Salem Speedway facts for kids
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Oval Circuit (1947–present)
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| Location | 2729 Hwy 56 West Salem, Indiana |
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| Time zone | UTC-5 (UTC-4 DST) |
| Coordinates | 38°36′00″N 86°08′25″W / 38.60000°N 86.14028°W |
| Capacity | 6,000 |
| Owner | Nick Bohanon (2023–present) Bill Kniesly (2020–2022) Owen & Beverly Thompson (1996–2019) Don Gettelfinger Sr. (1987–1995) |
| Opened | 22 June 1947 Re-opened: 1996 |
| Closed | May 1995 |
| Former names | Salem Super Speedway |
| Major events | Current: ARCA Menards Series Salem ARCA 200 (1955–1957, 1959, 1962-1977, 1979, 1987–1989, 1992–2019, 2021–present) Former: X-1R Pro Cup (2002–2008) ASA National Tour (1998–2003) NASCAR Southeast Series (1996–1997) NASCAR Grand National East Series (1973) |
| Oval Circuit (1947–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.893 km (0.555 mi) |
| Turns | 2 |
| Banking | 33° |
| Race lap record | 0:16.959 (Corey Deuser, Deuser Motorsports, 2023, Super Late Model) |
Salem Speedway is a famous race track in Indiana, USA. It's an oval track, about half a mile long. The track is near Salem, Indiana, and about 100 miles south of Indianapolis. The corners are super steep, tilted at 33 degrees! This makes racing exciting. Big racing groups like ARCA and USAC have races here.
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History of Salem Speedway
The Salem Speedway first opened its doors in 1947. Years later, in 1981, a big storm hit the track. It caused a lot of damage, ripping off the grandstand roof and breaking fences. Because of this, no races happened there for several years.
In 1987, Don Gettelfinger Sr. bought the track. He fixed it up, replacing the damaged fences with strong concrete. However, the track closed again in May 1995.
Owen and Beverly Thompson then bought the track and reopened it in 1996. They made many improvements, including a new building and updated grandstand seating for 6,000 people. They also renovated the pit areas. The Thompsons owned the track until 2019.
In 2020, Bill Kniesly bought the track from the Thompsons. Most recently, in December 2022, former race car driver Nick Bohanon became the new owner of Salem Speedway.
Famous Races and Drivers
Salem Speedway has hosted many different racing series over the years. These events brought some of the best drivers to the track.
NASCAR and ASA Races
The NASCAR Grand National East Series held one race at the speedway in 1973. Bruce Gould was the winner of that event.
The ASA National Tour raced at Salem six times between 1998 and 2003. Famous winners included Scott Hansen, David Stremme, Tim Sauter, Gary St. Amant, and Robbie Pyle.
The NASCAR Southeast Series also had two races at the track in 1996 and 1997. Steven Christian and Ron Young won these races.
USAR and ARCA Events
USAR held seven races at Salem Speedway from 2002 to 2008. Winners included Brian Ross, Joel Kauffman, Mikey Kile, Jeff Agnew, and Gary St. Amant.
Salem Speedway is especially known for its ARCA Menards Series races. As of 2019, the track has hosted more ARCA races than any other track, with over 100 visits since 1955. The fastest ARCA qualifying lap was set by Gary Bradberry in 1994. He completed a lap in just 16.785 seconds, reaching a speed of over 119 miles per hour!
Legendary Drivers at Salem
Many legendary drivers have raced at Salem Speedway. Some of these include Troy Ruttman, Parnelli Jones, A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, and the Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle Busch.
In 2018, Kody Swanson made history at Salem. He broke the all-time record for USAC Silver Crown series wins, earning his 24th victory at the track.
Remembering Rich Vogler
On July 21, 1990, during a sprint car race called the Joe James / Pat O'Connor Memorial, a sad event occurred. Sprint car driver Rich Vogler was involved in a crash. He was leading the race and was about to start the final lap. The race was stopped, and Vogler was later declared the winner because of the rules. This was his 170th career win. Jeff Gordon finished in second place.
