CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE; For one day, at least, U.S. racing eyes are on Eldora Speedway.(Competitions of car racing)

Byline: MAC MORRISON

Rossburg, Ohio-population 224, according to 2000 census data-is a village in the Ohio countryside, 43 miles north of Dayton as the crow flies, near the Indiana border. You could call it Anytown, U.S.A. You could not call it Monte Carlo, even if Monte Carlo combusted spontaneously.

"Rossburg, Ohio?'' asked Juan Pablo Montoya, late of Formula One's ostentatious venues and facilities. "I didn't even know where we were. I knew we were in Ohio. It's amazing, you know, there's not much around here. But you can [tell there's a racetrack here] for miles because of the amount of motor homes and people.''

Eldora Speedway is the track Montoya, 25 other drivers and approximately 25,000 race fans came to run and see. NASCAR star Tony Stewart purchased the half-mile dirt oval ("Paying It Forward,'' AW, April 24, 2006) in late 2004 from Earl Baltes, who ran the place since 1958. But unlike his motivation 36 weeks a year on NASCAR's big-time circuits, Stewart's acquisition was more altruistic in nature. "Sure, I like money as much as anybody else, but I also like the Balteses, and I like our race fans,'' he told AutoWeek at the time. "If I ever sell, it would have to be a situation like the one Earl and [his wife] Bernice trusted me with, someone who would look out for the track and the fans.''

On a warm, midweek June night, Stewart and his compatriots looked out for the kids, too: the Victory Junction Gang Camp kids, beneficiaries of the Kyle and Pattie Petty-founded charity for children with serious medical conditions. All proceeds from Eldora's third-annual "Prelude to the Dream'' 800-hp Late Model shootout (including those from the first-ever HBO pay-per-view broadcast) go to the camp. The actual "Dream'' is a $100,000-paying Late Model event held in the days after the all-star race.

NASCAR's Stewart, Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin and NHRA drivers Cruz Pedregon and Ron Capps were among those who competed in three 10-lap heat races, a 12-lap consolation/qualifying race and the 30-lap feature. The full lineup included an impressive five Cup champions, three Daytona 500 winners and 24 major racing champs. As the event's press notes pointed out, Montoya-who never raced on dirt before the Prelude-would attempt to become the first driver to win at Indianapolis, Monaco and . . . Eldora.

Maybe next year. The man noted for aggressive driving and electric car control figured out how to use his Late Model's ...