Eldora Speedway track owner Tony Stewart has announced a record-setting 2023 schedule for the Rossburg, Ohio, facility.
Submitted photo
The richest sprint car race in history, paying a million dollars to win; the addition of the Dirt Track World Championship; the return of the Superstar Racing Experience, plus the 40th Kings Royal, the 53rd World 100 and the 29th Late Model Dream highlight the 2023 schedule for Eldora Speedway’s 70th anniversary season that was announced by track owner Tony Stewart on Jan. 6.
Offering one of the most diverse schedules of any dirt track, the World’s Greatest Dirt Track® will host 23 nights of action-packed racing featuring 12 different divisions and eight sanctioning bodies. The season also features the return of the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions Ohio Sprint Speedweek, the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals, FloRacing Night in America, two $10 Family Fireworks Nights and the popular #LetsRaceTwo open-wheel doubleheader weekend.
Feature winners will pocket $1,817,000 from total purses of approximately $4,300,000. Drivers and teams who do well will not only be handsomely rewarded financially, but they’ll have career-making bright spots on their bios. With so much on the line, they will put their best efforts into winning these races, ensuring that the fans will see great competition throughout big fields of dirt track racing’s best teams and drivers.
For the second consecutive year “FloRacing Night in America” kicks off the season on April 18 with DIRTcar late models competing for $23,023 to win, plus UMP modifieds and Eldora stocks. World of Outlaws winged sprint cars and USAC non-wing sprint cars will run two nights on May 5-6 with the #LetsRaceTwo, featuring full programs each night. All four features pay $10,000 to win over the course of the weekend.
The first of two $10 Family Fireworks Nights is set for May 20 with USAC SpeeD2 Midwest Thunder midgets, UMP modifieds, Eldora stocks, and the area’s largest fireworks and pyrotechnics display. Round two is set for Aug. 5 with NRA 360 sprint cars, UMP modifieds, Eldora stocks and another grand fireworks spectacular.
With $129,000 on the line to the winner, the 29th running of the Dirt Late Model Dream is set for June 10. June 8-9 will feature preliminary racing cards featuring twin 25-lap, $12,000-to-win features nightly.
After a three-year hiatus, the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) Ohio Sprint Speedweek for 410 winged sprint cars returns June 16. With support from the Whistle Stop restaurant in nearby Ansonia, Ohio, the ASCoC winner will take home $12,000. The Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series (BOSS) non-wing sprint cars will also compete in a full program that evening.
Calling it “long overdue for winged sprint car racing,” Stewart is posting a purse of $1.5 million for the latest edition of the Eldora Million on July 13. The winner will earn $1,002,023, making it the richest sprint car race in motorsports history. A full program that includes two $12,000-to-win, 25-lap features highlights the Eldora Million preliminary night on July 12.
To finish out the richest four days in sprint car racing history is the 40th running of the Kings Royal on July 15, which offers a winner’s payout of $175,070 for the World of Outlaws sprint cars-sanctioned event. On July 14, the annual “Knight Before the Kings Royal” will now offer $20,000 to the winner.
The Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) will return to Eldora for Round 5 of ESPN’s six-race “Thursday Night Thunder” series on Aug. 10. This series, which debuted in 2021, features former champions of NASCAR, IndyCar and other forms of motorsports, including previous winners of the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Drivers compete in special SRX stock cars prepared as equally as possible. Information on an additional division of racing will be forthcoming.
The founder of Eldora Speedway, the late Earl Baltes, and his family will be honored at the 15th running of the Baltes Classic on Sept. 3. The program includes DIRTcar late models ($5,000 to win), UMP modifieds, and Eldora stocks.
The Biggest Dirt Race in the World®, the 53rd running of the World 100, is set for Sept. 9. Preliminary action is set for Sept. 7-8. Sept. 6 will offer an early pit load-in and tech inspection option for race teams plus the return of the SRI Fan Jam featuring hit band Dirty Grass Soul.
