CENTER LINE, Mich. - The stage is set, the track has been prepared, and thousands of race fans from all over the world are making their way to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Friday evening, the green flag will drop on 150 race teams that will compete for the Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora championship.
Among those teams, J.J. Yeley and Cory Kruseman are preparing
themselves for the race of their lives. As Yeley, Kruseman and their Mopar-sponsored No. 20 and No. 21 Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises sprint car race teams prepare physically and mentally for the momentous event, drama continues to build.
One high point of speculation for the Mopar Million has surrounded whether or not their team owner, Tony Stewart, will himself be strapped into the cockpit of a sprint car. Stewart is the defending NASCAR Winston Cup Champion and easily one of the most widely successful drivers of his time.
Check out the "Quick Quotes" below to get some of Stewart's opinions on this weekend's Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora.
Tony Stewart, Owner of the No. 20 & No. 21 Tony Stewart Racing
Enterprises USAC National Sprint Car team, on competing versus acting as a car owner for the Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora:
"I would love to compete in the Mopar Million, but at the same time, that's hard to do with my Winston Cup commitments. But it's a calming feeling knowing that we've got Cory and J.J. going there and that they've both been running really, really well here recently. If you can't be there as a competitor, but you can be there as a car owner with two really good drivers - which I feel like we have - and good power plants, that's what you need at Eldora."
Tony Stewart on Mopar's contribution to his team's success this season:
"If you look at the stats, J.J has won 22 [USAC] races and 12 of them have been in our Mopar-powered Sprint car. The power plants have been vital. I haven't heard the drivers talking about them, and while that might not be great for Mopar, because I'm sure they want the drivers talking about their engines, it's good for us. Because in racing, when a driver isn't talking about
a certain topic, that means that they're content with it and happy with it. So when the drivers aren't talking about the motors, that means they're content and very happy with the performance they're getting. The things that they are talking about are all the other variables on their minds that they have concerns about.
I know that they're both very happy with the power they're getting and they're very, very excited with the reliability. Like I said, they just don't talk about them - and that's a good thing."
Tony Stewart regarding whether having Mopar as a sponsor adds any pressure to do well in the Mopar Million.
"I don't think there's added pressure, but I do think there's an added sense of pride if we win that race, knowing that we're already a part of the Mopar team. So if we can win a race that Mopar is involved with, it just gives us a bigger sense of pride knowing that we stepped up and had a good performance
during that race for them."
Tony Stewart on the future of the Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora.
"With a $200,000 first-place prize, I don't think it's going to be just another sprint car race. It's something that if it goes well, it could be for non-winged sprint cars what the Knoxville (Iowa) Nationals is to winged sprint car racing."
For more information regarding the Mopar Million, Eldora Speedway and tickets for the event, visit www.eldoraspeedway.com. Reserved seating can be
purchased in advance by calling (937) 338-3815.
Mopar is based in Center Line, Mich., and is the exclusive original
equipment supplier of parts for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep® vehicles.
Among those teams, J.J. Yeley and Cory Kruseman are preparing
themselves for the race of their lives. As Yeley, Kruseman and their Mopar-sponsored No. 20 and No. 21 Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises sprint car race teams prepare physically and mentally for the momentous event, drama continues to build.
One high point of speculation for the Mopar Million has surrounded whether or not their team owner, Tony Stewart, will himself be strapped into the cockpit of a sprint car. Stewart is the defending NASCAR Winston Cup Champion and easily one of the most widely successful drivers of his time.
Check out the "Quick Quotes" below to get some of Stewart's opinions on this weekend's Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora.
Tony Stewart, Owner of the No. 20 & No. 21 Tony Stewart Racing
Enterprises USAC National Sprint Car team, on competing versus acting as a car owner for the Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora:
"I would love to compete in the Mopar Million, but at the same time, that's hard to do with my Winston Cup commitments. But it's a calming feeling knowing that we've got Cory and J.J. going there and that they've both been running really, really well here recently. If you can't be there as a competitor, but you can be there as a car owner with two really good drivers - which I feel like we have - and good power plants, that's what you need at Eldora."
Tony Stewart on Mopar's contribution to his team's success this season:
"If you look at the stats, J.J has won 22 [USAC] races and 12 of them have been in our Mopar-powered Sprint car. The power plants have been vital. I haven't heard the drivers talking about them, and while that might not be great for Mopar, because I'm sure they want the drivers talking about their engines, it's good for us. Because in racing, when a driver isn't talking about
a certain topic, that means that they're content with it and happy with it. So when the drivers aren't talking about the motors, that means they're content and very happy with the performance they're getting. The things that they are talking about are all the other variables on their minds that they have concerns about.
I know that they're both very happy with the power they're getting and they're very, very excited with the reliability. Like I said, they just don't talk about them - and that's a good thing."
Tony Stewart regarding whether having Mopar as a sponsor adds any pressure to do well in the Mopar Million.
"I don't think there's added pressure, but I do think there's an added sense of pride if we win that race, knowing that we're already a part of the Mopar team. So if we can win a race that Mopar is involved with, it just gives us a bigger sense of pride knowing that we stepped up and had a good performance
during that race for them."
Tony Stewart on the future of the Mopar Million Sprint at Eldora.
"With a $200,000 first-place prize, I don't think it's going to be just another sprint car race. It's something that if it goes well, it could be for non-winged sprint cars what the Knoxville (Iowa) Nationals is to winged sprint car racing."
For more information regarding the Mopar Million, Eldora Speedway and tickets for the event, visit www.eldoraspeedway.com. Reserved seating can be
purchased in advance by calling (937) 338-3815.
Mopar is based in Center Line, Mich., and is the exclusive original
equipment supplier of parts for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep® vehicles.
