by Lee Spencer

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The fourth annual All-Star Late Model Stock Car romp gives the biggest names in racing an opportunity to play in the dirt — and earn money for a great cause: $1 million toward the construction of the new Victory Junction Camp in Kansas City and the Tony Stewart Foundation.

The year-round camp, which was the vision of the late Adam Petty, benefits children with chronic medical conditions and/or serious illnesses.

"It's been an honor to have all these guys that are willing to donate their time and come support what we're doing here and the Victory Junction Gang Camp and support Kyle (Petty) and Pattie (Petty) and the whole Petty family and what they've built in Adam's memory," said the benefit's founder, Stewart.

"That's the part that makes it very flattering, that all these guys are willing to do that and take a day out of their schedules. The schedules every year get more complicated than the year before, so to get a day on somebody's schedule is really big. We try to pay for the fuel for everybody's planes to come here and none of them have let us to date. It shows how dedicated those guys are — it's really a big thanks to those guys for what they do."

After seeing the joy on the campers and their parents' faces, it's understandable how it would be impossible to refuse Stewart's invitation. Never have grown men and fans alike had so much philanthropic fun.

As of Sunday, only standing-room-only tickets remained to watch 25 top drivers such as Stewart, defending winner Carl Edwards, NASCAR points leader Kyle Busch and four-time Cup champ Jeff Gordon wrestle 2,300-pound cars with over 800 horsepower under the hood mix it up on the half-mile dirt oval.

"I think that's what's making this event so much bigger each year, is that it seems like it's turned into a personal pride event in that everybody wants to just have so much fun with it and I think that's what everybody really likes," Stewart said.

To race fans, Eldora is a shrine. For anyone lucky enough to make the pilgrimage to Rossburg, Ohio, and witness the racing spectacle, they quickly realize it's an experience that will not soon be forgotten.

The excitement among the 20,000-plus racing enthusiasts can be felt long before the qualifying draw begins. The atmosphere is similar to a county fair. People are friendly. Fans are electric. And the show — it simply can't be beat.

For weeks after the event, it was still the highlight of discussions around the garage, the gym and even among my bank teller, who expects to make a girls' night of the pay-per-view rout on HBO. The flag-to-flag commercial free coverage begins at 7 ET.

For two of NASCAR's resident dirt trackers, Edwards and Bowyer, the trash talking started long before the Hot Laps began. These Midwest clay monsters stood out among last year's competition and along with host Stewart will likely be the racers to be on Wednesday.

"Eldora, to any dirt racer, that's the same as Daytona or Indianapolis," said Edwards, who takes pride in the new camp that's being built not far from his hometown of Columbia, Mo. "That's an amazing racetrack, so to be able to go there and race was huge. To win that race was great because it's Eldora and I got to race against Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch — that was huge.

"The true thing that makes that so special and the reason all of us go do it is because it's benefiting Victory Junction Gang Camp. I think that just puts the icing on the whole deal. It's fun because we race and then it's really fun to realize that we're raising almost a $1 million for such a great cause. So for me, that ranks very, very high on my list of accomplishments in my life."

Stewart, who owns the track, has created the perfect venue for the show. And as with any good promoter, what concerns him most is Mother Nature.

"I know the Weather Channel is my best friend right now. It's either going to be my best friend or my worst enemy. Just watching the weather right now — that's the biggest thing. It's not like a pavement track where you can dry it in a couple hours. If we get big rains, it can affect it two days later. The big thing is just hoping we have decent weather right now. It's big. I'm losing sleep now because we're close enough to it that it's that time. If the weather is not right, then it makes you lose sleep."

If the weather can hold out, it will be another battle for the ages.