50th Anniversary of USAC Racing to be Celebrated in Grand Style; Minimum $10,000 Payday Awaits Victor of 50-Lap Main Event

By: Larry Boos

ROSSBURG, OH (February 5, 2012) - In celebration of the 50th anniversary of USAC (United States Auto Club) Sprint Car racing at Eldora Speedway, one giant night of racing, Saturday July 28, has been inked. It will live up to the traditional Eldora standards of greatness, complete with a 50-lap finale to honor the benchmark occasion. Completing the doubleheader program will be the winged National Racing Alliance Sprint Invaders, as announced this week by Eldora general manager Roger Slack.

“Fifty years of history, memories and traditions just can’t go unobserved – this calls for another fabled Eldora Experience,” stated Slack.

A whopping minimum $10,000 payday awaits the victor of the grueling chase around Eldora’s fabled high banks with $2,000 earmarked for a tenth place finish and a minimum of $1,000 to start the historic main event. In continuing with Eldora’s respected trend of putting showmanship and excitement to the forefront, a special event format is being developed and will be released soon.

“The partnership between Eldora and USAC has been magic; one that has produced multiple storylines since that initial April 1962 event won by Stan Bowman. Non-winged Sprint Car fans have been clamoring for more USAC Sprint racing at Eldora and this will certainly whet their appetite,” continued Slack in making the announcement.

Kevin Miller, CEO/President at USAC shared the excitement, "Eldora Speedway has seemed like home to USAC participants since its first USAC race in 1962," says Miller. "The history established there in the past 50 years is incredible and we certainly look forward to another 50 years of the same type of excitement the track has always generated. We salute Eldora for this initiative of honoring this rich tradition and expect a stellar field of drivers and cars for what will most certainly be one of the track's signature events."

Since Bowman took that checkered flag in April of 1962, another 180 USAC National Sprint Car races have been contested, with 70 different drivers tasting the flavor of an Eldora victory.

That win list is populated with many of the greatest names in open wheel, non-winged Sprint Car racing; including drivers that have gone from USAC events at Eldora to heralded National events such as the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500. Recognized names include Gary Bettenhausen, Mario Andretti, Roger McCluskey, Johnny Rutherford, Larry Dickson and of course, current Eldora Speedway owner and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart.

Atop the list is a name even more common and recognizable to grassroots fans – Jack Hewitt from nearby Troy, Ohio. The colorful and outspoken Hewitt has amassed 13 USAC Sprint Car wins at Eldora, four more than his nearest rival, Larry Dickson.

Additional details and ticket information for the storied event will be released through the track’s website www.EldoraSpeedway.com. The targeted date for ticket sales is Monday, March 19; through the Eldora box office at (937) 338-3815 or online.