Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Joe James & Pat O’Connor Memorial
July 12th, 2025, 12 pm to 10 pm EDT
Venue:
Salem Speedway
2729 Hwy 56 West,
Salem, IN 47167
Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial) 500 Sprint Car Series, Kenyon Midgets, Legends, Midwest Vintage Racecar Club
Join us for our Joe James & Pat O’Connor Memorial on Saturday, July 12th, 2025, from 12 pm-10pm!
Date: July 12th
Location: Salem Speedway
Time: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
- Pits Open: 12.00 pm
- Spectator Gates Open: 3 pm
- Practice: 3 pm
- Qualify: 6:00 pm
- Race: 7 pm
Joe James & Pat O’Connor Memorial – Background
For over 65 years, Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. The 0.555-mile oval, featuring 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, Unser, Andretti, Vogler, Allison, Parsons, and Waltrip just to name a few, grace the list of past winners.
A Strong Racing Heritage
With such a storied 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 ad stock car competition visiting the famed high bans each racing season to challenge the demanding oval. The legendary A.J. Foyt once said, “If a driver can go fast on the high banks, he can go fast anywhere.” That’s still true today as it was 50 years ago. 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.
The Finest in Racing
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” in its own right 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.
Find more info about this: https://www.salemspeedway.com/
