With the racing world paused amid the COVID-19 outbreak, SPEED SPORT is highlighting race tracks around the United States. This is the first piece in the ongoing series.
Track Of The Day: Anderson Speedway
Address: 1311 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Anderson, IN 46016
Website:Â www.andersonspeedway.com
History: A quarter-mile asphalt oval, Anderson Speedway was built in 1948 by promoter Joe Helpling. According to Anderson Speedway’s official website, Helpling originally planned to build a bowling alley and recreation center on a 32-acre lot, but was convinced by two city councilmen to instead build a race track.
The track originally opened as Sun Valley Speedway but was later renamed Anderson Speedway. The track plays host to weekly racing every year in addition to the annual Little 500, a 500-lap event for non-winged asphalt sprint cars. Sam Skinner won the inaugural Little 500, held in 1949.
Through the years some of racing’s best have won the Little 500, including Jim McElreath, Rollie Beale, Larry Dickson, Dave Steele, Bentley Warren, Eric Gordon, Chris Windom and most recently, Kody Swanson.
The track hosts regular races for late models, street stocks, thunder roadsters, thundercars, front wheel drives and figure-8 cars. The late model class is the track’s premier division, with Zachary Tinkle the defending late model track champion.
In addition to weekly racing, the track also hosts a number of non-sanctioned non-winged sprint car events plus races for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series and multiple divisions sanctioned by the Champion Racing Ass’n, which includes the annual running of the RedBud 400 for super late models.
The track is also well known for playing host to the World Championship Trailer Figure 8 race, which is scheduled for Oct. 17 this year.
