Visit Date: 6/6/07
Event: Prelude to a Dream
Phantom Overall Rating > 10

Eldora Speedway is located in Ohio. Owned by Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart, Eldora features racing that no other promoter could ever put together. The Champ showed his true generosity by hosting a charity event known as "Prelude to a Dream"  The Phantom was lucky enough to attend.

 The "Prelude: event is probably the best value for the dollar of any racing event in the country. Races were run promptly and featured Nextel Cup Stars manhandling awesome looking late models on dirt. The event really show cased their driving skills.

      Eldora holds four week-long special events as well as weekly racing. USAC Sprints, World of OutLaw Sprints and World of OutLaw Late Models highlight the series that come to the banked dirt half mile oval.  We recommend "General Admission Lawn Seating". The stands could use updating. They are safe but crowded, and the lower rows are obstructed view due to inconsiderate fans. Ushers and routing the crowd behind the stands while going to their seats would cure much of the problems.
 
     The track offers great food and drink. Kids can get a can of pop for a dollar. Power Aid and water are also available. Adults can  purchase beer or mixed drinks. There is no price gouging here. Everything is reasonably priced.  Food is no different.  From hot dogs to mozzarella sticks, you'll find it here.  Private vendors are also set up on the grounds. BBQ Chicken Gizards are my favorite. Red Baron Pizza is a popular fan choice too.

   There are very few areas that need improvement but one would be the rest rooms. Eldora needs more, and more "Children only" sections. The famous " temporary outhouses" , which are always unacceptable, are scattered about the track. Both the main restrooms and the outhouses had long lines. The track could improve on its security too.  More personnel including ushers would be a welcome addition.

    Parking is free, and traffic moves amazingly well both in and out of Eldora. Camping areas are organized well. The crowd reminds me of racing in the 80's. I witnessed great fans having a great weekend out. The atmosphere was fantastic with team flags and decorated campers. There is no better way to go to a race!

    The mid-way really adds to the pre-race activities. Much in the style of the Nextel Cup venues, Eldora had an awesome display.   Many of the Nextel Cup stars made themselves available to fans by appearing at souvenir trailers. This midway is the best I've seen at a short track.

   Eldora has a great web site. Tickets can be purchased on line.  Results are posted promptly. The track utilizes a great photographer and posts pictures of every event. Visit the web site at  www.eldoraspeedway.com  . 

  The Phantom had a great time at Eldora.  This was the best racing event I've ever attended.  To think all of the proceeds went to charity just makes it even better. You'll be surprised how close fans get  to the drivers.  Especially enjoyable was to see the true happiness displayed by Tony Stewart. You can tell he loves the place, the event, and the fans. If I could only attend one race in a year, "Prelude to a Dream" is the event I'd choose. This article is all about the track. I wish Eldora was closer so I could attend more often. The Phantom rates Eldora Speedway as a "10" .  There is no higher mark to give.    Please read below for more detailed comments.

                                                                                                     The Phantom Race Fan

• Value for the dollar
  For $25.00 General Admission fans can see racing at its finest. Bring your own lawn chair, mark out a spot and enjoy the show. This is the preferred way to sit, especially if you have kids.
  • Compared to other tracks these events are under-priced.
  • Compared to other types of entertainment these event are under-priced
    
    
    
     

  For an additional $25.00 fans can have a bleacher seat.  Save your money and bring a lawn chair.

  • The stands themselves are wood, uncomfortable and too crowded
  • There was confusion on where the seats are. More signs are needed directing people to their seats. We were sold row 1 seats and told specifically that they were the top row. Row one is the bottom row.
  • The higher rows are the only place to sit in the bleachers.
  • The lower rows are just irritating to sit in. Fans walking about are not routed behind the seating area therefore you'll spend the majority of time looking at the backs of people standing, or walking by. We saw people give up their paid seat to go sit on the lawn. We actually had a fan that had to much alcohol fall on us.

   

• Quality of Races
  
  I attended the "Prelude to a Dream".  I do not think you could have better events.  Every race had the key ingredient races need to be entertaining 
  • Events were run timely
  • The show never stopped. There was always something happening.
  • The competition was even with most races being decided on the last lap
  • There was plenty of passing.
  • The cars were "eye appealing"
    
     
• Series/Special Events 
  
   
  Eldora Speedway hosts four week-long special events. 
  • Dream Week featuring Nextel Cup drivers and a $100,000 to win Dirt Late Model Race
  • King's Royal Week featuring a few Nextel Cup drivers in Sprint cars and a $50,000 to win Sprint Race
  • World 100 Week which features the Nextel Cup Stars in Dirt Late Models. The Dirt Late Model races draw car counts over 100!
  • The Crown Nationals which again features the USAC Sprinters.

