Stewart Petitions for Dirt Cup Race

Full-time Cup driver Ryan Newman drove in Wednesday's Eldora dirt track race, which has become an increasingly popular event since Stewart bought the circuit in 2004.

Racing co-owner Stewart-Haas and NASCAR legend Tony Stewart say an obligation should be placed on the series to eventually stage a Cup race at the Eldora Speedway dirt track.

While NASCAR has not raced on a dirt track since 1970 in North Carolina, Tony Stewart has recently pressured the organization to stage a Cup race on a dirt track.

Notably, Cup drivers such as Chip Ganassi Racing's Kyle Larson, have calendars that include racing on dirt tracks in sprint cars.

Stewart believes Eldora's success in hosting NASCAR races means it should now be considered for the second-tier Xfinity series as a trial run for a Cup race down the line.

"Maybe one of these days we'll get an Xfinity or Cup race here, we have proven you can run the vehicles here," Stewart told NASCAR SiriusXM radio. "We have proven that the truck drivers who have never been on dirt before can get around the track really well.

Additionally, Stewart places an emphasis on racing fans, with an attempt to influence them towards the dirt racing goal. He states, "Fans, if you're out there, think about starting to put some pressure on NASCAR. I think we need to get an Xfinity race and if we can get and it was successful, then maybe one day we can get a Cup race at Eldora and that's something I think everybody would want to see."

Stewart's comments were backed by the retired Dale Earnhardt Jr, who tweeted his support and suggested he would happily enter his Xfinity JR Motorsports team if the Xfinity series went to Eldora.