500 Sprint Car Tour Getting Back on Track at Salem in Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial

There is no shortage of excitement and anticipation ahead of Saturday's 67th Running of the Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial at Salem Speedway for the yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour.

Salem Speedway welcomes the non-wing Sprint Cars of the 500 Sprint Car Tour on Saturday, August 15, promising a thrilling battle on the 33-degree banking of the 0.555-mile Indiana oval. It will be the third time the 500 Sprint Car Tour has raced at Salem Speedway, with Taylor Ferns winning in 2024 and Dakoda Armstrong winning one year ago.

For the 500 Sprint Car Tour, the Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial is also an overdue return to the racetrack. Mother Nature has been a thorn in the series' side throughout 2026 season, with events at Jennerstown Speedway and Owosso Speedway both washed out since the tour's most recent contest. That event was at another Indiana high-banked half-mile, Winchester Speedway, on June 28.

Jackson Macenko added his name to the list of 500 Sprint Car Tour winners in the Tom Bigelow Showdown at Winchester in June. With that win in his pocket, Macenko is second in series points behind Kody Swanson.

VIDEO: One-on-One with 500 Sprint Car Tour Driver Jackson Macenko

Swanson won the season-opening Glen Niebel Classic at Anderson Speedway and finished third at Winchester. He will also be among the favorites in Saturday's Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial, an event where he's already enjoyed historic success.

No driver has won the Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial more than Swanson. Swanson won the race five consecutive years between 2016 and 2020, contested as a USAC Silver Crown Championship event at the time. That unprecedented run pushed Swanson past Pancho Carter on the all-time wins list in the Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial.

The list of Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial winners includes some of the all-time greats in motorsports history, adding to the prestige of winning on Saturday. Legends such as Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones and Bobby Unser are among the racing heroes to take the checkered flag at Salem Speedway in the Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial during its previous 66 runnings.

The 67th Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial takes place on Saturday, August 15 at Salem Speedway. Grandstands open at 3 p.m. ET, ahead of practice. Qualifying begins at 6:15 p.m. ET, with feature racing at 6 p.m. ET.

The yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour will be joined by the Kenyon Midgets, Modifieds and the Midwest Vintage Racecar Club for Saturday's program at Salem. The 500 Sprint Car Tour battles for 50 laps around Salem in the feature event.

Fans can watch Saturday's Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial live on RacingAmerica.TV. Click here to subscribe today and watch the yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour all season long on RacingAmerica.TV.

-Photo credit: Koty Geyer