Welcome all race fans in Louisville for the running of the 152nd Kentucky Derby!  So many festivities leading up to the most exciting two minutes in sports!  Do check out our vintage interview below with the late John Asher, the one-time face of Churchill Downs, and a Louisville broadcasting personality who loved racing on all levels including NASCAR!
 

 The day after the Derby, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series battle in Texas. The Craftsman Truck Series competes as well (Friday). And that includes Louisville's Ben Rhodes (Two-Time Truck Series Champion). Drivers in the O' Reilly Auto Parts Series line-up Saturday in Texas. As for the last Cup race in Talladega, what a popular win, at least for the fans, when Carson Hocevar narrowly took the win on the big track. Is was a wreck filled day. One incident involved 26 cars! 

The NHRA is back in action this weekend at the Southern Nationals in Georgia. Lucas Oil is a longtime sponsor of the series! 

​  After the Kentucky Derby in Louisville this weekend, the next huge event in motorsports racing is the Coca Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500, both over the long Memorial Day Holiday Weekend.  However, before the green flag drops in Indy, there are many festivities, and that includes on the Indianapolis the road course Sunday May 9th with the Indy drivers. 

 In ARCA, congrats to Will Kimmel at Talladega. He finished 11th. The day before the ARCA 200 event, The Southern Indiana racer blew an engine during a short practice. Kimmel Racing was able to find an engine for the Saturday race, but that meant starting in the back of the field due to the engine replacement. Will Kimmel in his #69 carefully navigated through the field to land in the top five with only a handful of laps to go. Despite being beaten and banged up from a previous wreck, on the last lap his Aviation Technology sponsored Toyota, Kimmel took the lead with about a half lap to go.  However, he found no help, as other drivers frantically drove towards the checkered flag. Andy Jankowiak crossed the finish line to get his first ARCA win.  But what Kimmel Racing and Will Kimmel did, proves he still can race and if he had a full-time ride and sponsorship, they'd easily win in the ARCA Series.  Remember, Will only races a handful of events a year in ARCA. Congrats to Kimmel Racing on a challenging two weeks. Both Kansas and Talladega. Still, they showed they still got it! 

  Locally, the Sportsdrome Speedway (Just off I-65 near Louisville) has one of its strongest schedules in years.   Track owner Mike Gibson is always doing something different!  The new owners of the Salem Speedway are being applauded for making many changes. Fans seem to love it!  Do check out the website and social media for the schedule and all the excitement at the High Banks of Salem! Local racing is great family fun.  We encourage you to get to the local tracks. The action is just as biting as the competition you'll see in NASCAR.  Drivers want to win, and they're not afraid to bump and grind their way into Victory Lane! .   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). The 2026 event schedule may be the best in years!  Just south in 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. It has a HUGE Derby Weekend of events set including a Harley-Davidson Bike Night! Make sure to check out track websites and social media for the latest news and information, and that includes any last minute changes and potential weather issues.  

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  We always thank our supporters, including our main sponsor, Lucas Oil Products!  Also, Herrings Outdoor Sports!  It is a great place for spring-summer-fall attire, 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), 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, Dynamic Chiropractic Louisville, Lyndon Mower Repair, Temco Roofing,  and Apple Appliance Repair. They serve Kentuckiana and can fix just about any appliance (And they clean dirty dryer vents)!   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!  ​​ 

Whatever series, it is always fun, a new season of racing! Check out the Lucas Oil Online Race Report for more!