With the eyes of the Dirt Late Model world focusing squarely on the richest-ever event in history, our roundtable considers all things Eldora Million with $1,002,002 on the line at the history oval in Rossburg, Ohio in the weekly feature presented by Castrol Motor Oil and Fluids (edited for clarity and length).

Is it possible to accurately register the importance of the Eldora Million to Dirt Late Model racing?

Kevin Kovac, DirtonDirt.com senior writer: Let’s just say that there’s no single race that can change a driver’s life more than this one. Even if the winner is a hired racer running for a percentage rather than an owner-operator who would get the full million dollars, the boost to their bank account will be like they hit the lottery. And make that mistake — such a huge amount of money on the line brings the division a level of cachet unlike anything else. Dirt Late Model racing is, in the grand scheme, a niche sport that the majority of the population doesn’t know about, but when a driver earns $1 million? That grabs everyone’s attention. I went to the dentist last week and, when making small talk I told the hygienist and the dentist that my job in this Dirt Late Model world would have me covering a million-dollar race this week, it piqued their interest in an unfamiliar sport in a way that nothing else could.

Todd Turner, DirtonDirt.com managing editor: It's difficult. The winner undoubtedly becomes the sport's richest-ever winner, so in black and white it's clearly a sport-defining moment. But as a (very) amateur historian, I'll always caution to give us a few years (or more) to see how an event, happening or movement is defined later on. I think most of us at the initial Eldora Million thought it could very well be the only one, but here we are again. That more than half the likely entrants didn't compete the first time around means it's all new for this generation.

Robert Holman, DirtonDirt.com weekend editor: I think not. I think it’s one of those deals where we know that this is huge. We know that this is probably a game-changer for some driver. We know that with live streaming and such now, our audience will be bigger than ever. But with all that said, I’m not sure it’s possible to understand the degree of importance until we get down the road a bit. Yes it’s big, but let’s see how it affects the sport down the road and then we may be able to quantify its actual importance overall and not just to one or two people.

Kyle McFadden, DirtonDirt.com staff reporter: No, I don’t think so. This question might be twofold, because the race itself suddenly ranks among racing's greatest spectacles. According to an article by FloRacing’s Brandon Paul, multiple reports estimate Austin Cindric raked in $1.5 to $2 million for his Daytona 500 win in February. Rich Strike won $1.8 for the Kentucky Derby; Ryan Blaney won $1 for the NASCAR All-Star race; and Marcus Ericsson stashed $3.1 million for his Indy 500 win last weekend. Monetarily, the Million’s in the top-five richest races in the world. The importance of that to Dirt Late Model racing? Not sure. We’ll have to revisit those implications at a later date.

Aaron Clay, DirtonDirt.com contributor: The Eldora Million is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious events in Dirt Late Model racing and it will always maintain a special status, regardless of what other tracks may do in an attempt to compete. Not only can winning the Eldora Million turn a driver's season around, it will very likely rank as the biggest victory in driver's career. In short, the Eldora Million has been and will always be one of the most lucrative and prestigious races.

Even if Eldora’s surface vastly improves the rugged conditions we’ve seen, is it possible we see a surface that shifts which drivers will be favored.

Turner: This moment I'd say the jury is still out for a surface that had 250 loads of new clay put on it last fall. Until we see what kind of surface we're dealing with Wednesday, there's no promises of what we'll get, or if the surface will be anything like what we saw for last year's biggest events — more slick than tacky for sure. Often at Eldora drivers will discuss the slight nuances of the track, banking or surface from one race to the other. Compared to the rough-and-tumble surfaces we've seen for the Late Models so far this year, it's likely to be dramatically different. But just like last year? I wouldn't bet on it.

McFadden: It’s just going to be another Eldora surface; wide, maneuverable, polished off, and the craft of the race itself will flow just how we expect. I don’t see how that’d favor anybody in particular. If so, who? I will add, study the demeanors of Kyle Larson and Tyler Erb, who won when Eldora was rugged, and tell me what you see? Both are gung-ho and when out front set blistering paces. But the Million is 101 laps; more marathon, less sprint. Don’t think too hard. There are no smoke and mirrors at Eldora, where the best prevail.

