the feature race.
Zachary Stalker of Heltonville was second, and Seymour’s Josh Hayes took third. Jeremy Huebner of Loogootee and Ronnie Pardue of Vallonia rounded out the top five.
Brownstown will conduct Kids Night tonight with a full slate of Indiana Pro late models, modifieds, super stocks, pure stocks and hornets. For more info, visit brownstownspeedway.com.
Petro wins again at Twin Cities
Randy Petro of Columbus won the super stocks feature Aug. 26 at the Twin Cities Raceway Park in Vernon. Petro’s Fly-By- U Chassis is sponsored by Reasonable Construction, Jimmie’s Motor Machine, Russell Hubbard Racing, Dasco Race Supplies, Tyree’s Trim Shop, Rich’s Rod Shop, Dunn Farms, The Kroot Corporation, B&M Salvage and Williams Graphics. It was Petro’s eighth win this year.
Mark Barber of North Vernon won the crate late models feature. Mark Hines of Scipio took the pure stocks feature event, and Trent Adams of Elizabethtown was victorious in the hornets feature.
Twin Cities will conduct two nights of racing this Labor Day weekend. On tonight’s schedule of events will be crate late models, hornets, pure stocks, super stocks and non-winged mini-sprints. Sunday Night will be the Ted Collins Memorial for super late models. Also racing Sunday night will be pure stocks, hornets and the UMRA midgets. For more info, visit twincitiestrack.com.
Bloomquist wins at Lawrenceburg
Defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion Scott Bloomquist won his third straight Whiskey City 60 feature event at Lawrenceburg Speedway on Aug. 26. Bloomquist was the fourth different leader of the event when he took the lead on Lap 36 and went on for the win, which was the 585th of his career that began in 1980.
Jimmy Owens finished in second, followed by current Lucas Oil points leader Josh Richards. The top two rookies in the series finished fourth and fifth, with Gregg Satterlee edging out Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville. Joey Kramer of Hanover won the modified feature race.
Lawrenceburg is racing tonight with a full slate of sprint cars, modifieds, pure stocks and hornets. For more info, visit lawrenceburgspeedway.com.
Adams wins at Bloomington
Trent Adams of Elizabethtown won the hornet feature Aug. 25 at Bloomington Speedway.
Adams took the win over the area’s hottest hornets racer, Donnie Modesty, who has racked up several features wins this season. Owen Cosman of Martinsville was third, with Josh Cosse and Daniel Hobbs completing the top five.
Adams’ car is sponsored by Howler Fabrication, Perkins Racing and Mike Burton Racing.
Danny Schwartz of Ashmore, Illinois, won the J.B, Robinson Memorial for modifieds. Jeff Deckard of Ellettsville was second, with Bloomington’s Bradley Sterrett coming home in third place.
Josh Divine of Loogootee won the super stocks main event, beating Jason Hehman and Jamey Wilson of Seymour to the finish line. Trailing the top three were Steve Peeden and Steve Hollars of Bloomington.
Tyler Neal of Paragon captured top honors in the pure stocks feature at Bloomington. Huebner finished second, with Jeff Beggs, C.J. Bryan and Zachary Stalker trailing
Courtney wins two at Kokomo
Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis won two of the four “Sprint Car Smackdown VI” last week at Kokomo Speedway. The four straight nights of racing was sanctioned by the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Cars.
Kevin Thomas Jr. won the opening night Aug. 23, and C.J. Leary followed up with a victory Aug. 24 before Courtney would sweep the Friday and Saturday portion of the race program
This week in racing history
From 50 years ago in 1967 at Bloomington Speedway, Cecil Beavers won the supermodifieds feature over Bob Kinser, Dick Gaines, Don Nordhorn and Sheldon Kinser.
Also from 1967, Gerald Dixon won the late models feature at Brownstown Speedway over Gene Sutton.
From 40 years ago in 1977, Randy Kinser won the sprint car feature at Paragon Speedway. Larry Miller was second, with Bobby Black of Taylorsville, Larry Gates and Steve Kinser completing the top five.
Also from 1977 at Twin Cities, Phil Fultz of Clifford won the hobby stocks main event over Dee Kramer, Roger Sullivan of Columbus, Herman Burton of Columbus and Bruce Steinert.
On this weekend in 1977 at Brownstown, Ira Bastin won his ninth late models feature of the year, winning over John Davis, Pete Willoughby of Columbus, Don Hobbs and Terrence Johnson.
Mack Pace won the hobby stocks feature the same night at Brownstown. Darrell Smallwood of Columbus was second, with Ralph Riggle, Dusty Chapman and Theron Straley completing the top five drivers.
From 30 years ago in 1987, Robbie Stanley won the sprint car feature at Bloomington over Andy Hillenburg, Randy Kinser, Larry Bland and Pete Abel of Columbus. Mark Arthur won the street stocks feature.
Also from 1987, Robert Brison of North Vernon won the late model feature at Twin Cities, and Phil Fultz took the street stock feature. At Brownstown, Bob Johnson of Columbus won the bomber division feature over Jerry Allman, Don Fleetwood, Kevin Petty and Ricky Julian.
