Tony Stewart-owned Eldora Speedway Names Levi Jones General Manager

Tony Stewart is turning to one of his championship racers to head one of the country's top dirt tracks.

Eldora Speedway, located just north of Rossburg, Ohio, has named USAC Hall of Famer and current Indy NXT director Levi Jones as its new general manager. Jones, 42, replaces Jerry Gappens, who died in May.

In hiring Jones, speedway owner Stewart is turning to someone he knows well. Jones won six of his seven national USAC driving championships for Tony Stewart Racing, Jones won national sprint car titles in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 1011 and Silver Crown championships in both 2010 and 2011 for Stewart.

In total, Jones raced from 2006 through much of 2013 for TSR.

Jones currently works for Penske Entertainment, where he serves as director of the Indy NXT Series. Previously, he worked for USAC as its national series competition director from 2015-2019 and later as executive vice president from 2019-2021. He's been win IndyCar since late 2021.

Jones takes the top management spot at Eldora following the IndyCar weekend at Nashville Superspeedway that concludes with the IndyCar finale on Sept. 15.

“On behalf of everyone at Eldora Speedway, we’re excited and grateful to have Levi Jones as our general manager,” Stewart said. “Levi has always held Eldora in high regard, both as a racer and as an executive. Now in his role as general manager, he combines a racer’s perspective with excellent managerial and promotional experience earned in USAC and IndyCar. Our fans and competitors should know that Eldora is in very good hands, just as it had been before.

“We had a terrific leader in Jerry Gappens, and all of us were devastated by his passing. I’m incredibly proud of the entire staff who stepped up in what has been a very trying time. At numerous points this summer, we all asked, ‘What would Jerry have done?’ as we worked to put our best foot forward.

“I want to especially thank Jonathan Bateman, who has worn nearly every hat and done every job at Eldora since joining us in 2006. He became our interim general manager after Jerry passed, and he had less than two weeks to get ready for one of our biggest races, the Dirt Late Model Dream. He was an absolute pro, and the Dream and our summer slate of racing wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the experience and work ethic Jonathan brings to Eldora every day.”

Jones brings a racer-first mentality to the leadership role at Eldora. He won 35 feature races during his USAC driving career including 28 in Sprint car, four in Midget and three in Silver Crown.

“Being general manager of Eldora Speedway is a huge opportunity and I’m grateful for it,” Jones said. “I know I have big shoes to fill from all that Jerry Gappens and his predecessors accomplished, but I’m ready for this moment. I know Eldora’s history and what it means to fans and everyone who comes through its pit gate, whether they’re a driver or a crew member. We are passionate that Eldora remains the preeminent dirt track in the world, and that’s my aim as general manager.”

Eldora is one of the longest-running dirt tracks in the country, and 2024 is its 71st consecutive season of racing.

“Eldora is the track where everyone wants to win because you really have to earn it, and when you do, your name is on a list of legends,” said Jones, a two-time winner of Eldora’s 4-Crown Nationals (2005 and 2010). “There’s a lot of pride that comes with just competing at Eldora, and credit goes to track founders Earl and Berneice Baltes. They made Eldora a destination with constant improvement and innovation. Tony Stewart has done an incredible job of continuing all that Earl and Berneice created, and I’m honored to help carry on their vision.”