If you want local racing this weekend check out the Salem Speedway! Yes, the Kentucky Derby is in town, and we welcome all race fans! Hotels will be full and restaurants packed. For some, they'll get away and drive an hour outside of Louisville in Southern Indiana to Salem. On Sunday, it holds the Derby Hangover Twin 75’s. Legends, Super Cars, and other action also scheduled. Gates open Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. There will be practice and qualifying before the first race at about 12:30 p.m. For tickets and more: www.salemspeedway.com. Due to the mega events surrounding the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, the Sportsdrome Speedway in Jeffersonville, IN (Just five minutes from downtown Louisville off I-65) is not racing this weekend.
Kansas and Darlington are the next two stops for the NASCAR Cup Series. Another rain delay hit Dover this past weekend. NASCAR cannot control mother nature. But it has to find a way to adjust the schedule in an "effort" to avoid repeat rain delays at certain tracks. Dover and Martinsville come to mind. As for Dover, congrats to Martin Truex Jr. getting his first Cup win of the 2023 season. The 2017 series champion notched his 32 win of his Cup career.
The month of May will be fun for racing! The Memorial Day weekend attracts thousands of fans to Charlotte for the 600 and in Indiana for the Indianapolis 500. Two huge traditions. The stands for both will be packed. Before those famed events, the stars of NASCAR return to the short historic track in North Wilkesboro, NC for the NASCAR All-Star Race. There has not been an official Cup Race there since 1996 when Jeff Gordan won. The track had a few events before the weeds and dust took over. Thanks to the local community, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and other leaders, North Wilkesboro will see action again! The track has an amazing tradition! Think Junior Johnson and Cale Yarborough.
The Indy Car Series the month of May is all about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the Indy 500, the stars and legends of the series, as well as Hollywood celebrities will show up. Before the Indy 500, there will be plenty to do and see. The GMR Grand Prix is next on May 12-13. It's held on the 2.4 mile and fourteen-turn road course. It includes portions of Turns 1 and 2 and the front straightaway of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Congrats to the most recent Indy Car Series winner in Alabama, Scott McLaughlin.
We talked earlier about the Sportsdrome Speedway, and mentioned the half-mile high banked track at the Salem Speedway. There are other tracks we encourage fan to check out. The Ohio Valley Dragway is a 1/8th mile track about 25 minutes from Louisville along Dixie Highway in West Point, Kentucky. There is the bullring at the Ponderosa Speedway 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 vents. We always encourage you to check out track websites or social media for last minutes weather changes and ticket discounts or specials!
We've told you Lucas Oil has been a longtime sponsor of Kentuckiana Motorsports, and we're thankful. Spring is here and soon the heat of the summer will be upon us! Be sure when taking spring and summer trips to put some Lucas Oil in your car! It Works! Our other sponsors include PNC Bank (Sponsor of Scott Dixon's Indy Car Series Car), Sportsdrome Speedway (Celebrating more than 77 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, Kentucky) (It also has a sister dealership, Tri-County Ford in Oldham County, KY). KMS friends also include: VoiceTel Kentucky (Offering telephone service for $25.00 a line, and that includes all taxes and fees), Temco Roofing, Jim Ellis/Attorney At Law, ICA Dumpsters, Kentucky Raceway Ministries, Nimlok Kentucky, Dynamic Healthcare, Lyndon Mower Repair, and Kentucky Medicare Plans (Serving Kentucky and Southern Indiana with Health and Medicare plans). We also thank our media connections in all series, NASCAR and with NASCAR Media, Indy Car, Monster Jam, ARCA, and NHRA for helping us bring the sport to the fans!
It's been a action packed year for the NHRA. The competition and speed, incredible. The next stop the NHRA is in Elwood, Illinois on May 19 for a three day weekend in the Route 66 Nationals. Our sponsor, Lucas Oil is a longtime supporter of the NHRA. You can watch the excitement of the NHRA on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2. At the last event in Charlotte, teammates Austin Prock and Robert Hight scored victories. Also Deric Kramer and Gaige Herrera secured wins. If 3 NASCAR Cup titles isn't enough, we'll remind fans one more time, Tony Stewart continues to amaze. He's a NHRA owner and this year, a full time dragster. At Vegas a few weeks ago, Stewart won for the first time in a NHRA Top Fuel Alcohol dragster. Smoke loves competition. Expect more wins for him.
This summer many people will enjoy the outdoors. We urge you to look around. Think about the non-stop work our farmers and ranchers are doing. Protect the Harvest supports them. It is a Lucas Oil backed initiative. Learn more at: www.protecttheharvest.com
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