{"id":2740,"date":"2024-11-06T21:53:25","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T21:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/?p=2740"},"modified":"2024-11-06T21:53:25","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T21:53:25","slug":"rest-peace-tony-stewart-nascar-world-mourn-loss-fan-favorite-eldora-speedway-icon-chintan-devgania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/?p=2740","title":{"rendered":"Rest in Peace: Tony Stewart And NASCAR World Mourn the Loss of Fan-Favorite Eldora Speedway Icon By Chintan Devgania"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">On behalf of the Gappens family, Eldora Speedway sadly shares the news that longtime motorsports executive and Eldora Speedway general manager Jerry Gappens has passed away at the age of 63.<\/p>\n<p>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/M2ER1N1rJ8\">https:\/\/t.co\/M2ER1N1rJ8<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/f8xceq0StY\">pic.twitter.com\/f8xceq0StY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ELDORA SPEEDWAY (@EldoraSpeedway) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EldoraSpeedway\/status\/1795887047409881258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/image-cdn.essentiallysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/imago1027005350h.jpg?width=600\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The man who helped continue Earl Baltes\u2019 and Tony Stewart\u2019s vision for the Eldora track is no more. In 2022, Tony Stewart, the owner of Eldora Speedway, announced veteran motorsports executive Jerry Gappens Jr. as the new GM of the track. Gappens described it as a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime opportunity\u201d. Two years and a Promoter of the Year award later, Stewart penned a heartfelt note as Gappens passed away on Tuesday at the age of 63.<br \/>\nGappens arrived at Eldora in April 2022 having served at Indiana\u2019s Gas City I-69 Speedway. At Eldora he replaced Roger Slack and more than justified his selection by Stewart.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJerry\u2019s presence was immeasurable,\u201d Tony Stewart heaps praises<br \/>\non Gappens for his contributions to Eldora<\/p>\n<p>Jerry Gappens, who came to Eldora with years of experience and grassroots racing knowledge, started his motorsports career in northern New Jersey for National Speed Sports News under its late founder Chris Economaki during the early 1980s. Later he would join Speedway Motorsports and spend the majority of his career there before a final run with Eldora.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Celebrating Gappens\u2019 life and legacy in a press release shared by Eldora Speedway, Tony Stewart said, \u201cJerry came to Eldora with a wealth of experience and an equal amount of humility. No job was too big or too small. His attention to detail was impressive, and he made sure the fan experience at Eldora was exceptional, always finding ways to make improvements with each and every event he oversaw.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The former SHR driver went on to share his thoughts and prayers for his family in these tough times. \u201cWith Jerry at the helm, Eldora Speedway was in great hands, and I\u2019m confident track founders Earl and Berneice Baltes would agree. The Eldora community prays for Jerry\u2019s wife, Cheryl, their children Denny, Wes, Allison and Brad, and their family. Jerry\u2019s presence was immeasurable,<br \/>\nand he is sorely missed by all of us.\u201d The cause of his death has not been revealed as of yet.<\/p>\n<p>Racing for him wasn\u2019t just a profession but something that he adopted early in his life. Last year\u2019s Promoter of the Year in the North American Sprint Car poll, Gappens Jr. was close to his father, and followed in his footsteps. His father was a sprint car competitor who promoted the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track and later assisted in track preparation at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway.<\/p>\n<p>The younger Jerry once mentioned, \u201cI remember riding in the truck with him on the way home with the race car on the trailer behind us. I\u2019d put his racing helmet on and fall asleep across the seat in the truck. He took me to my first Indy 500 when I was 8 years old back in 1969 and we didn\u2019t miss an Indy 500 until I went to work at Charlotte Motor Speedway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the news of his demise came through, the NASCAR community<br \/>\nexpressed their heartfelt condolences and remembered his contributions.<br \/>\nGappens spent 23 years with Speedway Motorsports, during which he held key positions. He first served as senior VP of events and marketing at Charlotte Motor Speedway for 15 years from 1993 to 2007. Later, he would serve as Executive VP and GM of New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon for eight years.<\/p>\n<p>Appreciating his dedication to the sport and expressing heartfelt condolences on his demise, a fan wrote, \u201cWhat a life to be remembered. Godspeed, Jerry. \u2665\ufe0f\u201d. Someone remembered him contributing to other great events, \u201cI heard, he was the PA announcer for @CLTMotorSpdwy for many years too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His success and resume led Tony Stewart to acquire his services, and results followed. During the veteran motorsports executive\u2019s tenure at Eldora, the race track continued its tradition of holding some of the highest-paying dirt-racing events, including the Eldora Million. This event in Jerry\u2019s presence was the first winged sprint car event that handed out $1 million in winnings.<\/p>\n<p>Gappens has indeed fulfilled his dream of contributing to elevating motorsports through his work over the years. His work with World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing was another immense contribution recognized by the World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter. In a statement, Carter heaped praise on Gappens and said, \u201cEldora Speedway is synonymous with the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing, and Jerry enhanced that relationship with his hands-on approach to some of the biggest dirt track racing events in history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many others chimed in with their prayers for Gappens and messages for his family, stating, \u201cMay he rest in peace,\u201d \u201cSending thoughts and prayers,\u201d and \u201cPrayers for all who loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This news does come as a bitter blow to Tony Stewart, as well as to us at EssentiallySports. We send our heartfelt condolences to the veteran\u2019s family, friends, and fans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On behalf of the Gappens family, Eldora Speedway sadly shares the news that longtime motorsports executive and Eldora Speedway general manager Jerry Gappens has passed away at the age of 63. Read more: https:\/\/t.co\/M2ER1N1rJ8 pic.twitter.com\/f8xceq0StY &mdash; ELDORA SPEEDWAY (@EldoraSpeedway) May 29, 2024 &nbsp; &nbsp; The man who helped continue Earl Baltes\u2019 and Tony Stewart\u2019s vision [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h.webp",900,637,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-300x212.webp",300,212,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-768x544.webp",768,544,true],"large":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h.webp",900,637,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h.webp",900,637,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h.webp",900,637,false],"jnews-360x180":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-360x180.webp",360,180,true],"jnews-750x375":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-750x375.webp",750,375,true],"jnews-1140x570":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-900x570.webp",900,570,true],"jnews-120x86":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-120x86.webp",120,86,true],"jnews-350x250":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-350x250.webp",350,250,true],"jnews-750x536":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-750x536.webp",750,536,true],"jnews-1140x815":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h.webp",900,637,false],"jnews-360x504":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-360x504.webp",360,504,true],"jnews-75x75":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-75x75.webp",75,75,true],"jnews-350x350":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-350x350.webp",350,350,true],"jnews-featured-750":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h-750x531.webp",750,531,true],"jnews-featured-1140":["https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/imago1027005350h.webp",900,637,false]},"author_info":{"display_name":"Newssoccer","author_link":"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a 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