Johnson holds on, wins first Prelude

Contributed photo by Ron Laymon Jimmie Johnson celebrates after the Prelude to the Dream charity auto race Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

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NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin (left) listens to fellow driver Tony Stewart before the Prelude to the Dream charity auto race Wednesday, June 9, at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg. Stewart owns the track.

Contributed photo by Ron Laymon NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin (left) listens to fellow driver Tony Stewart before the Prelude to the Dream charity auto race Wednesday, June 9, at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg. Stewart owns the track.

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Contributed photo by Ron Laymon Tony Stewart kicks up some dirt during the hot laps.

Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion led all 30 laps; Stewart works his way to 6th.

By Greg Billing, Staff Writer Updated 1:53 AM Thursday, June 10, 2010

ROSSBURG — Two-time defending Prelude to the Dream champion Tony Stewart took the challenge to start in back of the field to earn an extra $50,000 for charity.

Pole sitter Jimmie Johnson, meanwhile, figured the quickest way between two lines — the start and the finish — was to stay up front. Johnson led all 30 laps to win his first Prelude title on Wednesday, June 9, at Eldora Speedway.

“This is big, this is so much fun,” said Johnson, who also led Team Levine to the victory and 45 percent of the donations. “It’s a pretty cool thing tonight. I’m pretty proud of this.”

Johnson started on the pole and Kyle Busch on the outside and the duo staged an exciting give-and-take around the high-banked, half-mile oval. Johnson, though, did most of the taking.

It took two tries at a three-lap shootout, then after another caution, a two-lap shootout where Johnson was never threatened.

Stewart volunteered to go to the tail of the field in an effort to navigate through the 27-car field. He worked his way up to sixth.

The Prelude offered its most diverse driver roster to date, and after the demise of the IROC series (International Race of Champions), the Prelude appears to be filling the void. This year’s roster featured competitors from the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series, the IndyCar Series, an X-Gamer, a former motocross rider and a pair NHRA drag racers.

“They talked about two wheels, they talked about four wheels, some of them need training wheels,” cracked HBO commentator Darrell Waltrip.

“I told them we need to have a charity motorcross event so I can get back at these guys. We probably wouldn’t get as many participants,” suggested Ricky Carmichael, the former motocross rider who competed at Troy’s now-defunct Kenworthy Motorcross Park.

“It’s a cool event for charity so I think we’ve shown it’s not just about NASCAR guys,” Stewart said.

Clint Bowyer didn’t threaten Stewart’s qualifying record (15.405) set last year, but he clocked the fastest one-lap time around the track in 16.076 and ahead of Dave Blaney’s 16.131. Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and Kyle Busch all collected heat wins.

In special non-points undercard racing, Hoosiers wandered over to victory lane. Star City’s Jesse Bitterling won the UMP modified feature and Richmond’s Doug Tiemann won the Eldora stock feature.

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