Eldora Speedway Hosts Star-Studded Prelude to the Dream Racing Benefit

Champions from across competitive racing's many disciplines will converge on Eldora Speedway tonight in hopes of raising big funds for children's hospitals.

First organized and run in 2005, the sixth edition of the Prelude to the Dream will feature 25 all-star racers in a 30-lap dash to the finish on Eldora's famed half-mile clay circuit.

The field includes top professionals from a number of racing forms, from IndyCar to motocross.

In the past the race has been solely about bragging rights for the competitors, with all funds raised going to a pre-determined charity. This season, however, the race will take on a new twist.

In addition to the individual competition, the field has been split into four teams, each racing for a different children's hospital. The teams are:

Cincinnati Children's Hospital: Bill Elliott, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte, Joey Logano, Cruz Pedregon, and Tony Stewart

Levine Hospital for Children (Charlotte, N.C.): Marcos Ambrose, Dave Blaney, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Travis Pastrana, and David Reutimann
 
Riley Hospital for Children (Indianapolis): Justin Allgaier, A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Ron Capps, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, and Kenny Wallace

St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, Tenn.): Aric Almirola, Ricky Carmichael, Carl Edwards, Ray Evernham, Denny Hamlin, Tony Kanaan, and Ken Schrader

A team's score will be assessed based on the overall position of its top five drivers, with the lowest score crowned champion (For instance: First, fourth, seventh, 12th, and 19th equals a total score of 43).

The team champion's hospital will earn 45 percent of the total event proceeds, with second place earning 25 percent and third and fourth both earning 15 percent.

Tony Stewart, the track's owner and the founder of the event, has won the race three times, including victories in each of the past two years.