ALLSTAR: Eldora Speedway Hosts Ohio Sprint Speedweek

ROSSBURG, Ohio -- Reacting to race fan and driver input, Eldora Speedway promoter Earl Baltes has announced that his famed one-half mile clay oval is returning as a host track for the 17th annual All Star Sprint Ohio Sprint Speedweek and in a familiar position - the final night, where $10,000 will await the feature victor on Saturday night, July 1.

Baltes, the brainchild behind the successful series, had opted to yield the final night of the seven-day tour to Attica Raceway Park for the past four years and was without a date for the past two years.

A joint meeting between Baltes and Attica promoter Gene Frankart resulted in a unanimous 'thumbs-up' to the Eldora return. Frankart's facility, where Baltes is co-promoter, will now host the Speedweek opener on Sunday, June 25.

"The Ohio Sprint Speedweek has always held a special place in my heart", declared Baltes, "and I have shared the idea with many promoters throughout the state over the years, even to the point of backing off dates for the past two years. Fans and drivers keep asking me why Eldora isn't in Speedweek anymore, so, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that Eldora should be involved."

"I called up Gene (Frankart), we talked, and we agreed to move Attica from the finale to the kick-off and he was tickled pink", continued Baltes. While Attica was host to the finale for four years (1995 - 1998), the only other time Eldora wasn't in that position was in a temporary move to Muskingum Speedway in 1985.

To be sanctioned by the All Star Circuit of Champions, the 2000 Ohio Sprint Speedweek will see seven consecutive nights of winged sprint car racing over a seven-day period, with cumulative points earned from the events determining a series champion, to be crowned at the Eldora finale. Following Attica on June 25 will be Wayne County Speedway (June 26), Fremont Speedway (June 27), K-C Raceway (June 28), Sharon Speedway (June 29), Limaland Motorsports Park (June 30) and Eldora (July 1).