Clay: No, I believe that some drivers will always be favored at Eldora, regardless of the track surface conditions. Guys like Brandon Overton, Brandon Sheppard, Jonathan Davenport and Chris Madden have so much experience and such a vast setup notebook, on top of their obvious driving talent, I believe they will always be running up front and competing for the win at Eldora, regardless of any variables, such as track surface conditions. As with any event, a surprise competitor may challenge for the win, but I'm confident that the proverbial cream will always rise to the top.

Kovac: For sure. Even if Eldora’s surface is largely smooth and slick, if those conditions are accompanied by a legitimate, thick, long-lasting cushion, then the number of contenders will undoubtedly increase. Perhaps the list of favorites wouldn’t drastically change, but a truly useable cushion will give more drivers a shot at the big money. Just think how adept cushion-pounders like, say, Bobby Pierce and Kyle Bronson can have their runs super-charged by a top-side option that isn’t merely a thin line right up against the wall.

Holman: Absolutely. But who that may be is a mystery to me. Obviously we know that certain cars like certain conditions. The Team Zero cars for instance prefer a much smoother surface. Rayburn cars, with their swingarm suspensions were always pretty good in the rough. And there was a time when the GRTs were great in the slick and smooth and not much else. But almost every one out there now is on the four-bar suspension, so the cars react relatively similar. That leaves it up to the driver to make adjustments — to both the car and his driving style — when the track takes big swings in one direction or another. I think that the best guys in our sport are so good that they can adapt to anything. The cream rises to the top and there’s no place where that’s truer than Eldora.

VIDEO: Track owner Tony Stewart is committed to providing a good racing surface for the Eldora Million. 

What driver’s recent performance has upgraded (or downgraded) his chances at Eldora?

Holman: There are a number of drivers who could leave Eldora a millionaire, which makes it very difficult to handicap this event. If forced to pick a favorite, I look at two things: history and hot streaks. If a driver has great Eldora history, I move him up the list. If a driver has been on a recent streak, I move them a little further up the list. Right now for me that’s Jonathan Davenport and Chris Ferguson. Both are coming into the Million fresh off of $50,000 victories. That means they’re even more confident than they already were. That’s a big key at the Big E. I think the way J.D. and Fergy have performed recently, they have to be considered among the favorites.

McFadden: Two drivers come to mind that should be considered, at the very least, worthy darkhorses. First, Chris Ferguson, whose Show-Me 100 victory vindicates a robust body of work in 2022. Fergy bagged his first $50,000 paycheck at Bristol earlier in the year, was the only driver not named Chris Madden to finish inside the top-six all three Colossal 100 races at the Charlotte dirt track, and just proved he can win a long-distance crown jewel. Gregg Satterlee is the second. The Truth started the year with eight straight podiums and a Lucas Oil Series win. Factor in his World 100 prelim win last year and bet Satterlee to be in the mix this week.

Clay: I'm really going out on a limb here, but Jonathan Davenport's $50,000 Historic 100 victory at WVMS on Saturday immediately cements him as one of the favorites at the Eldora Million. Beyond the obvious favorites, I want to recognize Hudson O'Neal. He continues to impress this season and was one of the fastest cars on the track during April's Castrol Night in America event at Eldora, before settling for a seventh-place finish. Hudson is one of those drivers that has the ability to put it all together and compete for the victory at Eldora, if his equipment allows and he can get a little racing luck on his side.

Kovac: I’d say Chris Ferguson’s odds have risen the most over the past couple weeks. Fergy has authored some strong runs in recent Eldora crown jewels — he was third in a Dream just last year — but he’s been on the outskirts of major-contender status entering the weekends. That’s changed after he broke through May 28 for his first-ever crown jewel victory in the Show-Me 100, a race that was run on a very slick surface that could resemble what he encounters at Eldora. His development in those conditions and newfound realization that he can win on the sport’s biggest stages has him pushing to join my top-five list of event favorites.

Turner: I'm prepared to eat crow on this one (maybe two helpings if he wins twice?), but Brandon Overton isn't the invincible driver he was last year in sweeping both Dreams. I'd still put him in the list of favorites, but there has been a chink or two in his Wells Motorsports team's armor in the first half of the season. As we discussed with the track conditions earlier, how the surface plays out will play a significant factor in Overton's success.

