The Southsider Voice
Visit us at these places!
  • Home
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Sports
    • Car Nutz
    • Stilley Goes Trackside
    • Southside Deaths
    • Personal Recollections
    • Reminiscing
  • About the Voice
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Classifieds

PLACEMENT OF PLAQUECITES WHITELAND TRACKFOR ITS HISTORY, IMPACT

7/16/2022

0 Comments

 
A special ceremony Sunday afternoon at revived Whiteland Raceway Park honored the karting track among the oldest in America. Current owners, Beech Grove native Andy O'Gara and wife Sarah Fisher O'Gara, unveiled the double-sided historical plaque that honors the facility's history and impact motorsports. The plaque is the 48th to be placed in the state by the Indiana Memorial Racing Association (IRMA). Dignitaries at the unveiling included Indiana Rep. Michelle Davs of Whiteland and Sen. Randall Frye, chair of the Statehouse's motorsports caucus. The karting track opened in 1960 and has been the learning grounds for many nationally famous race car drivers. The O'Gara's saved the facility from extinction in 2019 by buying it. Since then, they have improved and expanded the track with garages, office building, karting products and modern scoring tower with plans for the adjacent 25 acres north of WRP for RVs and camping. The track is open most weekday afternoons and evenings for tests and practice. WRP is at 654 N. Front St., Whiteland.
Info: racewrp.com.
Picture
​(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTO BY AL STILLEY)
Whiteland Raceway Park co-owners Sarah Fisher and Andy O’Gara pull drape to unveil historical marker Sunday afternoon. The plaque was commissioned by the Indiana Racing Memorial Association.
Picture
(PHOTO BY BRIAN E. WILCOX)
Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr., second from left, joins several notables Sunday at Whiteland Raceway Park, including, from left, Indiana Racing Memorial Association representatives Rick Dennison, Mark Eutsler, historical motorsports author Bob Gates of Greenwood, track co-owners/wife and husband Sarah Fisher and Andy O’Gara, and Indiana House Rep. Michelle Davis of Whiteland.
Picture
​(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTO BY AL STILLEY)
Front side of historic plaque shows date that Whiteland Raceway Park opened 62 years ago.
Picture
​(SUBMITTED PHOTO)
Back side of plaque lists some of the famous race car drivers who raced karts when they were youngsters at WRP.
0 Comments

Racer Kyle O’Gara rides hot streak with three straight pavement wins

7/16/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Beech Grove native Kyle O’Gara celebrates 100-lap sprint car race win Saturday night at Anderson Speedway with wife Marissa and crew members, mechanic Nick Lundgreen and crew chief Brad Larsen.
By Al Stilley
Editor

Kyle O’Gara is on the hottest streak of his open-wheel pavement racing career with three consecutive wins.
First, the 27-year-old Beech Grove native captured his first-ever win June 30 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) in a 35-lap special event USAC midget car feature.

And then last Saturday at the high-banked quarter-mile Anderson Speedway, O’Gara took the 50-lap midget car feature and the prestigious 22nd annual Glenn Neibel Memorial 100-lap 500 Sprint Car Series race. Neibel’s drivers won the Little 500 six times and two USAC championships.

“First one in a long time,” O’Gara smiled Sunday at Whiteland Raceway Park before the unveiling of an historical marker.

“Our last double-header win was in karting about 14 years ago,” he added. “But that doesn’t compare in any way to last night (Saturday) at Anderson because that memorial sprint car race is so prestigious to win.”
Neibel, whose engine shop was in Edinburgh, powered drivers to six Little 500 wins and two USAC championships.

At Anderson, O’Gara started the memorial race in fourth place, moved to second in one lap and took the lead nine laps later.

He won the opening midget car feature after starting third, grabbed second immediately and passed Bobby Santos on lap 10.

“I think running the midget car race helps because we need more laps up there,” O’Gara said. “The midget translates to the sprint car, driving-style wise. The hundred lap sprint car race went quick and was easy.”
The sprint car is sponsored by O’Gara’s Irish Pub in Beech Grove and the midget car is backed by SFHR Development, Chick-fil-A, and Speedway Indoor Karting.

He still considers the five-eighths-mile paved IRP in Brownsburg as his home track
“Our entire family enjoys going there (IRP) and it’s close to our shop (Speedway Indoor Karting),” O’Gara said. “We battle against some of the best pavement racers in the country, and we finally beat them.”
He took his first USAC feature win at IRP by passing Bobby Santos on lap 20 and holding off Chuck Gurney in a five-lap sprint to the finish after a late-race caution.

O’Gara finished third earlier that night at IRP in a USAC sprint car race.

Kyle’s dad, John O’Gara, is a former crew chief for several Indianapolis 500 drivers including Sarah Fisher who married Kyle’s older brother, Andy O’Gara, a crew chief and race strategist, in 2007 at St. Roch Catholic Church. Their roots are in karting and their two kids, Zoey and Danny, race karts at Whiteland Raceway Park.
Kyle also began racing karts at WRP. He won a USAC/STARS midget car race in August 2012 at Grundy County Speedway before he started his senior year at Roncalli. Before graduating, he raced in the Indy Lights Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In May, Kyle was fourth in his fifth Little 500 sprint car classic at Anderson Speedway where he matched his best finish of 2020.

Through the years, Kyle has won several races but none as prestigious as Saturday’s sprint car race at Anderson.

Off the track, Kyle is vice president of operations at Speedway Indoor Karting in Speedway and Daytona Beach and a managing partner at WRP.
​
A Roncalli High School alumnus, Kyle and his wife Marissa enjoy their home life and their two dogs.
“I’m happy where we’re at; we’re traveling the country as a family and doing what we love,” Kyle said. “As long as I can stay in a seat in a race car, I’m happy.”
Picture
​(INDY RACING IMAGES PHOTO)
Beech Grove native Kyle O’Gara (67) makes the winning pass against Chuck Gurney (44) on lap 20 as the Southside racer goes on for his first career USAC midget car win at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    Arts & Entertainment
    Lead Story
    Sports: 500
    Sports: Basketball
    Sports: Track

    RSS Feed

 DROP OFF: The Toy Drop 6025 Madison Ave., Suite D
Indianapolis, IN  46227  |  317-781-0023
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 17187, Indianapolis, IN 46217

ads@southsidervoice.com | news@southsidervoice.com
Website by IndyTeleData, Inc.