|
|
|
|
|
Eldora an opportunity for racers and industry alike
|
|
Fresh off a victory in the $250,000-to-win High Bank Nationals on June 24, the opportunity for David Gravel over the next week is clear and imminently possible.
"I could become the winningest driver in Sprint Car history this week," he told DIRTRACKR on Sunday.
That’s because he stands to add a million dollars on Thursday in The Million at Eldora and that’s to say nothing of the $175,000 at stake on Saturday night in the 40th Kings Royal. Go ahead and count Tuesday’s Brad Doty Classic, the Million Prelim on Wednesday and the Knight Before at Eldora on Friday.
This week has become everything the Month of Money used to be, transforming this next month and a half into the months of money, a continuation of the year of money, holistically. Over two million dollars will be paid at Eldora this week and that’s with the Jackson Nationals and Knoxville Nationals still looming over the next month.
The opportunity is not lost on four-time reigning World of Outlaws champion Brad Sweet.
"The million is a life-changing race," Sweet told DIRTRACKR. "The Kings Royal used to pay $50,000 and now there's a separate race paying a million to win and the whole week is paying over two million dollars. It's a really exciting time to be a Sprint Car driver."
As both Sweet and Gravel, the top two in Outlaws points articulate it, they don't have a salary. They race for a fraction of the purse money, and these are the weeks that could change the course of their entire careers.
"This isn't like NASCAR where you have a downside guarantee," Gravel said. "Winning is how we make a living."
First and foremost, this week is about the money. The Eldora Million is possibly a once-in-a-lifetime race on par with the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the Cup Series All-Star Race. But at the same time, this is also an opportunity for the entire industry to take center stage.
Think of the viewership numbers FloRacing received last year for the Late Model Million from casual racing fans, non-dirt diehards who just wanted to see who would win a million dollars. Donnie Moran, who won the inaugural Late Model Million at Eldora in 2001 still carries The Million Dollar Man moniker that goes with him everywhere.
It carries widespread attention, which means it’s a chance for the Sprint Car discipline to impress and captivate the mainstream beyond these Months of Money.
"It’s a huge opportunity," Sweet said. "Tony (Stewart) has obviously stepped up, and so has Flo to do their part, so it’s a lot that falls on their shoulders. There will be a lot of watching the forecast, needing that event to be successful. A lot is riding on this week.
"What I don’t have any concerns about is the racing product. The racing will be great as long as the weather doesn’t mess up the track. I have a lot of belief that the racers will put on a show for a million dollars.
"Hopefully, that excitement level creates a lot of interest in what we do every week and shows people what Sprint Car racing is about. I hope we can take some, kind of fringe fans, and show them what we’re about."
While everyone knows what the stakes are this week, Shark Racing veteran Logan Schuchart says he’s just trying to stay level, keeping a level head.
"I try to treat them the same," Schuchart said. "But at the same time, it’s just another race that happens to pay a million dollars, life-changing money and the chance to win a crown jewel. It’s crazy that the sport has grown to this level that we’re going to race for a million dollars."
Sweet says, come feature time on Thursday night, he expects everyone in the field to find another figurative gear. He says the elite of the discipline have a way of digging down and finding the extra will to win when that kind of money is place in front of them and that’s what makes the two big races this week so tantalizing.
"You dangle a million-dollar carrot in front of us, and we’re going to find another level," Sweet said. "It’s going to be really fun for the fans and I just hope track conditions will be what they need to be to let us go for it."
Gravel says there is some merit to that.
"If they get the track slick and give us a lot of options, we’re going to explore every one of them," Gravel said. "If it rains and gets wet and fast, that’s where it’s going to be hard to overcome and it’s not going to matter how much we want it."
Schuchart has won a Big Gator championship at Volusia and has led the Outlaw standings at various points over the past three seasons but is still looking for his first marquee victory. To that point, he can’t in good faith speak to the gear Gravel and Sweet says they have found in these races but hopes to be able to talk about it in hindsight by the end of the week.
He has finished second in numerous majors, winning several hard charger awards in the process, and now it’s time for this last box to be checked in a big one.
"I’ll say this … I love racing at Eldora," said the Let’s Race Two winner from earlier in the spring. "If there was ever a place that was going to do a million-dollar race, Eldora is where I would want it to be. It’s been very good to me. I’m looking forward to it, but I am treating it like any other race. Sometimes that works and sometimes, not so much, but I’m going to hope come Sunday that it wasn’t just another race."
|
|
|
New merch is here! Flexfit hats are back in stock in two different color options, there are two new logo t-shirts available in the shop, plus stickers and koozies. Click the banner below to check it out!
|
|
Want to dive into the numbers I share for yourself? Check out DIRTRACKR Plus by clicking the banner below! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
