There are Frostbusters, Snowball Derbies, Spring Thaws and Turkey Trots. Every week at short tracks across the country from the first signs of winter’s end to the last vestiges of fall splendor, there are hundreds of races that are significant in some way to the track, fans, teams and drivers.
But every now and again, an event rises above the rest to take an identity of its own. Become a tradition, a hallmark in a specific series, region or track, a marquee event that a win catapults careers to heights not previously thought attainable.
The annual World 100 at Eldora Speedway is precisely such an event. First run in 1971 when the track was owned and operated by the legendary Earl Baltes, the race quickly became a “must win” for dirt-late-model drivers. Every driver who has ever buckled into a low-slung wedge of dirt late model wants the famous World 100 Globe Trophy on his mantel.

WORLD 100 WINNERS
1971    Bruce Gould
1972    Verlin Eakers
1973    Floyd Gilbert
1974    Ed Sanger
1975    Joe Merryfield
1976    Charles Hughes
1977    Doug Kenimer
1978    Ken Walton
1979    Larry Moore
1980    Charlie Swartz
1981    Larry Moore
1982    Mike Duvall
1983    Jeff Purvis
1984    Jeff Purvis
1985    Randy Boggs
1986    Scott Bloomquist
1987    Donnie Moran
1988    Scott Bloomquist
1989    Billy Moyer
1990    Scott Bloomquist
1991    Billy Moyer
1992    Donnie Moran
1993    Billy Moyer
1994    Billy Moyer
1995    Jack Boggs
1996    Donnie Moran
1997    Donnie Moran
1998    Billy Moyer
1999    Steve Francis
2000    Billy Moyer
2001    Scott Bloomquist
2002    Brian Birkhofer
2003    Dan Schleiper
2004    Chub Frank
2005    Dale McDowell
2006    Earl Pearson, Jr.

The list of World 100 winners through the years is a showcase of the who’s who in dirt-late-model-racing circles.
Bruce Gould won the inaugural event. He went on to have a successful career throughout the Midwest, not only in late-model competition but ARCA as well.
Billy Moyer, who has more than 675 (and counting) victories and multiple national championships from the East Coast to the West Coast in his remarkable career, dominated the World 100 in the 1990s. With five victories spanning 1991 to 2000, Moyer is the holder of more coveted Globe trophies than any other driver.
When asked what was his proudest moment in racing, without hesitation Moyer replied, “Winning the World 100.”
The on-track battles between Moyer and Ohio-based racer Donnie Moran played out on every race track, in every series across the country, but never more exciting than the World 100 at Eldora.
Moran has four Globes in his collection with triumphs in 1989, 1992, 1996 and 1997. He was the first driver to win two of Eldora’s big events in one year, taking the checkered flag in The Dream and the World 100 in 1996. Oh yes, he also took home the Eldora Million in 2001.
Multi-time NASCAR Busch Series winner Jeff Purvis scored victories in the prestigious World 100 three times: 1983, 1984 and 1986.
Scott Bloomquist started a legacy of three victories with his first win in 1988. Arguably one of the greatest dirt-late-model drivers the sport has seen, Bloomquist won again in 1990 and 2001.
World of Outlaws Late Model Series point-leader Steve Francis snagged the World 100 victory in 1999.
There has been controversy peppered through the years that have fueled the excitement of the loyal fans who make the annual trip to the Ohio race track to cheer their favorite drivers. In 2005, Dale McDowell was awarded the victory when Shannon Babb’s car was too light at the scales after leading the final 50 laps of the race.
Last year’s event saw Earl Pearson, Jr. score a hard-fought victory after a 100-lap, race-long battle with Babb and Jeep Van Wormer. Seven cars were within inches of one another as the checkered flag waved, giving Pearson his first victory in the historic race on the legendary track.
When two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Tony Stewart purchased Eldora Speedway from Baltes in 2005, he assured loyal Eldora and World 100 fans that he would do everything in his power to grow the competition while traditions would remain in place.
“I think Eldora’s been successful because of the formula they’ve got now, so we’re not going in there to try to reinvent the wheel,” Stewart said. “We want to take what’s there and say, ‘What can we do to make it better?’ We don’t want to take anything away from what’s at the facility. We just want to add to it to make it

TO THE LINE: Cars line up at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, for the start of the World 100.

better for the fans. Whether it’s little things like adding a scoreboard or making the restrooms bigger — things that you hear by word of mouth or you just know will add to the facility — those are the things we want to do to just try and make it a little better.”
The proof that Stewart and his staff have done just that is reflected in the great races on the half-mile clay oval that continues to attract loyal fans in staggering numbers.
“Marquee events such as the World 100, the American Revolution Weekend in September, the Nextel Prelude to The Dream, the King’s Royal and the other high-profile events that Eldora hosts each year have a lot of history behind them,” Stewart continued. “There is no doubt that the fans are directly responsible for the continued success of Eldora Speedway. It’s also no secret that I purchased the facility from one of the most renowned short-track promoters of this era. With the continued loyalty of the fans, we have an opportunity to continue to build on the facility’s track record.
“The drivers that compete at Eldora Speedway come to win, and their passion for the sport makes a victory here a career cornerstone. Unlike any other track in the country — and I’ve raced at many — Eldora and its fans still ignite my competitiveness and make me want to reach the winner’s circle like my career depended on it. I’m sure many of the driver’s who will take the track in the World 100 share those feelings.”
Historically, the World 100 has been firmly established as an event of major proportion. With close to 200 entries expected for the 2007 event, it shows no signs of doing anything except continuing to be elevated to the status of one of the greatest races of the year.