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Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, in conjunction with the 500 Sprint Car Tour, has released the event logo for the upcoming 65th running of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial Presented by Hard Truth Distilling Co. and NOS Energy Drink, which will take place on Saturday, September 7th. Also racing that day will be the USSA Kenyon Midget Series and the Diesel Boys Race Parts Legends on the ¼ mile inner Salem track. The Midwest Vintage Racecar Club will also be on hand with vintage race cars on display and making laps on the ½ mile.

The Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial is the second longest running pavement sprint car race in the world behind the Little 500. After traditionally being held at Salem Speedway, with the exception of a few years when the race was held on dirt, the race was held the last two years at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park after not being held in 2021. The race was last held at Salem Speedway in 2020.

The Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial will be sanctioned by the 500 Sprint Car Tour, who sanctioned the event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2022 and 2023. This year’s event marks the return of non-wing Sprint Cars to the historic ½ mile oval. The last non-winged Sprint Car event at Salem was the 2010 Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial that was won by Shane Hmiel and sanctioned by USAC. The event was run with Wing Sprint Cars from 2011 through 2015. The event was then sanctioned by USAC Silver Crown, where Kody Swanson won the event a record five times in a row from 2016 through 2020.

The past winners of this historic event is a who’s who of open wheel racing including Pat O’Connor (When it was just the Joe James Memorial), Eddie Sachs, Bob Sweikert, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, Rollie Beale, Gary Bettenhausen, Tom Bigelow, Pancho Carter, Greg Leffler, Rich Vogler, Steve Butler, Jim Keeker, Kenny Irwin Jr., Tony Stewart, Chet Fillip, Dave Steele, Dave Darland, Eric Gordon, Tracy Hines, Brian Tyler, Bryan Clauson and Brian Gerster.

Hines currently holds the non-wing Sprint Car track record at Salem Speedway at a 15.181 set on August 12, 2000.

Pit gates open on Saturday, September 7th at 12 p.m., with spectator gates opening at 3 p.m. Practice will begin at 3 p.m., with qualifying set to begin at 6 p.m. The racing action begins at 7 p.m. There will be an open practice on Friday, September 6th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and grandstands seating will be free of charge to watch the open practice on Friday.

Advanced tickets are now on sale for the 65th running of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial Presented by Hard Truth Distillery and NOS Energy Drink through the Salem Speedway website at www.salemspeedway.com or by calling the track office at 866 2GO-RACE. General Admission tickets are $25, chairback seat tickets are $30, kids’ tickets for ages 6 to 12 are $5, kids 5 and under are free.

More information on Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery and the Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial is available on the track’s website and via social media on Facebook and Twitter (X).

More information on the 500 Sprint Car Tour 2024 season can be found online at 500SprintCarTour.com and via social media on Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram.

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Falls of the Ohio State Park will host its annual Digging the Past event on Saturday, August 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests can explore fossils, minerals, and archaeology with a variety of free programs and games behind the park’s Interpretive Center. Admission to the museum gallery is $7 for all during this event.

These programs are offered at specific times during the day:

• Explore the outer fossil bed on a guided hike from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This hike is for guests ages 12 and older.
• Trek the park’s other fossil beds with a guide. Hikes will leave on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Make a free fossil collection from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• See what you can knock down at geode bowling from noon to 1 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. Prizes will be offered.
• Discover interesting facts about geodes and crystals during a program and giveaway from 1 to 2 p.m.
• Learn about dinosaurs during the Dinosaurs with Dale program from 2 to 3 p.m.
   

Programs offered all day include: 

• Visit refreshed Silurian fossil piles, courtesy of Irving Materials, Inc. (IMI) and Sellersburg Stone Quarry.
• Create an egg carton collection with fossils and minerals for a $1 donation.
• Create crafts like weather rocks, pet rocks, and bead stringing.
• See displays and information from the Falls of the Ohio Archaeological Society.
• Take part in hands-on archaeology activities from the Indiana State Museum.
• Create a make-and-take concrete fossil, courtesy of IMI.
• Browse fossil displays and get your fossil identified, courtesy of the Kentucky Paleontological Society.
• Learn about Orodovician fossil collecting from the Spencer County (Kentucky) Tourism bureau.
• Watch demonstrations of lapidary work (including rock polishing).
• Get your unknown artifacts, rocks and fossils identified.
• Dig “artifacts” in an archaeological mini-mock dig station.
   

Falls of the Ohio State Park (on.IN.gov/fallsoftheohio) is at 201 W. Riverside Dr. in Clarksville, 47129.

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By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer

On August 09, 2024, at approximately 7:54 a.m., deputies along with emergency services personnel responded to a three vehicle crash, on Eastern School Road, in front of the East Washington School Corporation.

Investigators at the scene determined that Garrett Drury, age 17 of Borden, Indiana was traveling north on Eastern School Road, in a 1996 Ford F-150, when he drove into the back of a stopped vehicle on Eastern School Road.

Drury’s vehicle collided with a 2016 Ford Escape, which was being operated by Rosemary Russell, age 80, of Pekin, Indiana. Russell’s vehicle was pushed into the back of a 2004 Ford Explore, which was also stopped on Eastern School Road and being operated by Sheri Coy, age 37, of Clarksville, Indiana.

Drury stated he was traveling northbound on Eastern School Road, when a passenger in his vehicle told him to look at something on the edge of the roadway. Drury said he quickly looked away and when he looked back at the roadway, the vehicle in front of him had abruptly stopped and he was not able to slow down fast enough to avoid a collision with Russell's vehicle.

Russell was the only person injured in the accident and she was transported to Baptist Floyd Hospital by the Washington County Ambulance Service for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The crash is being investigated by Deputy Paul Reyling, who was assisted by New Pekin Town Marshal Jeff Thomas and the East Washington School Resource Officers Gary Pennington and Dan Knable.