You could see it in his face. It was very easily detected.
As Earl and Berneice Baltes were driven into the Eldora Speedway pit area in a pick-up truck last Saturday night, speedway owner Tony Stewart was beaming brighter than a kid on Christmas morning. Stewart rushed over to the truck to meet the 87-year-old man who in 1954 founded and built one of the most famous short-tracks in America.
The two walked closely to the Eldora victory stage, while Berneice was being escorted and walking just a few steps behind. I don’t believe the smile ever left Stewart’s face. If anything, it just got bigger. Honor, respect and affection permeated from the NASCAR star as he walked with one of his grassroots heroes.

HONORED: Track owner Tony Stewart (left) and Berneice and Earl Baltes look on as a lifesize bronze statue of the Baltes was unveiled Saturday at Eldora Speedway. (Jim Morrison Photo)

It was about two months ago that Stewart promised a major announcment would be made during this year’s dirt-late-model Dream. It was big and unprecedented, he had said. Speculation immediately began about what was going to happen, but nobody was talking.
Now, we know what all the hoopla was about. With Stewart and Eldora management overseeing the proceedings, track officials unveiled a life-size bronze statue of Earl and Berneice Baltes to be displayed near the speedway’s main grandstand entrance. A new race, called the Baltes Classic, was announced for Labor Day weekend, the Sunday before the annual World 100.
That race will take the place of the Johnny Appleseed Classic, which was moved to May this year.
During the ceremony, Stewart called Earl Baltes his backbone and his braintrust. He’s ensuring that the Baltes name will forever be associated with Eldora Speedway. It’s one of the best things he’s ever done.
“This way, for eternity, every time somebody comes to Eldora Speedway, they’re gonna know who built this and made this place so special,” Stewart said. “We wanted to make a big deal out of this. Earl and Berneice Baltes will always be a part of Eldora Speedway.”
Earl Baltes was honored.
“I never thought I’d see a day like this or a night like this,” he said.
Stewart bought Eldora from Baltes in 2004. Since then, numerous changes have been implemented at the facility. New seats, bathrooms, a scoreboard, new lighting and an improved catch fence all have been added. The track surface has also undergone changes that made it more conducive to competitive racing.
For those of us who have a long-term relationship with Eldora, who have watched Earl Baltes make hundreds of laps around the half-mile on a grader or in a water truck, we can be nothing but pleased that the track is in Stewart’s hands.
Like him or not, he’s been nothing but positive for the venerable old facility. At heart, Stewart is a grassroots guy. And dirt-track racing is a grassroots sport. As an Eldora fan, that’s who I want running the race track, somebody who respects and understands the past and what came before him.
There will be more Eldora changes to come. There is almost always speculation about what Stewart will or will not do. But no matter what comes next, it likely will pale in comparison, at least to hardcore, longtime dirt-track racing fans, to what was done on Saturday night.
I’ve been attending races at Eldora Speedway for almost 25 years. I’ve seen and heard a little bit of everything and I’ll tell you what: Saturday was only the second or third time I’ve had a lump in my throat and almost became more emotional than I’d want most people to see. I couldn’t help it.
You could’ve seen it in my face. It would’ve been very easily detected.