In the last 50 years, hundreds of racetracks have come and gone. The key to survival often rested with the human element and the desire to never become ordinary. It is a strategy that has served Eldora Speedway from the beginning. Now, 50 years later, the track continues to occupy its well-deserved place among the elite short tracks of America.
Books have been written about the history of the track, so an effort to consolidate that information here would be ill-advised. Still, it's important to understand the beginning in order to understand the present.
Earl Baltes wasn't always a race track promoter, but he has always been a showman. He, along with members of his family, was a musician, making the tours of ballrooms throughout west central Ohio. Once, Baltes saw a large crowd and decided to see what drew the attention of so many. It was an auto race and Baltes decided then that he should get a racetrack. The track was built near the Eldora Ballroom, which is located on the track grounds and still serves as the banquet hall for the season-ending gala.
Eldora opened for business in 1954. Racers came and, true to form, so did the fans. The track joined a healthy group of short tracks throughout the region. One by one, they started falling victim to internal politics, the economy, and other factors, but Eldora hung tough. A bastion of stock car and open wheel racing, Eldora continued to grow in stature as Baltes orchestrated the idea of providing entertainment through quality competition.
Through the course of the track's existence, Baltes, now 82, always sought ways to improve. He created the World 100 in 1971, worked with ABC to get the track featured on the Wide World of Sports program, and featured open wheel racing on ESPN's Thursday Night Thunder. He devised the King's Royal and Historic Big One Sprint Car races, the latter paying $100,000 to the winner. For Late Model racers, there was The Dream, which paid $100,000 to the winner, except in 2001, when Baltes raised the bar to $1,000,000 for the winner (Donnie Moran). This year, Sprint racers will contest for a million dollar purse with $200,000 to the winner and $10,000 for 26th place.
Last year, Eldora introduced a new aspect, which will appear again on the 2003 schedule. Working with Glenn Donnelly's DIRT Motorsports group, Eldora hosted the DIRT Big Block Modifieds in a thrilling show, won by Brett Hearn.
While it truly takes a dedicated group of people to keep a racetrack going, it has been Earl and Berniece Baltes at the helm. There is no question who's in charge at Eldora Speedway. The quality of the concession food prepared under the careful eye of Berniece is legendary. The racetrack surface has been Earl's domain and he still operates heavy equipment and water trucks to get the surface just right.
The half-mile oval features thrilling racing throughout. The turns are banked 24 degrees while the straights carry an eight-degree banking. There are 16,225 permanent seats with plenty of room for trackside viewing from parking areas. As the curtain is closing on the track's 50th year, the month of September provides an indication of the type of racing seen for the past five decades. Eldora Speedway and Earl Baltes have walked a path of success together, each guiding the other in many respects. They have become synonymous through their co-existence, and the successes of one have been the successes of the other. Eldora Speedway stands as the testament to the value of hard work, long hours and giving the people what the people want--drivers and spectators alike.
Eldora 2003 Schedule (Sept.)
5-6: World 100 (Late Models)
$36,000 to win
19-20: Mopar Million for non-winged Sprints
$200,000 to win
27: Eldora Fall DIRT Big Block 100 (Modifieds) & Johnny Appleseed Classic (Late Models)