Indianapolis is nicknamed the “Circle City” because of Monument Circle, which is located in the heart of downtown. The May 20-21 opening of Circle City Raceway, a quarter-mile dirt oval on the grounds of the Marion County Fairgrounds, is big news for area race fans, drivers and teams.
The Marion County Fairgrounds is a 123-acre facility at 7300 E. Troy Ave., southeast of downtown, near both Interstates 465 and 74.
Kevin Garrigus, owner of the Indianapolis Speedrome since 2016 and also owner of Advance Auto Sales, a used car company with three locations in Indianapolis, has a 15-year lease with another 15-year option to renew with the fairgrounds’ board of directors. Circle City Raceway is about three miles from the Speedrome, which is a one-fifth-mile asphalt oval and Figure-8 track.
Involved from day one was Jonathan Byrd II, Circle City Raceway’s president. He is a son of the late Jonathan Byrd, founder of Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria and a former Indy car team owner.
Byrd explained how it came to be.
“We were just sitting around the pit office at the Speedrome one day discussing business ideas, and we have in the past talked about dirt tracks and how or if it could be possible to have one around Indy,” he said. “I had explored the idea of the Marion County Fairgrounds about five years ago, and had a lot of buy-in, but not a lot of capital wherewithal to pull it off back then.
“I have really been watching how big dirt races have been during the pandemic, especially the bigger shows, and we really want to be the ‘big-event’ dirt track here in central Indiana,” Byrd continued.
There was previously a one-fifth-mile track on the fairgrounds property for motorcycle and go-kart racing and demo derbies. Other than the frontstretch grandstands and light poles there wasn’t much infrastructure in place, so Garrigus and Byrd got to work last fall after the agreement with the board was in place. Scott Petry and Petry Excavating, known for their midgets, carved out the quarter-mile track. More grandstands, new restrooms, concession stands, parking lots and a big pit area were built
The grandstands will hold approximately 5,000 people. There is also wet and dry camping available on the fairgrounds property.
Completing all of that accomplished in such a short time span is impressive. Equally impressive is the new track’s schedule, which shows 30 events.
The Indianapolis area is the home of USAC and its non-winged sprint cars and midgets, but Circle City’s inaugural schedule will also showcase winged 410 sprint cars.
“I think winged racing is going to be well received at our track, especially on a quarter mile and I want winged racing to be our bread and butter, along with midgets, and then micros,” Byrd said. “But also it’s going to be pretty incredible to watch all these series coming through to race on our bullring.”
Right off the bat there’s a traveling series in town, as the track opens May 20-21 with an All Star Circuit of Champions winged sprint car doubleheader. The All Star TQ midgets will share the card on Friday and the IMCA Schaeffer’s Oil Indiana RaceSaver 305 sprints will support Saturday’s program.
The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series will take center stage on June 4. On Wednesday, June 9, the track will be a stop during the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series’ Indiana Midget Week in a doubleheader also includes the non-winged sprint cars of the Midwest Sprint Car Series It’s billed as the John Andretti Memorial “Double,” and it will benefit the Race 4 Riley program he established to raise funds for the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. The “double” references the late driver’s feat of becoming the first driver to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, which he accomplished in 1994.
After the John Andretti Memorial “Double” comes 10 straight nights of action during the Marion County Fair.
Also of particular interest are shows on selected Thursday nights, featuring open-competition 410 winged sprints. Sundays are primarily reserved for late model and modified action. There’s even a DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model and Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals date on July 14.
The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series will also visit Circle City Raceway and there will be a USAC AMSOIL national sprint car race on Sept. 17. The season will conclude Oct. 15-16 with the Hoosier Harvest Shootout, with the finale paying $21,000 to the winner of the winged 410 sprint car feature.