Indiana Drag Strip Unexpectedly Sold, Ceases All Racing Operations

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The staff of the Lyons Raceway Park staff in Southern Indiana blindsided area racers on Wednesday when a statement was issued confirming the sudden and unexpected sale and closure of the popular 1/8-mile drag strip 100 miles south of Indianapolis.

Ohio Oil Inc. has owned and operated the dragstrip, built in the mid-1990s, for the last seven years, under the guidance of company CEO Brent Jones. Per the official announcement, Ohio Oil Inc. has agreed to initial terms to sell the property, and as of July 1, will cease all management and racing operations of the facility. Spokesman Steve Miller confirmed that a confidentiality agreement had been signed with the potential purchasing group, and as such, no more information would be made available at this time. While unconfirmed, the rumor mill among the local racing contingent suggests that a farmer or collection of local farmers may be involved in the transaction, which would potentially see this many-time NHRA Division 3 Track of the Year returned to agricultural use.

Said Jones in the prepared statement: “The Jones family truly appreciates all of the competitors and spectators that have supported the racetrack over the last seven years. This is an extremely hard decision to make but it is in the best interest of our company to move on this opportunity. We have tried diligently to provide a quality facility for competitors and spectators to enjoy the sport of drag racing. As a family we appreciate the relationships that have grown through this experience.”

Jones declined to comment on the closure when contacted on Wednesday evening, other than to confirm that he would not be purchasing or managing another track in the future. Jones, a racer himself, campaigns a 2010 Dodge Challenger in the NHRA Super Stock ranks.

In their release, track officials laid out plans to compensate sponsors and pit rental customers, as well as racers who have qualified for prize-paying points funds to this stage in the season. This would suggest that there are no plans to move forward with racing operations with a new owner.

We’ll have more on this story as information becomes available.

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
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