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PRELUDE TO THE DREAM
Stewart tops Bowyer for win
Two-time Cup champ takes his second win in charity race at famed Eldora Speedway dirt track before a record crowd.
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Thursday, June 05, 2008
ROSSBURG — After heavy rains overnight, Tony Stewart spent Wednesday afternoon, June 4, working on the track at Eldora Speedway. He spent the evening working it over.
Stewart tamed Eldora's high-banked, half-mile oval with a dominating win in the Prelude to the Dream. His second Prelude victory came in front of a screaming crowd of more than 23,000 fans, an Eldora record.
Extras
"I can't thank you fans in the stands enough for coming," said Stewart, who debated whether to postpone the event after nearly three inches of rain drenched Eldora on Tuesday night.
Good choice.
Stewart started third in the feature and quickly overtook front-row starters Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. The 2006 Prelude champion led all 30 laps but faced a serious challenge from dirt-racing veteran Clint Bowyer.
Eight cautions bunched up the field. But eight times, Stewart pulled out to big leads. Bowyer tried several times to pass low, but Stewart kept the momentum each time.
Robby Gordon, Bowyer, Kenny Wallace and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
"Tonight was fun," said Stewart, who threw his 2,300-pound, 800-plus horsepower late model right next to the concrete outer walls. "When you can run around the rim like this, that's what Eldora was built around, rim riders."
The other winner of the night was the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Stewart said during his victory lane interview he didn't know how much the charity all-star race pulled in, but he would guarantee a $1 million donation.
While raising money for the construction of a second Victory Junction Gang Camp was the priority, the drivers also took the racing seriously. Many got in track time before the Prelude.
"Shoot, I think Kyle Busch and I were the only two guys who didn't test for this race," said Stewart. "Everybody built cars and practiced. It was neat to see Jimmie Johnson and Robby Gordon come. All these guys, I just can't thank all these drivers that took time out of their schedules enough."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2400, ext. 6991, or gbilling@DaytonDailyNews.com.
