Did Tony Stewart sell Eldora Speedway? All you need to know

Former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart still owns the Eldora Speedway, which he bought from legendary promotor Earl Baltes in 2004.

Stewart purchased the speedway early in his racing career and has remained very involved in running the track since retiring from full-time racing in 2016. The half-mile dirt racing facility in Rossburg, Ohio hosts events like the World 100, Kings Royal, and Dirt Late Model Dream.

Stewart was rumored to have sold the track after news broke of his NASCAR team, Stewart Haas Racing, shutting down. However, the three-time NASCAR champion, confirmed in June during a FloRacing broadcast that Eldora is not for sale.

"I don’t know who was really bored and thought they would play a nice practical joke at home, but this track is not sold and it is not for sale. This is a tradition with Earl and Berneice (Baltes) that they started back in 1954 that we’re proud to be owners of this race track. It’s something that we’re passionate about," Tony Stewart said.

"This track is not for sale. It’s not sold. It’s ours. And we plan on keeping it for a long time," he added.

Baltes built the speedway in 1954 in New Weston as a small quarter-mile dirt track and later expanded it to a half-mile. He ran the track for more than 50 years.

The USAC sprint cars began racing at the track in 1962, while the Eldora 500 ran from 1965 to 1967 before being discontinued. It hosted the first World of Outlaws event in 1978, with other major races in the following years like the World 100, Kings Royal, and 4-Crown Nationals.

Eldora also held the richest short-track race with a price of $1 million in 2001.

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"He was an absolute pro" - Tony Stewart on Eldora Speedway's general manager

Tony Stewart hired USAC Hall of Famer, Levi Jones as Eldora’s new general manager in September this year. Jones, 42, worked at Penske Entertainment as director of the Indy NXT Series and took over from Jerry Gappens, who passed away earlier this year.

"I want to especially thank Jonathan Bateman, who has worn nearly every hat and done every job at Eldora since joining us in 2006. He became our interim general manager after Jerry passed, and he had less than two weeks to get ready for one of our biggest races, the Dirt Late Model Dream. He was an absolute pro, and the Dream and our summer slate of racing wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the experience and work ethic Jonathan brings to Eldora every day,” Tony Stewart said.

Jones was the competition director and later the executive vice president of USAC. He also raced for Stewart’s team before and won six USAC championships.