Announcement: USAC championship winning driver leaves IndyCar to join Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway as general manager

One of the finest drivers in United States Auto Club (USAC) history is stepping down as Director of INDY and reuniting with Tony Stewart.

Levi Jones, a championship-winning USAC driver and motorsports professional, has been hired as general manager of Eldora Speedway, which is owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and auto racing great Stewart.

The appointment marks a homecoming for Jones, 42, of Olney, Illinois, who raced for Eldora Speedway owner Stewart in the United States Auto Club (USAC) from 2006 to the middle of 2013, winning six of his seven USAC championships with Tony Stewart Racing.

Jones joins Eldora from IndyCar, where he served as director of Indy NXT by Firestone, the stepping-stone division to the premier NTT IndyCar Series. Jones previously held several competition and management jobs with USAC, advancing from national series competition director in 2015-2019 to executive vice president from 2019 until October 2021, when he joined IndyCar.

“In the last three seasons, we have seen the successful integration of INDY NXT by Firestone with the IndyCar paddock,” IndyCar President Jay Frye told me. “The car count has increased, and the on-track competition is as strong as ever. The stage is obviously set for INDY NXT’s continued expansion, excitement, and drive.

“We thank Levi for his immense contributions and wish him well as he returns to his roots through his new role at Eldora Speedway.”

Jones will officially start as general manager at Eldora on September 16, following IndyCar’s season finale at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

“On behalf of everyone at Eldora Speedway, we’re excited and grateful to have Levi Jones as our general manager,” Stewart told the crowd. “Levi has long admired Eldora, both as a racer and as an executive. In his current capacity as general manager, he blends a racer’s perspective with extensive administrative and promotional expertise gained in USAC and IndyCar. Our supporters and competitors should know that Eldora is in extremely good hands, exactly as it was before.

“We had a fantastic leader in Jerry Gappens, and we were all crushed by his death. I’m extremely proud of the entire crew for stepping up during what has been a difficult period. At various points this summer, we all wondered, ‘What would Jerry have done?’ as we attempted to put our best foot forward.

“I’d want to congratulate Jonathan Bateman, who has worn practically every hat and done every job at Eldora since joining us in 2006. After Jerry passed away, he became our interim general manager, with less than two weeks to prepare for one of our largest races, the Dirt Late Model Dream. He was an absolute pro, and the Dream and our summer racing schedule would not have been possible without Jonathan’s experience and work ethic at Eldora.”

Jones instills another established work culture in Eldora. During his USAC driving career, he won 35 feature races, with 28 coming in Sprint Car, four in Midget, and three in Silver Crown. His USAC Sprint Car victories came in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011, and he won back-to-back USAC Silver Crown championships in 2010 and 2011. All of Jones’ 2005 Sprint Car championship came from Tony Stewart Racing.

Jones’ background made him an ideal candidate for USAC, where he oversaw the planning and execution of over 75 Sprint Car, Midget, and Silver Crown events around the United States. When Jones was appointed to USAC executive vice president, he helped broaden the organization’s purview beyond open-wheel racing.

Under Jones’ leadership, USAC expanded into youth racing, off-road competition, rallying, and sports car racing. Jones was in charge of maintaining and implementing annual rule books, organizing sponsorships for each series, negotiating sanction agreements, personnel management, and serving as race director as necessary.

“Being general manager of Eldora Speedway is a huge opportunity and I’m grateful for it,” Jones said the crowd. “I realize I have large shoes to fill after what Jerry Gappens and his predecessors accomplished, but I’m prepared for this moment. I understand Eldora’s history and what it means to spectators and everyone who passes through its pit gate, whether they are drivers or crew members. We are passionate about Eldora remaining the world’s premier dirt track, and that is my goal as general manager.”

Eldora was carved from a cornfield in 1954 and has since become a leader in motorsports growth and sustainability. The half-mile dirt oval holds some of the most prominent grassroots racing events in the world, and 2024 marks its 71st 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 champion of Eldora’s 4-Crown Nationals. “There’s a lot of pride that comes from simply racing at Eldora, and credit belongs to track pioneers Earl and Berneice Baltes. They established Eldora as a location for continuous improvement and innovation. Tony Stewart has done an outstanding job of carrying on Earl and Berneice’s vision, and I am honored to contribute to it.”

Jones’ first race as Eldora general manager will be the 4-Crown Nationals, which features consecutive nights of racing Sept. 20-21, headlined by the Kubota High Limit Racing winged sprint car series and the USAC Sprint Car, Midget and Silver Crown National Championship series.