Motorsports

The Salem Speedway officially opened for business on June 22, 1947, with Tommy Hinnershiz winning the 20-lap feature event for AAA ‘’Big Cars” in front of over 7,000 enthusiastic fans that packed the grounds for the inaugural Salem Speedway Event. For over 65 years Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. The .555-mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banks was built strictly for speed. High-powered sprint cars accelerate down the straights at speeds reaching nearly 140 miles per hour.

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. Unse, Andretti, Vogler, Allison, Parsons, and Waltrip, just to name a few!

With a strong racing history, it is not surprising that Salem has developed a strong racing heritage and tradition that continues today with some of the top names in open-wheel and stock car competition visiting the famed high bans each racing season to challenge the demanding oval.

In recent years drivers such as Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Ken Schrader, and Joey Logano tested their skills on the Salem oval with varying degrees of success.

Situated in the scenic hills of southern Indiana, the Salem Speedway roars to life with upwards of 12-15 “Special Events” per year. With a season stretching from April to November, each event is “Special” with sanctioning bodies such as ARCA, the Must-See Racing Xtreme Sprints, the Ken-Ten Pro Late Model Series, and the Top Speed Modified Tour helping bring the finest in professional automobile racing to the world-famous facility.