A huge weekend is in store at the Salem Speedway this Saturday. It is a Night of Classic Fun! Fans get to see the Super Cars, Great American Stocks, and other series in action! Spectator gates open at 3:30 p.m. There is plenty of practice and qualifying. Then at 7:00 p.m. the green flag drops! There are usually other activities off the track. And the concession prices aren't bad. Check out the Salem Speedway website or social media pages for other information and last-minute changes. The half-mile high banked track is about an hour from Louisville i Southern Indiana.
The Sportsdrome Speedway is just 5 minutes from downtown Louisville off I-65. This may be the best schedule in years for track owner Mike Gibson (See video below). On Saturday, the short flat track has a full slate of events as part of Hot Country Nights! Those heading to The Drome will see Modified Figure 8, Oval, Powder Puff, Front Wheel Drive, and other divisions battling for points and trophies! There is not a bad seat in the house! For last minute changes, additions, and updates Mike always puts them on the Sportsdrome Facebook page. Racing normally begins about 7:00 p.m. There is plenty to see and do before the racing begins!
Soon, September will arrive. Time is winding down in the 2023 racing season. Though school has started back again, (Please keep watch for the school buses and kids), most events are on Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon. Do check out local track websites and social media for last minute changes and tickets deals. When visiting tracks, you'll see Lucas Oil logos on walls and signage. Forrest, Charlotte, Morgan, and Katie Lucas all strongly support grass roots racing and drivers! The Sportsdrome Speedway and Salem Speedway get much attention locally. Other area tracks are the Ponderosa Speedway. It's called the Baddest Bullring in the Bluegrass state. It is a short dirt track 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. Just outside of Louisville in West Point Kentucky is the Ohio Valley Dragway. It is a 1/8th mile track on Dixie Highway. This season Sportsdrome owner Mike Gibson has had some events at the county fairgound in Scott County, Indiana.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff is underway. The trucks always start a little early (Cup and Xfinity begin after the upcoming race at Daytona). Louisville's Ben Rhodes finished 16th this past weekend at Indianapolis. His teammate at ThorSport Racing, Ty Majeski didn't just win the race, he dominated it! August 27th is the next truck race in Milwaukee. Only eight drivers advance out of 10 in the playoff field. Ben is currently in 7th place. However, the 3 drivers behind him fighting to advance, are only a handful of points behind. Ben needs a top five finish or close to it at Milwaukee if he's going to keep advancing and have a shot to win a championship. We wish him well.
The NASCAR Cup Series has another driver headed to the playoffs. What a great performance for Front Row Motorsports. Veteran driver Michael McDowell held off a late challenge by Chase Elliott to win on the Indy Road course. Two races remain until the playoffs: Watkins Glen (Road Course) and Daytona. Bubba Wallace is 28 points to the good, and would make the playoff if it started today (As the 16th and final playoff driver). Wallace does not traditionally do well on road courses. He's in the hot seat. And though both Keven Harvick and Brad Keselowski are 140-plus points to the good, watch out! If a driver who is "not" in the playoffs wins at The Glen, it would then come down to Daytona for the last two spots. And if another non-playoff driver wins there, a driver holding a bunch of points today, could get bumped and not make the playoffs. The tension is high! As mentioned before, we think in the NASCAR Xfinity Series it is likely going to be John Hunter Nemechek or Austin Hill who should win the title. Both have been strong all year. Time will tell!
The points battle shifted a little in the Indy Car Series. This after 6-Time Series Champion Scott Dixon narrowly took the checkered flag over Graham Rahal at Indianapolis. Points leader Alex Palou finished 7th. Up next for the series is the August 27th race at the World Wide Technology Park in Illinois. Palou has a 101 points cushion over Dixon for the championship battle. Josef Newgarden is 3rd in points. He had an awful day Indy finishing way back in the pack. Only 3 races remain in the 2023 schedule. It would take a total meltdown for Palou not to win the 2023 Indy Car Series title.
What a strong weekend for the NHRA at Topeka, Kansas. All year long the action and been close and very fast. What work these crews put in to find raw speed. Top Fuel points leader Justin Ashley won again, claiming his sixth win of the season. Other winners included Bob Tasca III in Funny Car and Erica Enders took yet another event championship in Pro Stock.
Make sure your car, truck, motorcycle, boat, other vehicles, and lawn equipment are all running efficiently. Think Lucas Oil Products. They do so much for racing communities across America. Other sponsors of KMS include 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, Kentucky) (It also has a sister dealership, Tri-County Ford in Oldham County, KY). KMS friends also include: VoiceTel Kentucky (Offering telephone service for low as $25.00 a line per month), 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!
We do remind all race fans and families to think about our farmers and ranchers, and all they do! Protect the Harvest supports them. Learn more about this Lucas Oil initative at: www.protecttheharvest.com
