The Grassroots Gospel is a Girls Gone Racin’ series celebrating the drivers, promoters, fans and others who contribute to the preservation of the grassroots Motorsports effort and its traditions. It is intended as a tribute to the people who believe in the importance of maintaining the foundation of American auto racing.Eldora Speedway. The mere mention of the name sends shivers down the spines of dirt track fans all over America. It is the Mecca of the Midwest, this half-mile oval carved out of what was once a corn field.
This was the place I had wanted to see for many years. Every fan I know had been there at least once, most, numerous times. It is one of those places that is as famous for its storied history as it is for its racing. Having never been, I felt as if I were being excluded from some exclusive club, so when the opportunity finally came, there was no way I was going to pass it up.
We left the interstate and rolled along country roads that wound past farms and through small towns as we journeyed to our final destination. The closer we got, the more like I felt like a kid again, and I could barely contain those words every parent hears on any trip they take with their children: “Are we there yet?” Finally, we emerged from Rossburg, drove just a little further and at last, we arrived.
At first glance, my heart and mind went back to the first time I saw the entrance to Walt Disney World. All those months and miles of anticipation culminated in one exciting moment of high pitched adrenaline rush. In every photograph or television image I have ever seen of Eldora, the pits were packed, the grandstands and surrounding seating areas were filled to capacity, so the first thing that struck me was how empty it was. We arrived so early that the pit gates were not yet open, so it was like being the first ones at a party.
Haulers were lining up and waiting for the gates to open, and a few fans and crew members wandered around inside. We walked in where the seating area overlooks turns three and four, and stared the way a vacationing family might gawk at the majesty of the Grand Canyon. The track looks huge for a half-mile, and the banking is definitely high. It’s like a gigantic bowl carved out of the earth, big enough to turn out a huge batch of action, using centrifugal force to throw cars against the sides like cake batter in my Kitchen Aid mixer.
Along the front stretch is a covered grandstand filled with wooden bleachers and backed by restrooms and concessions, with the press box right in the middle. If you walk through, and out the other side, you find all of the souvenir trailers, filled with your favorite t-shirts, hats, diecast and the like. On this particular night, there was even an IndyCar simulator for those who wanted to get a taste of speed without the risk of accident or injury.
It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed taking the grand tour of Eldora, pausing every now and then to look out over the place, take it all in, and simply sigh with the satisfaction of knowing we were there.
The pit gates opened, and one-by-one we watched the haulers do their dance in the infield, jockeying for position, rolling into just the right spot, then opening up those rear doors to reveal their amazing cargo. Watching those beautiful wingless Sprint Cars being released from captivity is a little like viewing fireworks on the fourth of July. One wants to gasp and shout with delight as each beautiful paint job is revealed.
We made our way around the track and through the tunnel so we could get up close to the cars and drivers that make up our favorite sport. There were 35 Sprint Cars on hand, each one being tweaked and race-readied by able-bodied crews and drivers. Fans and photographers wandered the pits, keeping an eye on the preparations, taking pictures and chatting with old friends and making new acquaintances.
It struck us how friendly everyone was, from the pit shack, to the concession stand, souvenir trailers to the back gate, every person we met was just as nice and welcoming as could be. Some of our time was spent chatting with drivers Jerry Coons, Jr. and Brady Bacon, who were great about answering our questions. It was interesting to listen to them talk about why they do what they do, how they got started, and the kind of support they get from their families. It would be impossible to be in this business alone, and the support of family and good friends is extremely important.
Moving down the front stretch and on into the first turn, we stopped and looked at the cars, talked with other photographers and checked out an autographed car that was sitting in the infield. Scoping out a spot to shoot was a little tough because there are some pretty high fences around the infield. To me, it just makes sense to do this, because you just never know when a car is going to become airborne and bounce into places it shouldn’t. The fences should prevent that. We worked a corner down by the safety crew, who were a lot of fun to visit with before things got underway. These guys take their jobs very seriously, and enter the track any time a car gets upside down. We enjoyed talking to them about their jobs and find it comforting to know that safety is at the top of the priority list at Eldora.
Hotlaps, followed by qualifying got underway, and we went back to work snapping away and working to get the best possible shots. As an amateur with the camera, I tend to keep hitting the button until I get something good. Sometimes that works pretty well, but I definitely end up with a lot of extra shots that I have to delete later. All I know is that it is a good thing I’ve gone digital because I would spend a fortune on film and developing.
We wrapped up our time in the pits and headed over to grab a late bite to eat and watch the rest of the action from the grandstands. Just as we sat down with our burgers and fries, the skies opened up for a brief shower. While people dashed in out of the rain, we wondered if this would be the end of what had started out to be a great evening. Fortunately, it didn’t last long, and racing got back underway in short order.
It was nice to just sit and watch the racing after having been on our feet all day and evening long. The track was rough from the rain, and a lot of cars got pretty torn up, but the racing was still very close. It was exciting, as Wingless Sprint Car racing usually is, and I would not have missed this trip for anything.
To Earl Baltes for building it, to Tony Stewart for buying it, keeping things going, and making improvements, and to everyone who makes events at Eldora Speedway more than just races, we salute you. It is through the efforts of people with vision and determination that grassroots racing survives and thrives in America. If not for them, fans like us would miss out on the experience of racing at its finest, and the big sanctioning bodies would have no “farm teams” from which to recruit drivers. Most importantly, the drivers who have a passion for driving on dirt would have no where to do it.
Eldora Speedway is definitely the image of what grassroots racing is all about. We can’t wait to visit again!
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