  The following series at compete at Eldora:

  • USAC Sprints
  • World of Outlaws Sprints
  • World of Outlaws Late Models
  • All Star Sprints
  • NRA Sprints
  • Sunoco American Late Models
  • UMP Modifieds
     
• Restrooms
  
  Track promoters need to understand that this is an important area to fans. Since these events are completed over hours, most fans will take at least one trip to the restrooms.  Eldora Speedway serves alcohol, and has kids present.
  • There is a main restroom area under the roofed section of the speedway. There was a huge line.  Since kids were in the same room with beer drinking adults, we feel a special kids area would be a nice improvement. Fixtures just for the kids would be nice.  Watching an adult that had obviously had too much to drink talk to a father who was holding his kid up in the air to reach the urinal was quite a sight. I did not see an attendant.  If there was an area to improve, this would be #1
  • There are the famous temporary outhouses around the track. They also had lines and are totally unacceptable.

• Food/Drink
  
  There are lots of choices here.  Under the main grandstand  fans have all of the favorites at a very reasonably price. Here is a sampling of the menu.
  • Drinks
    
    >Fountain pop ranges from $1.25 to $1.75
    >Can of Coke will run a dollar. 
    >Power Aid  $1.50
    >Bottled Water $1.50
    >For the adults a bottle of beer is $2.00 ; mixed drink are served at the bar for $3.00.
    >18 pack of 16oz Beers packed in Ice for $28.00
     
  • Food
    
    > Candy under a buck
    >Cookies                                               $1.50
    >French Fries                                         $1.50
    >Hot Dog /  Hamburg                             $2.00
    >Mozzarella Sticks                                  $2.00
    >Cheeseburger / CheddarWurst              $2.25
    >Pizza Steak                                           $2.50
    >Chicken Fingers                                    $3.00
    > Chicken Sandwich / Wings                   $3.50..........and more

       Also, scattered around the ground are vendors. Fans can buy a Red Barron Pizza or go to my favorite
  stop, Gizzards, where barbequed chicken gizzards are 5 bucks  (the rest of the chicken is priced pretty reasonably too).
   

• Sound System
  
  Yes the sound system is important. This track has an exceptional sound system. This event was carried on Pay per View. Fans could hear everything as clear as the telecasts.  When the show features guys talking like Darrel Waltrip, and Kyle Petty, fans want to hear. Bill Elliot flipped his car.  He got out and did an on-track interview that everyone there could hear.  Fans also could hear the "play by play" during the race. I've been to a lot of tracks. This sound system was the best yet.
   
• Parking
  
  Nothing irritates me more than to pay for tickets to an event, and then have to pay to park. Eldora has plenty of free parking. I had heard that getting in and out was going to be a problem so I actually paid for a spot down the street that would get me out first. I wasted my money. There was traffic, but it moves right along. Expect to park for free and get out just fine.
   
• Camping Area
  
  The camping area is awesome at Eldora. Camping areas are all about atmosphere.   I often wonder what happened to the "real NASCAR fans" that made the sport. Where are the guys that were in the campers at Rockingham, and North Wilkesboro?  They are here at Tony's house partying up a storm. If you are lucky enough to have a camper, bring it here and enjoy a week of fun you'll never forget! (Pictured is a fan's custom made weather vane featuring the #20)
  
   
• Security
  
  In general race fans always make you feel secure. I've never felt anything would get stolen at any track I've ever been to. As the sport becomes more popular, tracks must increase security. Eldora has some work to do here. We feel we should be able to summons help immediately at any track we go to. Whether it is to find a seat, or to handle an unruly fan, patrons need to have instant attention.  
  • There were no ushers in seating sections.
  • We stood in the parking lot and did not see one person working for the track
  • We did find two officers while inside the track. We asked about our seats and they directed us to the ticket office.  We asked if the track had anybody walking around that we could ask questions to like an usher and they said no, they never see any track personnel assigned to those duties. 

  Hopefully Eldora will add some ushers for big events and a few more officers in the future. Again, we never did feel threatened but if something did go wrong, fans are on their own. We will ask the track if they have a defibrillator and medical personal dedicated to the fans. Certainly there are ambulances there for drivers, but how fast they could get to a fan while a race is going on is a question.
   

• Mid-Way
  
                                                            Click the images below for the full size photos.
  
  
      Part of a race tracks entertainment value is the mid-way. Fans get to races pretty early. Pre-race activities are a must. Much in the style of the Nextel Cup venues, Eldora had an awesome midway. Fans could get autographs, drive full size dirt car simulators, race against each other in simulators and more. Jeff Gordon's sprint car as well as Tony's Old Spice Monte Carlo were on display. Souvenir trailers were on site to by your favorite driver's official products.  This midway is the best I've seen at a short track.

• Web site >  www.eldoraspeedway.com
   Eldora's web site has it all. Obviously it is easy to find and remember.
  •  The Schedule is easy to find.
  • Tickets are  available online. The seating chart is available with a click of the mouse.  Before the race, I  found a chart that showed the view from each section.  I'd like to direct you to that chart but I could not find it again.
  • Great pictures from all of the events are easy to find
  • Results are posted promptly.
  •  The "While you are here" section had local information on Camping, Lodging, Groceries, Entertainment and Restaurants. 
  • There is a track history section that is an ongoing project
  • Click here for a JigSaw puzzle featuring Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick in Dirt Late Models at Eldora.