Tony Stewart has recently dispelled the rumor that Eldora Speedway was up for sale. Stewart has owned this iconic dirt clay oval in Rossburg, Ohio, since 2004. However, fans noted that the four-time Cup Series champion had once said the same thing about Stewart-Haas Racing.
Team owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas recently confirmed that the two-time NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning organization would shut its operations after 2024. Besides its facility in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the team will sell the four charters that it currently owns.
Nevertheless, Stewart has no plans to sell Eldora Speedway. In an interview with FloRacing, 'Smoke' said,
"This track is not for sale. It’s not sold. It’s ours. And we plan on keeping it for a long time."
Several fans reacted to his comments, with one saying that Stewart had said the same thing about SHR.
"He said the same thing about S/H 6 months ago??" the fan wrote.
Another fan reflected on SHR selling their Cup charters and commented,
"Said same thing on the cup cars as well and within 6 months it’s sold."
Here are a few other reactions to the interview where Tony Stewart cleared the rumor about him selling Eldora Speedway:
"Still not convinced. (I'm wearing a Josh Berry tee currently)," said a fan.
Another fan added, "He got really pissed a few months ago when they were asking about about SHR. We see what happened there!"
"In 2 weeks it'll be for sale," commented a fan.
"At the most 2 years its sold. Would be surprised if it's sooner. He wants to go drag racin with his wife and nothin else," added another.
According to FloRacing, Tony Stewart had purchased the track from its original owners, Earl and Berneice Baltes, when he was in his sixth year of running in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Stewart was already a Cup Series champion back then. He went on to win two more championships in 2005 and 2011.
"It affects everybody"- Tony Stewart on the impact of the rumor
Moments before the 30th running of the Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway, Tony Stewart opened up to FloRacing about how the rumor has affected him and several others involved in the operation of the track.
Stewart revealed that he was getting ready for Thursday's Late Model event at his track when he heard the rumor. Recalling the moment, he said (1:22),
"Literally I was sitting at home yesterday getting ready for the weekend, getting ready to come here and then we're going to Bristol this weekend, and I had to spend three hours sending text messages to people saying this is not true."
According to him, rumors like these affect the sponsors and partners who play a major role in the execution of a successful racing season.
"It affects everybody involved. It affects the fans, it affects our partners, our sponsors, it's unnecessary. It created a lot of problems yesterday that we didn't need," Stewart added.
Several bigshot companies like Pepsi, Budweiser, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Mobil 1, and Premier Health currently sponsor Eldora Speedway.
Actions resume at Eldora Speedway on July 17 with the Double Down Duel, a High Limit Winged Sprint Car event. The race will be covered live, exclusively on FloRacing.