INDIANA SUMMERS are no time to slow down. True Hoosiers don’t spend their August weekends lounging in the sand, soaking up sun. We prefer to play in the dirt, kicking up clouds of dust beneath the Saturday and Sunday night lights. SPF? Try RPM. And the only “ray” you’ll see from behind your visor is the guy from two towns over trying to pass you on the back straightaway. Gender and age don’t matter as long as you can get behind the wheel and hit the gas. And whether your entry has a sharp color scheme plastered with sponsor decals or you just cobbled together a mess of steel and blank sheet metal, with a little luck, anyone can be a hometown racing hero for one summer night.
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The Speedrome
Indianapolis
At the Speedrome, the racers of tomorrow start in junior Faskarts—go-karts with cages made to resemble the adults’ Late Models. But the glee of hoisting a trophy—like Koehan West, seated on the No. 33K kart at right—is the same no matter the age and is readily shared among friends.
Alexa and Kenzie Hughes accompany Koehan in his car.
Billy Pittman is buckled in, gloves on, ready to drop the visor and stand on the accelerator in his junior Faskart.
Paragon Speedway
Paragon
The Saturday-night lights in Morgan County are shrouded in the dust kicked up by sprint cars, Bombers, Hornets, Late Models, and Super Stocks at Paragon Speedway. The high-banked, 3/8-mile dirt oval can barely contain speedsters like Dayton, Ohio’s Matt Freeman in his No. 90 Hornet.
Clayton’s Kenny Fields (with his daughter) in his No. 11F Super Stock.
Anderson Speedway
Anderson
The tight turns of the tiny 1/4-mile bullring short track at Anderson Speedway keep drivers leaning on the wheel, tapping on the brake, and wary of door-to-door traffic. It’s intense enough to wear out even the most energetic young drivers, like 12-year-old Ryder Van Alst, resting beside his No. 35 Late Model.
At small-town raceways, it’s all-hands-on-deck when it comes to dialing in the car during the scant amount of time between the qualifying heat and the late-night feature. Just ask driver Andrew Teepe’s daughter, pacifier in mouth, working the wrench on Dad’s stock car.
Lincoln Park Speedway
Putnamville
Built in 1968, Lincoln Park Speedway sits in the middle of downtown Putnamville. This is where race fans come to watch 410 non-wing sprint cars kick up the Putnam County clay. Without the top wing, these cars have less downforce and are therefore a little bit harder for the driver to control, especially when careening sideways through a turn in the dirt. Roger Arthur (standing) and Jimmy Arthur (kneeling) know the importance of traction on the dirt track.
Joe Boyll understands the value of letting off steam between events.
Megan Cavaness, a local who has been racing here since she was 11, always keeps at least one hand on the steering wheel.
Circle City Raceway
Indianapolis
A newcomer to Indiana’s race scene, Circle City Raceway opened on October 1, 2020, the result of a partnership between the Marion County Fairgrounds and Speedrome owner Kevin Garrigus. Just because the 1/4-mile dirt oval is fresh doesn’t mean the drivers are afraid to tear it up in front of 5,000 fans.
Mike Moody raced cars for 20 years before taking a break to go to college for mechanical engineering. Now retired, he drives a souped-up Monte Carlo “mainly for a good time.”
A veteran of local oval and dirt tracks before the age of 20, driver BJ Shaw takes a pre-race break in his trailer. Shaw dreams of driving in the Indianapolis 500 someday.
Katie Grigsby, showing off her No. 54B ride at the Circle City Raceway, competes in both the Bomber and Super Stock races.
As the sun begins to set on another summer night, Elizabethtown’s Mike Bechelli climbs into the cab of his Crate Late Model, ready to race for the win.
Bloomington Raceway
Bloomington
Opened in 1923, Bloomington Raceway has entertained fans for more than a century. Cutting the wheel, sliding sideways through each turn, and accelerating into the straightaway, drivers can’t help but get dirty in their pursuit of checkered glory.
Logan Calderwood came all the way from Goodyear, Arizona, to take in the spectacle on a Hoosier tire between heats in his 410 Sprint. He’ll face Bowling Green’s Daylan Chambers (below), who’s not afraid to get dirty.
Kokomo Speedway
Kokomo
The Kokomo track has been lighting up the summer Sunday night sky since 1947. The 1/4-mile, semi-banked oval is a stop on several national tours for sprint cars, Late Models, midgets, and Auto Racing Club of America stock cars speeding toward that coveted checkered flag.
Garrett Jameson (in his No. 0 car) and his brother Bradley (below) spend their summers chasing one another in their Dirtcar Modifieds around tracks all over the region. They consider Kokomo their “home track” and relish racing in front of their hometown fans. While their cars may roll out of the double-decker trailer gleaming, they generally come back caked with mud from a hard-fought battle.