VIDEO: Brandon Overton is looking to repeat his Eldora dominance from one year ago.

If you won the Million, would you compete in the Dream?

McFadden: Man, this is quite difficult. I’m not going to give a hard answer because I could envision the scenario of being so emotionally spent, I’d take my seven-figure earnings and promptly celebrate the feat with my closest friends and family. I’m not a drinker, so I personally wouldn’t be worried about rebounding from some boisterous party or whatever. On the flip side, racers race on, plus you’d already be at the track for another two days, so why abort the rest of the week with more fat cash up for grabs? Guess I’d be a game-time decision for the Dream if I did win the Million.

Clay: Absolutely. Not only citing obvious factors, such as increased winnings for the season and a successful setup at the famed half-mile, I would want to accomplish something that many drivers have not been able to — sweep the entire weekend. Eldora remains one of the most historic tracks on the Dirt Late Model racing schedule and any driver should be honored to say they won both prestigious events in the same weekend, much less season.

Holman: Most likely I would. The Million winner will be the one driver, or team, that can compete in this week’s Dream without a hint of pressure. You can just go out there and race and have fun without worrying about anything because you’ve already taken care of the most important business. It’s rare to get to race without worrying about the result. But man, if I just won $1 million, I imagine I wouldn’t have a care in the world for a week or two, so I may as well take advantage of it and enjoy it when I can.

Turner: Yes, but I'm not sure I'd be entirely focused, and when you're not completely focused — or the stakes aren't at the highest, which they won't be for Saturday's $128,000-to-win event as it is for Thursday's Million — it's sometimes hard to keep that edge. A strange comparison, for sure, but in college I audited the occasional grad level class, meaning I sat in the lectures and participated in discussions and book-reading, but I wasn't subject to the mid-term or final exams. There's no doubt that, because of that, my focus wasn't near like it was for the classes that affected by GPA or graduate program.

Kovac: I guess that would depend on how hard I celebrated my million-dollar victory. If I enjoyed myself so much in the pit area afterward that, come Friday afternoon, I was still recovering from the revelry, I could skip the Dream without feeling too bad. After all, I could be satisfied with the knowledge that I had just won the equivalent of nearly eight Dreams in a single night. (Of course, here’s where I note that I wish this wouldn’t even be a question for whoever wins the Million. It’s unfortunate that the Million is immediately followed by the Dream, rather than the other way around, because a driver and team shouldn’t have less than 24 hours to savor a $1 million victory before getting back on the horse and racing again.)

Do you expect another Eldora Million in the early 2040s?

Clay: I don't expect another Eldora Million later this century. Instead, I'd like to see Eldora increase the winner's purse for the current event. Why not make it the Eldora Two Million and increase pay throughout the field? I will always prefer to see big events continue to get bigger, and Eldora is the track where that can happen.

Turner: I'm betting we have one sooner than that. I'd be up for a regular cycle of the Eldora Million of every so many years. Or maybe after having this version, more or less, twice, Eldora will shake it up with a new format or creative ways to divide up the huge purse. Whatever it is, I hope this isn't the last one in my lifetime (for reasons beyond racing, too).

Kovac: As long as all goes well with this year’s return of the Million, I feel like we won’t have to wait 20 years for a third installment of the event. I think the Million could become a once a decade affair, or perhaps even a once-every-five-years deal. With the coming of live streaming bringing more revenue to the sport and the electricity that a million-dollar race offers, it just seems that the Million won’t remain a once-a-generation event.

Holman: It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s sooner than that. Do we need this every year? Absolutely not. But I could see it happening again in 10 years. Of course I really think it has to be at Eldora. I couldn’t imagine any other venue hosting a $1 million-to-win event.

McFadden: If it’s taken 20 years between Eldora Millions, perhaps we won’t witness another Million, no less any dirt race involving seven figures, until circa 2041. I was 5 when the Million broke ground, so I don’t know if people then anticipated another event of its kind in the foreseeable future. Surely people at that time had to think the Million was a literal once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. Now we get to run it back. I’m with Robert. The Million does not need to happen every year. It’s kind of like the Olympics. Preserve its sacredness with a respectable gap between installments.