DARKE COUNTY — The local racing community is remembering the late NASCAR champion Kyle Busch.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, racing fans often say the greatest dirt track in the world is in Darke County.
>>RELATED: NASCAR champion Kyle Busch dead at 41
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“I think last year we sold tickets to 49 states and seven countries. So our little slice of heaven here in Darke County is known all over the world,” Levi Smith said.
Smith is the General Manager of Eldora Speedway, which is just north of Rossburg.
NASCAR legend Tony Stewart owns Eldora, so the track’s owners and the track itself have connections to Busch.
“Kyle has a connection to Eldora. He was the winner of the Prelude to the Dream in June of 2012 here, where Tony brought a bunch of his buddies and raced in dirt late models before one of our major events,” Smith said.
He added that it meant a lot to Eldora and racing fans to see Busch at the track in Darke County.
“When you have someone like Kyle Busch in the racing world at an event, everybody knows Kyle Busch. So, to have those types of guys here puts the spotlight even bigger on those events and those places,” Smith said.
It was a shock to the racing world to lose the two-time NASCAR Cup champion after his sudden death on Thursday.
“Yeah, you’re never ready for that. You don’t expect that to happen, right? He just won a truck race last week, and doing some appearances early in the week,” Smith said.
Smith said so many racing fans, including here in the Miami Valley, are now remembering the racing legend.
“We all have Kyle and his family in our hearts and praying for them. It’d be a tough road to navigate, but being part of the racing community is the greatest thing to be a part of, to have a support system that will never let his legacy and keep his memory alive,” Smith said.
The racetrack is working on a way to honor Busch’s legacy during a three-day event in early June.
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