In the days following the tragic passing of NASCAR champion Kyle Busch there have been plenty of tributes throughout the racing world. On Saturday, Eldora Speedway and Hellraizer Jacks will pay tribute to Busch in their own way, with a special bonus to be paid to the driver of the 51st lap of the race.
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2026 Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway
Hellraizer Jacks is putting up $1,000 to the leader of Lap 51, with Eldora Speedway adding in another $1,012 to bring the total to $2,012 to the lap leader in tribute to Busch’s win in the 2012 Prelude to the Dream at Eldora. Hellraizer’s Krissie Hensley spearheaded the extra payouts that begin with $900 bonuses for the leaders of lap 18 — Busch’s well-known NASCAR Cup Series number — in the 50-lap preliminary features on Thursday and Friday.
Busch made the No. 51 iconic throughout his racing career as he dominated the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and took on the “Rowdy” moniker from the movie “Days of Thunder.”
Although Busch never ran the Dirt Late Model Dream or the World 100, Busch and Eldora Speedway have a long history together. Busch ran the Prelude to the Dream multiple times and the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was driving a car owned by legendary Dirt Late Model driver Scott Bloomquist when he won the 2012 Prelude to the Dream. Bloomquist even made a start for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the inaugural Eldora Dirt Derby in 2013.
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“This is what it’s all about when you go dirt racing,” said Busch after his win. “It’s a lot of fun. I can’t say enough about Scott Bloomquist and all these guys. They give me great race cars every time we come here, and I’ve torn them up a few times, including tonight (in qualifying). We were able to come back through, get a good heat race, get a good starting spot for the main event and run up front there with the leaders all night.”
Tyler Erb will also be paying tribute to Busch at the Dirt Late Model Dream this week through the form of a special wrap. Erb’s car will renumber his car to No. 51 and the scheme is similar to what Busch drove to the win in the 2017 Snowball Derby.
Busch unexpectedly passed away two weeks ago due to sepsis from pneumonia at the age of 41.
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