What would Dirt Late Model racing look like today if Earl Baltes did not create the World 100 — the race universally acknowledged as the sport’s Super Bowl — at his Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, in 1971?

Well, let’s just say that the division probably would have a vastly different appearance.

As the motorsports community mourns Baltes’s passing Monday at the age of 93, the legendary promoter’s impact on the history of Dirt Late Model racing could not be understated by the men who MORE

I’m so glad we did that book.

That was one of my first thoughts on Monday morning when I learned that Earl Baltes had passed. In 2004, Earl and I collaborated on his autobiography, “EARL!” As I struggled to grasp the reality of his passing I immediately drew back on some delightful moments we spent together during the writing process a decade ago. | More on Earl Baltes

Earl was, to put it mildly, a man of many dimensions. Creative, brash, egocentric, funny, kind, outgoing, brilliant, humble, MORE