Tony Stewart shared that he has a rule at Eldora Speedway that discourages fighting given no one has taken him up on it.
During an appearance on Door Bumper Clear, Stewart and the rest of the panel were discussing what is appropriate when it comes to fighting. Stewart chimed in and shared that he has an unwritten rule at Eldora that discourages fighting altogether.
“We tell everybody at Eldora, at our dirt track, you want to fight, stop at the front straightaway. You can fight. No penalties, nothing. We’ve yet to have anybody do it,” Stewart said. “But if you’re going to fight, that’s the only place that it’s acceptable. All those people paid for a show to watch a race and get a show.”
“If you’re going to fight, that’s part of the show,” he continued. “Nobody will take you up on it.”
This unwritten rule is no stranger to Eldora Speedway. Current World of Outlaws Series Director Steve Francis recalled founder, owner, and former promoter Earl Baltes saying after a driver’s meeting at the track, “Now boys, if you guys fight in the pit area, it’s a $500 fine and you’re barred. But if you guys fight on the racetrack, it’s a $500 bonus.”
While there is this unwritten rule about fighting on the front stretch, the written rules for the track are also pretty strict when it comes to fighting.
The rules state, “Each person signing into the pit area is expected to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner on and off the race track. As such: Fighting and/or behavior threatening violence will not be tolerated and punishable by up to five years suspension.”
While no one has taken up the offer at Eldora Speedway, a similar rule to Stewart’s unwritten one has been enacted at at least one other track before. Back in 2025 at Farmington Empire Speedway, Modified drivers Tyler Worley and Collin Parmer settled their on-track dispute by exiting their cars and duking it out on the front stretch.
— – (@Spicoli_____) July 27, 2025
However, following the fight, the track issued an apology. It wrote in a post to Facebook, “We sincerely apologize to everyone who attended the track event last night. Our intention was never to condone violence, and we deeply regret that the experience may have given the impression otherwise.”
“In the recent past we have seen incidents of fights and heated arguments at events, which at times have resulted in injuries—something we especially want to avoid for innocent bystanders,” the track explained. “In many situations two individuals both want to confront each other. In an effort to manage such situations more effectively, we requested that any disputes remain on the track. This approach has been used at some televised racing venues in the past, where it helped mitigate escalation in high-tension situations. We were under the impression that this approach was the best way to handle said situations.”
“Nonetheless, we recognize that asking participants to confine disagreements to the track was not the ideal solution. We are revisiting our rules and procedures to establish a safer and more effective way to handle confrontations between competitors. Thank you for your understanding and for your continued support,” the track concluded.
Despite Farmington Empire changing their policy, Stewart’s unwritten hockey-style fight rule appears to be an effective deterrent for fighting altogether at Eldora Speedway given no one has taken him up on it and he has owned the track since 2004.
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