Rain has played havoc with the motorsports slate at the Lincoln Tech Indianapolis Speedrome at Brookville Road and Kitley Avenue on Indy’s near-Southeast side.
A Stock 50-lap Figure-8 unfolds Saturday, June 20 with Roadrunners, Jr. Faskarts, Jr. Hornets and USSA Mel Kenyon Midget Cars in action.
Exotic high-powered World Figure-8 cars return Saturday, June 27 for a 50-lap main event plus Roadrunners and Hornets in their own 50-lap features, too. The Tunny family (Ben, Austin and Jesse Tunny) finished 1-2-3 respectively June 13 in the 15th Annual Jake Cohen Memorial 150-lap Figure-8 for World Figure-8 competitors. Southport’s Larry Hahn was fourth and Greenwood’s Curtis McMurtrey fifth.
Two Hall of Fame events are coming soon to the one-fifth mile paved oval. The 34th Speedrome Hall of Fame Night on July 18 features the 100-lap Sonny Thompson Memorial Figure-8 plus Stocks in a 25-lap Figure-8. An on-track induction ceremony honors those individuals who have made the Speedrome one of the nation’s historic race tracks.
Then July 25, the inaugural Tony Stewart Classic 100-lap USAC Midget Car race adds to Indy’s Night before the Brickyard festivities, including USAC Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
Racing begins each night at seven o’clock.
Very special NHRA triumph
The U.S. Army’s 240th birthday observance took place June 14 with a very appropriate victory for U.S. Army-sponsored NHRA driver Tony “the Sarge” Schumacher and team owner Don Schumacher at the New England Nationals in Epping, N.H.
The Army was founded June 14, 1775 and Schmacher lived up to the birthdate with his 79th career win in Top Fuel by defeating Larry Dixon in the final elimination duel. Schumacher clocked the fastest run of the day, 3.809 seconds, 321.35 mph. In earlier rounds Schumacher eliminated Morgan Lucas, Clay Millican and Spencer Massey.
Next up on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour is the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol, Tenn., with finals Sunday, June 21.
USAC Midget Week concludes
The 2015 USAC Indiana Midget Week concludes Sunday, June 21 at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway after rains and wet grounds forced postponement of the June 14 event on the quarter-mile dirt track.
Rico Abreu leads Bryan Clauson by a single point heading into the final event after four races in four nights in Hoosierland.
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Midget Week winners have been: June 10, Tanner Thorson at Gas City I-69 Speedway; June 11, Bryan Clauson at Lincoln Park; June 12, Christopher Bell at Bloomington Speedway; and June 13 Rico Abreu at Lawrenceburg Speedway.
New Castle’s Tracy Hines, USAC’s leading national midget car driver, suffered a broken collarbone in a flip at Lawrenceburg. Hines is recovering from surgery but plans to race at Kokomo Speedway.
USAC’s Silver Crown Series returns Saturday, June 20 to Iowa Speedway for the first time in three years for a 100-lap main event. National leader Kody Swanson seeks his eighth win of the season.
Foggy bottom
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series veteran Donny Schatz captured two national events in the same day (June 14) by winning at fog-laden Knoxville Speedway that started at 2 a.m., and later on the same date at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D.
Schatz joins Sammy Swindell as the only two drivers to win two WoO winged sprint races on the same date; Swindell did it in 1992 in Syracuse and Elbridge, N.Y.
Schatz, who races for car owner Tony Stewart, won a fog-shortened feature at Knoxville where rain showers interrupted the event. WoO officials called the race after halfway (15 laps) due to heavy fog.