Tony Stewart’s influence in the NASCAR world is quite apparent. If it wasn’t his iconic driving, it was his successful team ownership, and if not that, it is how he has kept Eldora Speedway’s legacy alive through two decades of ownership. And it now seems to be resounding with Ricky Craven, as he prepares to bring back life to one of the oldest grassroots tracks towards the north of the east coast, and as huge as his plans look, racing might return to the track with a huge bang.
Ricky Craven’s ownership to witness massive changes to Speedway 95
“I’m proud of that. I’m proud of who we are doing it with, and I think that our customers will be the winners in this equation,” Craven said, discussing the improvements that are being made on the track. He purchased Speedway 95 earlier last year, renaming it Ricky Craven Speedway, and he has massive plans for it.
The track has been a family-owned operation since its construction in the 1960s and is home to grassroots racing. It has also hosted Late Model races. But through the years, it is quite apparent that tracks need changes, and Craven is doing exactly that. The huge renovations include significant structural changes, such as a new wall between turns one and two, replacing a banking that previously extended around 40 to 60 feet back. While Craven’s racing experience is immense, local racer Mike Hopkins has also been assisting with the renovations throughout the winter.
This track seemingly means a lot to him, as he said in a release after purchasing it last year:
“I am dedicating the rest of my life to a track that has been part of my DNA for many years. Both my Mom and Dad won races at Speedway 95 in the 70’s. I have the honor of receiving the checkered flag and a black flag from Del during my racing at Speedway 95 in a strange way, I benefited from both.”
This has been a massive project, and it will certainly improve the overall racing experience on Hermon Speedway. This is similar to how Tony Stewart maintained the experience on the Eldora Speedway. The track currently hosts the Kings Royal event of the World of Outlaws and the World 100. In the past, however, Stewart had managed to host the Eldora Dirt Derby, part of NASCAR’s Truck Series.
What was Tony Stewart’s Eldora Dirt Derby?
Tony Stewart loves racing, and he proved that by being the key figure behind the Eldora Dirt Derby. He had wanted NASCAR to return to dirt racing for a long time, and he had the key ingredient for it: being the owner of a dirt track. He worked closely with the NASCAR officials, and the Eldora Dirt Derby was finalized.
It was a 75-mile race in the Truck Series, held from 2013 to 2019. Most interestingly, however, Tony Stewart never ran the event. He was the track’s owner and promoter, and there could have been a certain conflict of interest in running the race. At the same time, he was competing full-time in the Cup Series with his co-owned operation.
Instant classic.
Teammates battle it out in photo finish at #EldoraDirtDerby: https://t.co/2k3vguAfF4 pic.twitter.com/qjCCm6Jj2h
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 19, 2018
The event turned out to be a success; however, it had to be stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic and was never brought back to the calendar. However, it was one of the rarest types of races that was a part of the NASCAR schedule, even though briefly.
As of now, the Eldora Speedway is in good hands with Stewart. This also seems to be the case for Speedway 95, or the Ricky Craven Speedway, as it is called now. The renovation underway is massive and will help further increase its popularity on a bigger scale.
