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By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer

Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery held a racing extravaganza October 18-20 with the 36th Annual Halloween 200 weekend.

Many chose to camp overnight on the track grounds. A Halloween costume contest was held in the Pavilion, plus there was trunk or treat on the front stretch.

Friday was dedicated to practicing, plus the 15-lap Bandoleros race. The Bandolero race was won by Levi Nale; second was Collin Dickey; and third, Grant Hooker.

Saturday was open for more serious racing. First up was a 30-lap oval race on the small track. Winning this contest was Troy Phillips. A.J. Seay finished second, and Doug Wicker had third place.

In the 15-lap B Feature it was Allen Wagner the winner; second Alexis Hughes; and third place Stacie Fitzgerald.

Also, on the small track was the Crown Vic Future Stars 20-lap race. The age group for this division is 11 – 15 years old. The winner was young Braxton Turner; second Jaxon Ziegler; and third Nathan Lewis.

One of the most exciting races was the Crown Vic Ford Figure X. This 25-lap feature proved “it’s not over till it’s over.” Jacob Robertson chased Mike Berry around the track, challenging him for several laps. Coming down to the checkered flag Robertson got into the side of Berry’s car and both slid across the finish line together, with Berry ahead by a nose. This battle allowed third place Allen Douglas to nose out Robertson for second.

Now it was time for the high banks with the Salem Super Cars. Twenty-five laps of high-speed racing resulted with Conner Popplewell the winner in his first appearance in this division.

The season champion from the Kimmel stables was Brian Rose.

The main attraction was the Spooky 200 for the Ford Crown Vics. Some 81 Fords lined up for the 200 laps. The field covered the track from turn one back through turn four with cars three abreast.

Well order didn’t last long—the first yellow came out on lap seven. The race continued with several minor wrecks until lap 68, when Rusty Kelly took a hard hit at the end on the front stretch and was momentarily knocked out. He finished 56th. By that time approximately twenty-five cars had fallen to the wayside.

Later in the race, John Lister took a hard hit on the back stretch going into turn 3. Lister could not feel his lower body and was cut out of the car by the rescue team. The car’s roof was cut off and peeled back. He was transported by ambulance to University Hospital in Louisville. He was later released that night, as the feeling came back to his lower body. Due the lost time the race was cut short on lap 130. The eventual winner was Chase Adams, with second place going to Rickie Tharp, and third to Colson Gray.

Sunday rolled around, and it was a much different day. First up were the Legends cars on the short track. A full field of 22 cars lined up for 30 laps of racing. It was Johnny Weaver taking the checkered flag. Second place went to Xavier King and third was Jacob Bradley.

Next on the inner track were the Scrapper for pure chaos as almost—anything goes for 25 laps. The red flag is only dropped when someone is in danger. It came as no surprise that Justin Fiedler led the way. Harold Adams, the announcer, called him, “King of the Scrappers.” Second was Peyton Cline and third was Landon Seitz. The track was littered with plastic car parts after the race.

The final race was the 35th running of the Halloween 200. Thirty-three cars started this race, and nine finished on the lead lap. There were several leaders in the race. A pit stop was required in the first 100 laps and one in the last 100. Pits stops could be just a dash down pit lane or, like many did, a two-tire change in second half.

One top contender was three-time winner Chuck Barnes Jr. On lap 116, Barnes took the lead, followed by Brian Bayer. He led until lap 170, when Heath Helton took the lead. Barnes’ right rear tire gave out, costing him many positions. Finally he stopped and got a tire and finished one lap down in 11th place.

Helton didn’t have an easy victory. As soon as he got a good lead, the yellow would come out and the field was reset. He pulled away each time. Finishing second was Brett Hudson, and third place went to Austi Baum, who was the season champion.

Caution laps count until the last ten, which must be finished under green.

This classic race finished the season.

In 2025, it will be the 79th year the track has been in existence.

John Lister is the Ford oval champion.

Troy Phillips wins the Ford oval A race.

Allen Wagner is the winner of the Ford oval B race.

Braxton Turner wins the Crown Vic Future Stars race.

Connor Popplewell wins the Salem Super Cars race on the high banks during his first appearance in the division.

Brian Rose from the Kimmel stables is the season champion.

Rusty Kelly's car took a hard hit during the Spooky 200 race.

Following a hard hit in the Spooky 200 race, the roof of John Lister's car had to be removed to retrieve him from the car.

Johnny Weaver won the Legends feature on the short track.

Thirty-three cars were lined up for the start of the 36th Annual Halloween 200 race.

Heath Helton fought hard to earn victory during the Halloween 200 feature race.