The 41st edition of the 4-Crown Nationals, an open-wheel classic, is set for Sept. 22-23. The Sept. 22 program is highlighted by the World of Outlaws sprint cars and a complete program for USAC midgets and qualifying for the USAC Silver Crown division. The Sept. 23 finale features complete programs for USAC Silver Crown, USAC sprint cars, USAC midgets and the ASCoC winged sprint cars.
And finally, the newest addition to the Eldora schedule is the 43rd Dirt Track World Championship (DTWC), which is the season finale for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. It offers a $100,000 first-place prize on Saturday night, October 21. UMP modifieds and Eldora stocks will compete on Oct. 19 while Oct. 20 offers qualifying events for the Lucas Oil Late Model Series, the steel-block late models and features for the modifieds.
All tickets and camping purchases can be made via EldoraSpeedway.com/tickets or by contacting the box office at 937-338-3815.
The 2023 Eldora Speedway schedule:
Saturday April 15: Test & Tune-Open to all divisions competing in 2023.
Tuesday April 18: FloRacing Night In America-Super Late Models, UMP Modifieds & Eldora Stocks.
Friday May 5: #LETSRACETWO-World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and USAC National Sprints.
Saturday May 6: #LETSRACETWO-World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and USAC National Sprints.
Saturday May 20: Family Fireworks Night No. 1-USAC SpeeD2 Midwest Thunder Midget Series, UMP Modifieds, Eldora Stocks.
Thursday June 8: 29th Running of the Dirt Late Model Dream. DLM Dream Twin 25 Night. Full program including $12,000-to-win Twin 25 Features and Super Late Models.
Friday June 9: 29th Running of the Dirt Late Model Dream. DLM Dream Twin 25 Night. Full program including $12,000-to-win Twin 25 Features and Super Late Models.
Saturday June 10: 29th Running of the Dirt Late Model Dream. 29th Dirt Late Model Dream (Heats, B-Features, $129,000-to-win Dirt Late Model Dream) and Super Late Models.
Friday June 16: Ohio Sprint Speedweek, Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars, BOSS Sprint Cars, ASCoC 410 Wing Sprints and BOSS 410 Non-Wing Sprints.
Wednesday July 12: Eldora Million prelims and 410 Wing Sprint Cars.
Thursday July 13: The Eldora Million-$1,002,023-to-win, 410 Wing Sprint Cars.
Friday July 14: The Night Before The Kings Royal, 410 Wing Sprint Cars.
Saturday July 15: 40th Kings Royal, 410 Wing Sprint Cars.
Saturday Aug. 5: Family Fireworks Night No. 2-NRA Sprint Invaders, UMP Modifieds and Eldora Super Stocks.
Thursday, Aug. 10: 2023 Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), plus TBA Division.
Sunday Sept. 3: 15th Baltes Classic Honoring founders Earl and Berneice Baltes, Super Late Models, UMP Modifieds, and Eldora Stocks.
Thursday Sept. 7: World 100 Twin 25 Night (Time Trials, Heats, Last Chance Races, $10,000-to-win Twin 25 Lap Features), Super Late Models.
Friday Sept 08: World 100 Twin 25 Night (Time Trials, Heats, Last Chance Races, $10,000-to-win Twin 25 Lap Features), Super Late Models.
Saturday Sept. 9 – 53rd World 100 (Heat Races, B-Features, $56,000-to-win 53rd World 100), Super Late Models.
Friday Sept. 22: Befour The Crowns Showdown-World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, USAC National Midgets full program and USAC Silver Crown Qualifying.
Saturday Sept. 23: 4-Crown Nationals-USAC National Midgets, USAC National Sprint Cars, USAC Silver Crown and All Star Circuit of Champions, Sprint Cars.
Thursday Oct. 19: Dirt Track World Championships-UMP Modified prelims, $1,000-to-win Super Stocks UMP Modifieds and Super Stocks.
Friday Oct. 20: Dirt Track World Championships-$5,000-to-win Modified Championship, Steel Block Late Model Series prelims, LOLMDS prelims.
Saturday Oct. 21: Dirt Track World Championships-Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series $100,000-to-win Dirt Track World Championship, $5,000-to-win Steel Block Late Model Series Championship.
James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for the Republic. Send comments to [email protected]
