The preliminary entry list is set for the richest event in Sprint Car racing history — the $1,002,023-to-win Eldora Million — streamed exclusively on FloRacing on July 12-13.

Eighty-two drivers and teams have filed their entry for not only the most lucrative race in the discipline’s history, but the history of short-track racing, prior to Friday, July 7’s pre-registration deadline. 

Headlining the deep roster of competitors are some of the most accomplished drivers to ever manhandle Sprint Car, namely 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz, four-time reigning WoO champion Brad Sweet and current High Limit Sprint Car Series points leader Kyle Larson.

The WoO’s winningest driver on tour this year, David Gravel, is perhaps more poised than ever to capture his first Big E Crown Jewel. Other full-time WoO drivers amid the prime of their careers that’ll have a promising shot at a million dollars are Carson Macedo, Giovanni Scelzi, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild and Spencer Bayston.

Other favorites include two-time reigning All Star Circuit of Champions title winner Tyler Courtney, last year’s Kings Royal and Historical Big One victor Brent Marks, last year’s winningest driver in all of Sprint Car racing Anthony Macri, and a surging Rico Abreu, who’s bound for a career-best season with four national touring wins already.

Sprint to the Million: Rico Wants A F****** Million Bucks

Outside Larson, Kasey Kahne is the only other driver to have won a million-dollar race when he captured the 2008 NASCAR Cup All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Kahne is entered in his familiar No. 9 Sprint Car.

Former WoO champion and semi-retired racer Daryn Pittman has come out of his driving idleness to race Alex Bowman’s No. 55 Sprint Car at the Big E — his first race since last October’s National Open at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Pittman has two career Eldora Crown Jewels: the 2008 Kings Royal and 2003 Historical Big One.

Like Pittman, semi-retired racer Shane Stewart is Eldora Million-bound in the Bernie Stuebgen-owned No. 71. Stewart’s five career Eldora wins are tied for 10th all time.

Former USAC champions Buddy Kofoid — driving the Toyota Racing-backed Roth Motorsports No. 83jr — Brady Bacon and Chris Windom are other big names on the Eldora Million pre-entry list. 

Other drivers that are dark-horse candidates when looking further down the Eldora Million roster: former ASCoC title winner Aaron Reutzel, four-time Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway champion Brian Brown, 2021 Kings Royal runner-up Danny Dietrich, four-time WoO winner this year James McFadden and three-time ASCoC winner this year Zeb Wise. 

Hunter Schuerenberg, driving Kevin Swindell’s No. 39 SpeedLab machine, and Sam Hafertepe Jr., a recent ASCoC winner at Eldora, are also drivers to watch.

The Eldora Million will have international flair, too, as six entrants are from Australia: Cody Maroske, Ian Madsen, Jamie Veal, Kerry Madsen, Lachlan McHugh and McFadden.

Eldora Million 2023 Entry List

(82 entries)

