Scott Douglass Craig Hoffman
​
​KENTUCKIANA MOTORSPORTS PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL
​​​
The 2026 racing season officially gets underway with the dropping of the green flag in Daytona! All major NASCAR series will battle: Cup, O' Reilly Auto Parts (Formerly Xfinity), and the Craftsman Trucks. Also seeing action on the big Daytona track is the ARCA Series.
​
Since last year, some NASCAR drivers and sponsors have moved around, or come and gone. The biggest change-points! NASCAR is reverting back to the older Chase points system. It should increase competition, or lets hope so. The stages are still there. But drivers are rewarded more for wins and top finishes.
Kimmel Racing, based in Clarksville, Indiana (just across the Ohio River from Louisville) has two cars going to the ARCA 200. Like last season at Daytona, Nolan Wilson will pilot the #69 car. Driving the #68 Kimmel racing machine part-time in 2026 will be Alli Owens. The 37 year old mother first competed in BMX bicycles at the young age of eight! She later spent time in the ARCA and Xfinity series. In 2011 Owens was set to drive a NASCAR truck. However, she became pregnant with the first of her two children and took time away from the sport to raise a family. Now, she's back!
​
"The Daytona test is easily one of the best we (ever) had" said Will Kimmel, co-owner of Kimmel Racing with his father, Bill. Will also competes part-time in the ARCA Series. This areas biggest stock car race shop has prepared cars for others drivers, often called the "Rent-a-Ride" program in recent years, Bill Kimmel told Kentuckiana Motorsports, we love racing and love to compete. And that's whether Will is driving or someone else. Kimmel Racing also prepares cars for drivers in other racing series as well, local and regional tracks and series.
​
All eyes will be on the Daytona 500 on Sunday the 15th. But the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series should be interesting on Friday the 13th. Why? Smoke is returning! That's right, 3-Time NASCAR Cup Champion Tony Stewart is getting back behind the wheel in a truck! He has not raced in NASCAR since leaving the sport in 2016. Since then, he ran races in his very successful but short-lived SRX Series. He left that to compete run in the NHRA Top Alcohol and later the Top Fuel division. And he won Championship Event titles! His wife, Leah Pruett also competes in the NHRA. After taking time off to have a child, Pruett will race again in 2026 in Top Fuel. And yes, she will take on her husband this year! The first big event of the 2026 racing season is the Gatornationals in Florida March 5-8. Our longtime primary sponsor, Lucas Oil is also a huge backer of the NHRA.
Two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Ben Rhodes missed the post-season last year. The Louisville native plans to change that in 2026! Check out the latest Lucas Oil Online Race Report! as the ThorSport Racing driver talks about the 2026 season and Daytona!
​
​​
​​​​
​​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
A big reminder: Monster Jam returns to Louisville at Freedom Hall March 7th and 8th. Gets tickets and learn more at www.monsterjam.com
The Indy Car Series is adding excitement to its 2026 season. The first race weekend is set for March 1st in St. Petersburg, Florida! Take note! The first ever street race in Washington D.C. will be held August 21-23. Yes, the fast Indy cars will be driving around our nations capitol as part of the 250th birthday celebration of America! Should be something to see.
Locally, teams and drivers are getting ready for the 2026 racing season. There are some great tracks in Kentuckiana. The Salem Speedway, about an hour hour from Louisville in Southern Indiana, is a legendary half-mile banked facility similar to Bristol. Closer to Louisville, there is always excitement at the Sportsdrome Speedway in Jeffersonville (Off I-65 and five minutes from downtown Louisville), closing in on 60-years of short track racing! Other tracks include the Ponderosa Speedway (the Baddest Bullring in the Bluegrass state) located in central Kentucky at Junction City near Danville (About an hour and fifteen minutes southeast of Louisville). Drive south to Bowling Green (KY) and you'll enjoy Beech Bend. There is an amusement park, camping, and racing. The Beech Bend dragstrip brings in the fans and has a wide range of events. And if you like local drag racers, one fun place to witness side-by-side battles is in West Point Kentucky, the Ohio Valley Dragway. It is a 1/8th mile track on Dixie Highway, less than a half-hour from downtown Louisville. Check out track websites and social media for the latest news and information, and a look ahead to the 2026 racing season.
​
​​​
​
​​​ ​
​​
Some of the biggest names in racing have appeared on Kentuckiana Motorsports for over decades: Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Dan Wheldon, Jeff Gordon, Dennis Anderson, Joey Logano, Sarah Fischer, Tony Stewart, Darrell Waltrip, Morgan Lucas, Benny Parsons, Ben Rhodes, Jim Koehler, A-J Almendinger, Jimmie Johnson, Jack Sprague, John Andretti, Ron Hornaday, Dario Franchitti, Frank Kimmel, Michael Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, and many more! We'll continue to feature them on Kentuckiana Motorsports! And we'll continue to also showcase local racing! And those who support it!
​ In 2026, we'll continue to share some of the most entertaining, interesting, and fun interviews over 20-plus years! They'll include drivers, sponsors, team owners, and fans!
​​​​​​​​
Our Hall-of-Famer, Scott Douglass (Inducted into the Monster Jam Hall-of-Fame in 2021) is known as the world-wide voice on Monster Jam, loves talking about the Great American Race and how Daytona gets the new season of NASCAR racing underway! Click on the red button to see more.
Kimmel Racing Shop- Clarksville, Indiana
​
We thank our supporters, including our main sponsor, Lucas Oil Products! Also, Herrings Outdoor Sports! It is a great place for spring-summer-fall fashions and they carry the most famous and best clothing beach-lake outdoor brands. & accessories! They ship throughout the US! Right now, if you place an order with Herrings, mention Kentuckiana Motorsports (Ask for owner's Steve or Jessi) and you'll get an extra 5% discount (That is on top of their other discounts) on all regular priced items! Other sponsors include locally owned Bright Pest Control and Bright Retail in Louisville, (Offering Do-It-Yourself Professional Pest Products with a retail store), PNC Bank (Sponsor of Scott Dixon's Indy Car Series Car), St. Matthews Cycling, Sportsdrome Speedway (Celebrating nearly 80 years of Racing!), VoiceTel Kentucky (Offering consulting, telephone service, security, and network installation to businesses throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana. When experience counts: Call VoiceTel, locally owned and operated (502-493-3200), Jim Ellis/Attorney-At-Law [Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, and Contract Law (502) 58-Ellis], ICA Dumpsters, Kentucky Raceway Ministries, Dynamic Chiropractic Health and Rehab, Lyndon Mower Repair, Temco Roofing, Apple Appliance Service, Core Senior Protection (Offering Medicare Plans and Final Expense Plans), and Apple Appliance Repair. They can fix just about any appliance (And they clean dirty dryer vents) in Kentuckiana! We also thank our media connections in all series, NASCAR/NASCAR Media, Indy Car, Monster Jam, ARCA, Google Images, media directors, other contributors, and NHRA for helping us bring the sport to the fans! ​​
Winter is here, and that's means slips, falls, and other injuries. Dr. Paul Constante with Dynamic Chiropractic Louisville reminds everyone you do not have to live in pain! Dr. Constante has treated patients for a wide variety of injuries for more than 30-years. His patients include football and basketball players, professionals, seniors, manufacturing and other blue collar workers, and yes, racers! Whether a slip and fall, sports injury, hurt doing yard work, or lingering back-shoulder-hip pain, Dr. Paul Constante is ready to help. Give them a call today (502) 426-9600. You do not have to live in pain!
Back Pain
Ice, Snow, and Falls
We thank racing and sports fans for helping make Kentuckiana Motorsports a success!
