Indianapolis Speedrome®
Indianapolis, Indiana
May 14, 2010
The INEX zMax Legends and INEX Bandoleros have a big event weekend coming up at the World’s Home of the Figure 8®. The Bandoleros will take center stage on the calendar with three opportunities to hit the Speedrome pavement. The weekend begins Thursday May 27th with open practice while the track broadcasts its Speedrome Live radio show. Friday Night May 28th will see a full card of events including the pair of INEX divisions. Then, there comes the main event on Saturday May 29th. That night will see an INEX Bandolero Championship race. Those youngsters have national points in their sights that evening.
The INEX Bandoleros are entering their sixth full season campaign at the Speedrome. Bandoleros are a turn-key, spec racer designed for drivers as young as eight years old and the young-at-heart at any age. It provides the perfect transition from karts to Legend cars with only 150 parts making up the entire package. A sealed Briggs & Stratton Vangard engine that produces 30 horsepower is mounted on this well-constructed fully tubular framed chassis. It is a proven combination for drivers to get into racing.
It all began for the division at the eastside Indianapolis facility on April 9, 2000. That first feature saw Mike Stout go to victory lane over top five finishers Brent Beauchamp, Michael Stout, LeeAnn Russell, and David Russell. The year saw some promising performances with seven different drivers scoring wins including future national stars Bryan Clauson and Dakoda Armstrong. But, the inaugural Speedrome championship went to Daniel Russell who led the way with 6 victories on the season. His sister and first-ever Speedrome Bandolero lady winner LeeAnn had 5 wins.
The 2001 campaign had four seemingly equally matched pilots battling it out every week. Second-generation Speedrome star Michael Hadley Jr took away the series crown with 5 feature wins. Hadley would use this as a springboard to the track Modified title a few seasons later. Also triumphant in this nail biter year were Tony Sanders (5), James Robertson (4), and Armstrong (4). The following schedule saw total domination by Robertson as he won 15 of the 17 events held. Only Cody Smith and Faith Richee won feature contests.
Over the next few years, the class was not on the season championship roster. Many of the regular names from this era changed after most moved up to Legends, Midgets, and other racing classes. But we were not lacking in competition as many touring events made an appearance. This all cumulated with the Bandolero Nationals held in 2008. The finest in young talent made the journey to the Speedrome for this three-day affair. Some names that hit the stage were Mason Massey, Dillon Bassett, Chad Finchum, and oh so many more.
The battle for a Speedrome championship returned in 2008 and 2009 with a new and talented crop of drivers. Ohio speedster Ty Rose was the hunted during these past two seasons. The gifted racer won 15 features over the time period including a perfect 10 for 10 in 2009. “I just really love this track”, stated Rose in one of his interviews. “Of all the tracks we go to, this is my favorite place to race”. Ty was the best finishing Young Gun driver in the points in only a part-time Speedrome schedule. Rose will begin his Legend journey in 2010.
A pair of rising stars won the titles in these past seasons. Missouri’s Kevin Donahue and Indiana’s Jack Dossey III hoisted the overall crown at the Speedrome. The competition was tough for both drivers as there were a record 10 different winners in 2008 and 9 in 2009. Teams came from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, as well as the aforementioned states to test the famous fifth-mile. The 2010 championship campaign lasts all year long with the season capper coming on September 18th.
