Setting stage a science at Stewart's 'Field of Dreams'

ROSSBURG, Ohio -- With more than 20,000 people in the grandstands and countless others tuning into the HBO pay-per-view broadcast of the fourth annual Prelude to the Dream at 7 p.m. ET, there will be plenty of attention paid to the cars and stars as they lap the half-mile dirt oval at Eldora Speedway.

But long before such world-renown drivers as Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch descended upon Eldora, the unsung heroes of the historic dirt track set the stage for what has become a must-see racing event.

While other premier sporting events such as The Masters, Super Bowl and World Series have scores of people that work to get the respective playing surfaces ready for the big events, Eldora also has a staff -- albeit much smaller -- that has been working long hours each day to keep the track in the best racing shape possible for the Prelude.

Prelude to the Dream

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• Video: The history of Eldora

"What people don't see is that at a dirt track, it's not a matter of just putting dirt on it the day of the race," said Stewart, a two-time Cup Series champion who also owns Eldora Speedway. "It's Larry Kemp and Larry Boos and Earl Baltes' grandson Chad who do the majority of the work during the week. It's a seven-day-a-week job taking care of a dirt track. You want to get moisture in it early in the week to where, no matter what the conditions are on race day, you're able to adjust how much water you put on it on race day, so when nighttime comes, that moisture keeps coming out."

Even though it takes plenty of preparation to get Eldora Speedway ready for any of its weekly events, which includes World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and United States Auto Club (USAC) races, Stewart's staff prepares the track a bit differently for the Prelude.

With a field that has various levels of experience competing in 2,300-pound dirt late model stock cars capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower, Stewart and his staff put down less water than usual over the track's clay surface. Typically, the Eldora staff would prepare the track with plenty of water to be soft and tacky, which helps produce fast lap times. But some of the drivers in this year's Prelude have little to no dirt track experience. The less water laid down on the track, the slower the speeds, thereby leveling the playing field and ensuring a better show for the fans.

"Last year we dried the track out a little bit, so it was hard and slick from the top to the bottom and the pace was slower so the guys weren't holding their breath and it was a lot easier for them to drive," Stewart said. "Especially for the guys that are new to the dirt track scene, it's a little easier for them to get used to since the pace isn't so fast. It makes all the guys driving those cars feel a lot more comfortable. And for what we're doing with the television aspect, it's a lot easier to leave it slow with a lot less dust."

Last year, the hard work paid off for two dirt newbies -- Juan Montoya and Busch. Both showed remarkable skills despite limited experience racing on dirt. Busch even challenged for the win late in the race with dirt veteran Edwards before eventually settling for a runner-up finish. The strong runs by both drivers impressed dirt track veteran and Cup driver J.J. Yeley, who doesn't mind the Eldora staff slowing the track down to make the show better for the fans and for the television audience.

"I was really impressed with guys like Juan Pablo and Kyle, who hadn't been in that type of car on dirt before but really adapted to it quickly," Yeley said. "You want to make sure it's nice and slick where the speeds will be a little bit slower. I'm sure all the car owners who will have the Cup drivers in their cars will be happy to know that. When the track is hard and slick, it makes the cars a little bit easier to driver, and I think it will make the racing even better for the fans."

Yeley also knows a thing or two about what makes up the surface of various dirt tracks, as the winner of multiple USAC championships has seen plenty of them throughout his career.

"The biggest thing is that you have to start with a good product," Yeley said. "Eldora Speedway has been around for so long that they have really good clay. You try to explain to people the difference between dirt tracks -- red clay, black clay -- and there's a lot of differences in the consistencies. Clay just wears out over time to where it just doesn't hold the moisture. The biggest thing is to keep just a little bit of water on the racetrack and keep the dust down."

Not only does Stewart appreciate all the hard work put in by his staffers, but also the efforts of dirt track owners across the country. He hopes the Prelude shines a positive light on grassroots dirt racing across the country.

"Guys that take care of dirt tracks across the country are really unsung heroes of the sport," Stewart said. "There's so much science about how much clay content you have in the dirt, and that's what makes every dirt track unique. You could have two guys that owned two different racetracks, but they have to prepare them differently for the conditions where the races are as good as possible. What we do at Eldora isn't necessarily the same thing that someone else does 30 miles down the road that has the same dirt as us. These promoters and track operators that take care of these racetracks and do a lot of work should be proud of what they do."

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