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Summer dirt racing series has Stewart’s interest

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By Greg Billing, Staff Writer 8:01 PM Saturday, May 30, 2009

It’s like one of those inspired ideas sketched out on a restaurant napkin: Take about 25 of NASCAR’s top drivers, team them with some of the country’s best dirt late model drivers, and barnstorm the Midwest with a summer tour.

The plan —five Prelude to the Dream type events at five different tracks — might be closer to doable than just doodle.

“We’ve talked about this exact scenario and we have it drawn up in our heads,” NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace said referring to two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and dirt legend Ken Schrader. “It’s just someone has to pull the trigger financially. We haven’t gotten real serious about it yet. We’ve detailed it, we just haven’t done it yet. ... Right now it’s a tough time economically but maybe down the road we can get something done.”

Tracks, drivers ready

The tracks are in place. The driver list is growing. A handful of them had to be turned away from the Prelude to the Dream on June 3 at Eldora Speedway, and those that are attending consider it an honor.

“I think originally Tony had a hard time getting everyone to come do the deal,” said NASCAR Sprint Cup driver David Reutimann. “Now he’s got a waiting list. That tells you how big a deal how big this has become and what he’s turned it into in such a short amount of time.

“I’m very proud and thankful to be part of this deal. You don’t want to get greedy. You want to let other guys drive this race, but hopefully I’ll be able to do it a little while longer. When I don’t get the opportunity to race in it I’ll still be there supporting it because it’s very exciting.”

The challenges of starting a summer series include finding sponsors and coordinating drivers’ schedules already crammed with NASCAR commitments. An option — according to Wallace — could be to take six of the best dirt late model drivers and team them with six NASCAR series drivers and have a points battle that way.

And then there’s the threat of bad weather.

“There are a lot of places we could do this if we had the logistics,” Stewart said. “But it’s getting 24 or 25 guys organized to do this on one day, and if we have a rain day, really you have to schedule two days. It’s pretty impressive this many guys are willing to take that day out of their schedule to support your event.”

Traveling show

Should a series come together, Eldora would likely hold one spot. Other tracks could include:

• Paducah International Speedway. The Kentucky track is owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Schrader, while Stewart is a partner.

• I-55 Raceway: Located in Pevely, Mo., the track is also owned by Schrader.

• Macon Speedway: The Illinois track is co-owned by Stewart, Wallace and Schrader.

• Sharon Speedway: Another Ohio stop, this time in Hartford, at the track owned by NASCAR driver Dave Blaney.

• East Lincoln Speedway: The North Carolina track is owned by Ray Evernham.

“In a perfect world I would love see us have a four or five race deal we could run through the summer,” Stewart said.

“The competition on the track is very serious, but in the pits everyone is having so much fun. It’s a night of no pressure. Everything we do (in NASCAR), from the time we come in Thursday night to the time we leave Sunday, is pressure filled. That’s what is so fun about the Prelude. It kind of gets everybody out of their element a little bit. It lets them have fun. We do this 38 weeks a year. We love what we do, but we do it three days a week, 38 weeks a year. You do the math and it’s a lot of running on pavement.

“Jeff (Gordon), until he came back (to the Prelude) two years ago, had not run on dirt in 16 years. I was pitted next to him and when he came in after his four-lap hot lap session, he could have went home and he would have been happy. Four laps and he was tickled to death. I would love to see us do it more.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2400, ext. 6991, or gbilling@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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