It was a huge night of championship racing at the Sportsdrome Speedway! Congrats to all the title holders, drivers, and teams. There is now a quick turnaround for track owner and operator Mike Gibson. Lets hope mother nature cooperates! Saturday it is the Mega School Bus Figure 8 Fall Race. Yes, the school buses will battle! On top of that, there is the One-Hour Ford Oval Enduro! And other action is slated! The track is just off Interstate 65 in Jeffersonville, Indiana about 5 minutes from downtown Louisville. As we've said before, football is in the air, but there's still great excitement at the local short tracks well into October!
And just around the corner, the ARCA 200 Fall Classic at the Salem Speedway (About an hour northwest of Louisville in Southern Indiana). It is set for Saturday October 1st and Sunday October 2nd, with the green flag dropping at 4:00 p.m. that Sunday. A large crowd is expected for the annual fall event. Be sure to check all local track websites and social media for last minute changes and ticket specials.
The non-playoff drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series keep winning! This time it happened at Bristol. Chris Buescher took the checkered flag in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. In the two previous playoff races, Bubba Wallace won at Kansas and at Darlington- Erik Jones claimed the win. It goes to show you how the new Cup car has evened the playing field. It was Buecher's first win of the year, and a much needed win for RFK racing. Teammate Brad Keselowski owns part of the #17 team. Brad finished 13th and won a race stage at Bristol. While Buecher has had a steady hand much of the year, the same can't be said for the #6 team of Keselowski. Early on, they had nothing but troubles. However, in the second half of the season, his team, and entire organization has looked much better. At Bristol, Chase Elliott finished second by less than a half-second. Rounding out the top five were William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson. Playoff drivers Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillion, and Joey Logano had issues and finished way back in the field. Such misfortune is common at the high banked short track. As for the standings, 12 drivers advanced to the next round. Playoff drivers eliminated from playoff contention were: Kyle Bush, Austin Dillion, Kevin Harvick, and Tyler Reddick. Harvick is the oldest and expected much better in 2022. Lets hope in the off-season, his Stewart-Haas owned race team can get Harvick's #4 back to where it needs to be for 2023. The next three Cup races: Texas, Talladega, and the Roval at Charlotte. After Charlotte, four more playoff drivers will be cut.
A quick comment on Kyle Busch moving to RCR in 2023. The two-time champion can finally focus on the path ahead. You can bet Chevrolet is more than excited. Kyle has many years of racing left. Don't be surprised to see him win another championship, and continue to add to his win totals in other series as well. We want to point out, Richard Childress Racing is fueled by Lucas Oil products! Along the way, Kyle will hear the booing. He is special, unique. You can bet, Busch will come ready and with plenty of attitude in 2023.
In the NASCAR Truck Series at Bristol, Ty Majeski took home the checkered flag. Louisville's Ben Rhodes came in a disappointing 18th. The defending NASCAR Truck Series Champion has had a challenging year. More downs, than ups. He is last in points of the eight playoff drivers. Ben must score a couple top 5 finishes (And maybe a win) to make it to the Final Four Championship at Phoenix later on. The next two races before 4 truck drivers are eliminated: Talladega and Homestead.
We want to thank everyone for comments regarding our interview with former NHRA racer and Lucas Oil President, Morgan Lucas. You can see Morgan with Scott Douglass below. As for the NHRA, it has got a great fall slate of events. Check out its website for more. Next up, the Carolina Nationals in Charlotte.
Two-time Indy Car Series Champion Will Power says he was on edge and nervous before claiming the 2022 Championship at Laguna, California. He won his first series title 8 years ago. Power has his team continue to celebrate. But 2023, is just around the corner. You can bet drivers like Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, and Alex Palou will be ready, as well as some some talented younger drivers. The Indy Car series had a great season. We applaud the competition and efforts to continue to lured back race fans.
They've been with us for nearly 20 years! We thank Lucas Oil as a huge longtime sponsor. We're able to talk racing locally and in other ways, thanks to Forrest, Charlotte, and Morgan Lucas and the entire Lucas Oil Family. Other backers: PNC Bank (Sponsor of Scott Dixon's Indy Car Series Car), Sportsdrome Speedway (Celebrating more than 75 years of Racing!) locally owned Bright Pest Control and Bright Retail in Louisville, (Offering Do-It-Yourself Professional Pest Products with a retail store), and Knox Ford in Radcliff (KY). KMS supporters also include: VoiceTel Kentucky (Offering telephone service for $25.00 a line, and that includes all taxes and fees), Temco Roofing, Andriots Paint, Flooring, & Blinds, ICA Dumpsters, Kentucky Raceway Ministries, St. Matthews Cycling, Nimlok Kentucky, Dynamic Healthcare, and Lyndon Mower Repair. We also thank our media connections in all series, especially NASCAR and with NASCAR Media for helping us bring the sport to the fans!
Thanks for all the entries and winners in our KMS Free Giveaway (Lucas Oil Driver autographs)! (See Giveaway tab in heading!). Our next Giveaway will be unveiled Wednesday September 21st! A hint, you will be able to use them in your car or truck!
Enjoy the racing!
