Photo courtesy of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
When the weather starts warming up, so do engines at two of Ohio’s premier race courses.
Lexington’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Hebron’s National Trail Raceway kick off their 2018 seasons in April.
“It’s basically a park with a race track running through it,” says Steve Bidlack, marketing and communications manager for Mid-Ohio. “It’s a relaxed, family-friendly environment for all to enjoy.”
“Our course is very interactive, with drivers really getting to know and spend time with the fans. I think that’s the coolest part of drag racing,” says Steve Long, general manager for National Trail.
Photo courtesy of Pat Donahue Fasttimes Photos
Mid-Ohio’s first scheduled engagement is April 14, but its season officially starts with the International Motor Sports Association-Sanctioned Sports Car Event from May 4-6. The event promises three-hour endurance races featuring premium sports cars. The largest, most-anticipated race of Mid-Ohio’s season, though, takes place July 27-29: the Honda Indy 200, which started in 1970 and has been sponsored by Honda since 2007.
National Trail is also geared up for the summer season, with three new events on its agenda: Street Car Takeover, Bottom Bulb Shootout and Professional Drag Racers Association’s Super Strip Nationals. Also, the JEGS ET Bracket Series, with more stops this season than ever before at National Trail, will showcase local and out-of-state racers in a summer-long competition, closing the season with a winner from each bracket.
In the off season, both tracks have undergone renovations, including a new score board at Mid-Ohio and new LED track lighting and bleachers at National Trail, to improve spectators’ experiences.
“On a hot summer night, with the race track lights beaming and cars racing around the track, I couldn’t think of a better place to be,” says Long.
Laura Baird is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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