[2] Originally constructed as a 0.250 mi (0.402 km) semi-banked clay dirt oval by track founder and promoter Earl Baltes, Eldora was enlarged to a 0.375 mi (0.604 km) length and later to the "half-mile" standard required by the United States Auto Club (USAC) for national championship events featuring the stars of the Indianapolis 500.

In 2013, the Dirt Late Model Dream and World 100 expanded from one-day shows to full three-day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday race weekend programs which have proven to be hugely popular.

Baltes had purchased the Eldora Ballroom from "Ma" Shoes two years earlier, offering weekly dances and musical performances.

The track hosted the sprint cars of the United States Auto Club for the first time in 1962 and quickly became one of the favorite venues for the series.

When the World of Outlaws sprint car series was launched in 1978, Baltes recognized the promotional potential of the group and quickly booked several events at Eldora.

In October, Eldora hosted the season finale where Steve Kinser captured the inaugural WoO championship and was proclaimed "King of the Outlaws."

Promising to raise the winner's share by $1,000 every year, the World 100 annually attracts the largest field of dirt late model racers globally.

Eldora's high-banks became Ohio and the midwest's home to the World of Outlaws, and, in 1984, Baltes pulled off another one of his firsts when he announced the '$50,000-to-win Kings Royal."

The historic racing oval has continued an aggressive capital improvement program with state-of-the-art luxury suites atop the turn three area.

The 2013 Ferris Commercial Mowers Dream featured a revised format which provided two full feature race programs on each of the preliminary nights (Thursday, June 6 Winners: Josh Richards, Matt Miller; Friday, June 7 Winners: Matt Miller, Dennis Erb.)

2013's $100,000 Dream winner Scott Bloomquist claimed victory in short track racing's richest event for a record-setting sixth time.

In 2020, the "Dirt Late Model Stream Invitational" was the race weekend's title as Dream week was held behind closed doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and only paid $50,000 to the winner because it was only available with an iPPV viewing package as there were no spectators.

From 2005 to 2012, Stewart added a Wednesday night undercard, the Prelude to the Dream, a Nextel-sponsored race with visiting NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stars driving borrowed UMP Late Models.

Kenny Wallace won the first Prelude to the Dream and a total of $50,000 to Kyle Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp.

Carl Edwards held off Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon to win the 2007 event and celebrated by doing his trademark backflip off of his car onto the dirt.

The 2009 Prelude to the Dream was set to benefit military charities after track owner Stewart picked up US Army sponsorship on his Stewart-Haas Racing Sprint Cup team—The Wounded Warrior Project, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Operation Homefront, and Fisher House.

Kyle Busch won the 8th Prelude to the Dream, the final running as the event became the Eldora Dirt Derby, a NASCAR-sanctioned national race.

Following Moyer are four-time champion Donnie Moran and three-time World 100 champs Larry Moore, Jeff Purvis, and Scott Bloomquist.

In 2013 Eldora Speedway re-formatted the track's two most prestigious dirt late model races (The World 100 and The Dream) and offered added opportunity and value for competitors and spectators with an expanded schedule of three full nights of competition.

Based on the spectacular racing frenzy provided by June's Ferris Commercial Mowers Dirt Late Model DREAM, September's version of the 47th Annual World 100 was as advertised.

Then, on Saturday, September 6, the action featured a full complement of preliminary heat races and showdown qualifying events prior to running the 2014 World 100.

39 truck, won the inaugural event, beating Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman, Joey Coulter, and Brendan Gaughan.

Several dirt track and Eldora veterans took part in the event, including Dave Blaney, racing alongside his son Ryan, and Truck Series veterans, including Dillon, racing alongside his brother Ty, Ken Schrader, and Ron Hornaday Jr. After being canceled in 2020 due to state restrictions on large gatherings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,[9] the Derby was removed from the Truck Series schedule in 2021.