Salem Speedway will be under new ownership for the 2023 racing season. The season opener is set for April 16.
Submitted photo
Former USAC Midget racer Nick Bohanon has taken over ownership of the iconic Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, located in Salem. Bohanon, a Southern Indiana native, has raced on the famous High Banks of Salem Speedway and looks forward to shaping the track’s future.
“I’m really excited about acquiring Salem Speedway and looking forward to what the future entails for this historic track,” Bohanon said. “I definitely want to clean the place up, paint it, do something with the signage out front. There are improvements that I want to make to the pavement, the pit area, lighting, infield concessions, infield restrooms and the scoreboard. It will be a process of getting those done over the next several years. I’m ready to get started on making improvements as soon as the weather lets us. It is definitely going to be an investment, but this place has such a great history that I think it can still be one of the nicest short tracks in the country.”
Bohanon added, “We want to continue our Great American Stocks series, they have a great following and put on great racing. We will keep the other local divisions that have been running at the track and plan to continue to bring in some additional outside touring series to keep fans interested in coming to all our events. We want all of our events to be big shows. We are in the process of finalizing our 2023 schedule and will have that out next week.”
Salem Speedway opened in 1947, providing fans with exciting fast paced racing on the .555-mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banked turns that were built strictly for speed! Salem is a track steeped in history with many of the giants in auto racing having competed on the treacherous “hills” at some point in their careers, Names such as Ruttman, Carter, Sweikert, O’Connor, Jones, Foyt, Unser, Andretti, Vogler, Allison, Parsons, Waltrip, Schrader, Gordon and Stewart are just a few names from the past that grace the list of past winners. Current NASCAR Stars Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and Mitchell’s own Chase Briscoe have also competed on the High Banks while advancing their careers.
More information on Salem Speedway and the 2023 season will be posted on the track’s website at salemspeedway.com and with social media posts on the track’s Facebook page.
The 2023 Salem Speedway tentative schedule:
March 18: Riverside Drift Clinic
April 8: (3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt) Open Practice for all divisions
April 16: (Season Opener) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Scrappers
April 21-22: Riverside Drift
May 7: (Derby Hangover Twin 75’s) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks
May 19-21: Riverside Drift 50K
June 3: ASA/CRA Super Series, JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, GAS
June 17: (Semis on The High Banks) Semis, CVBT, Scrappers
July 1-2: (Firecracker 200 Weekend) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Legends
July 22: (Midwest Street Stock Battle and Late Models) GAS, CRA Street Stocks, CRA Late Model Sportsman, CVBT
Aug. 4-6: Riverside Drift
Aug. 19: (Dollar Beer and Cruise In) GAS, CVBT, CVST, 602 Stocks, Scrappers
Sept. 9: (End of Summer 100) GAS, CVBT, CVST, Legends
Sept. 22-23: Riverside Drift
Sept. 30: (ARCA 200) ARCA, GAS
Oct. 21-22: (Halloween 200 Weekend) Halloween 200, CVBT 200, CVST, MF8, 602 Stocks, Scrappers
Bloomington Speedway releases 2023 schedule
Bloomington Speedway has released it’s 2023 racing schedule as the track will celebrate its 100-year anniversary this season:
April 7 – Season Opener to 100th Year at Bloomington Speedway – 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets
April 14 – Larry Rice Classic – USAC Sprints, Super Stocks, MMSA
April 21 – 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Hornets
April 28 – 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets
May 5 – 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, Hornets
May 12 – Roddy Strong Memorial (Modified Purse will be increased from last year) – 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds
May 19 – 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Super Stocks, and Hornets
May 26 – The 10th Josh Burton Memorial with Fireworks – MSCS Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, MMSA
June 2 – 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks
June 9 – USAC Indiana Midget Week – USAC Midgets, MMSA, Sprints
June 16 – Honoring Kevin “The Pup” Huntley plus Fireworks – 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Super Stocks, Hornets
June 23 – 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stock, Hornets
July 14 – (Rain Date for Roddy Strong Memorial) – 410 Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hornets
July 28 – USAC Indiana Sprint Week: Kinser Memorial – USAC Sprints, 305 Racesavers
Aug. 11 – 410 Sprints, 305 IMCA Racesavers, Modifieds, Hornets
Aug. 18 – 410 Sprints, Super Stocks, Hornets, MMSA
Aug. 25 – 410 Sprints, Super Stocks, Hornets
Sept. 1 – Rain Date for Josh Burton Memorial – MSCS Sprints, Modifieds, Super Stocks, MMSA
Sept. 8 – TBA
James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected]
