Field of racing dreams: Eldora showcases what racing was, should be

This week's fourth annual "Prelude to the Dream" charity event at Eldora Speedway is a throwback to a bygone era.

Short-track dirt racing before a full house on a midweek summer night is the order of the event, the brainchild of Tony Stewart as a way to raise money for Kyle and Pattie Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp charity for chronically ill children.

Carl Edwards had a blast winning Tony Stewart's charity race last June. (Getty Images)

Stewart, who bought the historic Ohio dirt track a few years back, created the event which has grown into one of the most popular and anticipated days of the racing season -- by fans and drivers.

"It made me feel like a proud father, to a certain degree," Stewart said after Year 3 of the event. "To see something that was a vision of yours come to life and see that everybody was happy with it -- that was pretty awesome."

Nearly 30 drivers from NASCAR, the NHRA and other forms of racing are slated to take part.

"The Prelude is a fun, but unbelievably competitive race," Stewart said. "Last year's race was probably the best yet as Carl Edwards held off Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon for the win."

The 2007 edition was one of the best races of the entire season in any series, with Edwards, Gordon, Busch and 23 other superstars going at it for the entire night.

With an HBO pay-per-view national television audience watching, as well as the 30,000 fans packing Eldora, the drivers put on one of the most entertaining and exciting races of the year.

And it was a reminder of just how dull Sprint Cup racing has become.

The Prelude was what racing used to be -- close, side-by-side competition in a fast-paced and exciting format.

Today's Sprint Cup circuit has evolved into long, droning races that seem to go on forever, with very little in the way of passing or excitement -- at least on a regular basis.

We have had a few flashes of excitement this year, but they have been few and far between. And with the problems teams and drivers have encountered trying to figure out the new Cup car, things don't look too promising for it to change anytime soon.

I'm not advocating NASCAR adopt a short-track format and turn every Sprint Cup race into a series of heats and features. But the sanctioning body has to find a way to juice up the action and generate the special feeling that is in the air the first Wednesday night of June in Eldora.