ROSSBURG, Ohio — The most lucrative week of sprint car racing in history kicked off Tuesday night at Attica Raceway Park and continues Wednesday through Saturday at Eldora Speedway.
Wednesday’s action features a pair of preliminary main events for winged sprint cars in preparation for Thursday night’s historic Eldora Million, which will pay $1 million to the winner.
On Wednesday night, two groups of qualifying will be featured with four heat races, C Main, B Main and 25-lap feature for each group.
Each 25-lap main event will pay $12,000 to win, with all events being lined up by Eldora’s unique Every Lap Matters points system.
After Wednesday’s programs, the Every Lap Matters point standings will be used to set the six heat race lineups for Thursday night.
More than 80 cars and drivers are expected to compete.
• Following Thursday’s $1 million to win unsanctioned event, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will invade the half-mile oval for two nights of racing featuring the Knight Before The Kings Royal, paying $20,000 to win and Saturday’s 40thrunning of the Kings Royal, which is scheduled to pay $175,000 to the victor.
• Kyle Larson dominated Tuesday’s Brad Doty Classic at Attica Raceway Park, winning the event for the second consecutive season. It was his sixth victory in 10 starts at Attica.
As well, it was Larson’s 14th overall victory of the season and sixth in a winged sprint car.
If Larson wins Thursday’s Eldora Million, it would be his second $1 million payday of the season as he previously earned a million bucks for topping the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
• Port City Raceway promoter Shane Stewart has shown no signs of rust in his return to sprint car racing for the month of money. Stewart won his return to competition two weeks ago at Lake Ozark Speedway and was in contention all night at Attica.
Stewart was the fast qualifier in group B on Tuesday night, won his heat and finished 10th in the main event aboard Bernie Stuebgen’s Indy Race Parts No. 71 machine.
Stewart should be fast the next four nights at Eldora.
• It will be interesting to learn the events that led to Anthony Macri departing his family owned ride and where the 24-year-old gas masher may end up. Ironically, longtime rival Lance Dewease is sitting in for Macri at Eldora this week.
• Daryn Pittman started his first race of the season at Attica and drove Alex Bowman’s No. 55x sprint car to a 17th-place finish in the 40-lap feature.
• Considered one of the favorites to win the Eldora Million, Rico Abreu did not compete at Attica on Tuesday night. Abreu finished second to Schatz at the third-mile dirt track when the World of Outlaws competed there on May 19.
Schatz, meanwhile, romped from 14th starting spot to finish fourth at Attica.
• There are seven Australians entered in the Eldora Million — Ian Madsen, Kerry Madsen, Trent Pigdon, Jamie Veal, James McFadden, Lachlan McHugh and Cory Moroske.
• Western Pennsylvania sprint car driver Carl Bowser has landed the ride in the No. 29 McCandless Motorsports sprint car for this week’s events at Eldora. The car was previously handled by Sye Lynch and Parker Price-Miller.