• 15 - Donny Schatz | Fargo, North Dakota
• 69K - Lance Dewease | Fayetteville, Pennsylvania
• 19 - Brent Marks | Myerstown, Pennsylvania
• 23 - Michael Millard | Bremerton, Washington
• 52 - Blake Hahn | Sapulpa, Oklahoma
• 3z - Brock Zearfoss | Jonestown, Pennsylvania
• 26 - Zeb Wise | Angola, Indiana
• 81 - Lee Jacobs | Dalton, Ohio
• 11 - Parker Price-Miller | Kokomo, Indiana
• 24 - Garet Williamson | Columbia, Missouri
• 11c - Kory Crabtree | West Jefferson, Ohio
• 15C - Chris Andrews | Sandusky, Ohio
• 21 - Brian Brown | Higginsville, Missouri
• 49 - Brad Sweet | Grass Valley, California
• 9 - Kasey Kahne | Enumclaw, Washington
• 55 - Daryn Pittman | Owasso, Oklahoma
• 67 - Justin Whittall | Vincetown, New Jersey
• 57 - Kyle Larson | Elk Grove, California
• 24 - Rico Abreu | St. Helena, California
• 18 - Giovanni Scelzi | Fresno, California
• 49x - Cale Thomas | Fairland, Indiana
• 1a - Jacob Allen | Hanover, Pennsylvania
• 11N - Harli White | Lindsay, Oklahoma
• 1s - Logan Schuchart | Hanover, Pennsylvania 
• 1m - Landon Myers | Shiloh, Pennsylvania
• 17 - Sheldon Haudenschild | Wooster, Ohio
• 33 - Henry Edward | Orlando, Florida
• 9 - Chase Randall | Waco, Texas
• 101 - Cody Maroske | Gold Coast, QLD
• W20 - Greg Wilson | Benton Ridge, Ohio
• 39m - Anthony Macri | Dillsburg, Pennsylvania
• 91 - Kyle Reinhardt | Neptune City, New Jersey
• 25R - Jordan Ryan | Mansfield, Ohio
• 21T - Cole Macedo | Lemoore, California
• 5T - Travis Philo | Waterville, Ohio
• 48 - Danny Dietrich | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• 55 - Kerry Madsen | St. Mary's, NSW (Australia)
• 39 - Hunter Schuerenberg | Sikeston, Missouri
• 8 - Aaron Reutzel | Clute, Texas
• 15H - Sam Hafertepe Jr. | Sunnyvale, Texas
• 7BC - Tyler Courtney | Indianapolis, Indiana
• 2MD - Conner Morrell | Bradenton, Florida
• 21H - Brady Bacon | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
• 4x - Bradley Ashford | Wilmington, Ohio
• 4 - Chris Windom | Canton, Illinois 
• 46 - Michael Bauer | Clarion, Pennsylvania 
• 7 - Ian Madsen | St. Mary's, NSW (Australia)
• 71 - Shane Stewart | Bixby, Oklahoma
• 6B - Brandon Wimmer | Fairmount, Indiana
• 83 - James McFadden | Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)
• 13 - Justin Peck | Monrovia, Indiana
• 42 - Sye Lynch | Apollo, Pennsylvania
• 22 - Cole Duncan | Lockbourne, Ohio
• 56R - Ryan Myers | Lewisburg, Ohio
• 20B - Cody Bova | Struthers, Ohio
• 11T - TJ Stutts | Liverpool, Pennsylvania 
• 99 - Skylar Gee | Leduc, CAN
• 97 - JJ Hickle | Quilcene, Washington
• 11 - Cory Eliason | Visalia, California
• 17AU - Jamie Veal | Warrnambool, Victoria (Australia)
• 45 - Tim Shaffer | Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
• 15 - Mitchell Harble | Newark, Ohio
• 41 - Carson Macedo | Las Vegas, Nevada
• 5 - Spencer Bayston | Lebanon, Indiana
• 35 - Zachary Hampton | Mooresville, Indiana
• 4* - Tyler Street | Fredericktown, Ohio
• 17B - Bill Balog | Rubicon, Wisconsin
• 23 - TBA
• 25 - Lachlan McHugh | Gold Coast, QLD (Australia)
• 3 - Denny Peebles | Lowville, New York
• 19 - Paige Polyak | Tiffin, Ohio
• 4 - Danny Smith | Chillicothe, Ohio
• 2 - David Gravel | Watertown, Connecticut
• 20G - Noah Gass | Tulsa, Oklahoma
• 6x - Frank Rodgers | Lucas, Iowa
• 23 - Zane DeVault | Hubbard, Ohio
• 35 - Austin Bishop | Elverson, Pennsylvania
• 5 - Dylan Cisney | Port Royal, Pennsylvania
• 13 - Brandon Matus | Wampum, Pennsylvania
• 33 - Brent Matus | Wampum, Pennsylvania
• 83jr - Michael Kofoid | Columbus, Indiana
• 55T - McKenna Haase | Greenwood, Indiana