Atomic Speedway Calls Your Name

When the valley goes quiet in the winter, you almost forget how loud this place can be. The high banks sit still, the wind cuts across the infield, and the only thing left of last season is the memory of engines echoing off the hills. But every March, right around the time the sun starts hanging on a little longer in the evenings, you can feel Atomic Speedway waking back up. It’s not dramatic. It’s not loud. It’s just this slow, familiar stirring, like a place stretching its legs after a long sleep. And then, on March 14th, the Gladiator Ice Breaker rolls in and the whole valley exhales. The beasts roar to life once more.

Atomic has always had that kind of presence. It’s not just a track, it’s a place with a story, one that started back in 1953 when a group of Chillicothe locals decided the Ross County Fairgrounds wasn’t enough anymore. They wanted something bigger, something faster, something that matched the way the sport was growing. They bought land off Blaine Highway, close enough to the new uranium plant in Piketon that the name “Atomic Speedway” carried a double meaning. The racing was explosive, and the times were too. The Chillicothe Stock Car Racing Association ran the place like a mission, drawing drivers from Indiana, Kentucky, Columbus, and everywhere in between. It wasn’t long before people started calling it the Indy 500 of short tracks.

The track changed hands over the decades. The Karshners and Coopers turning it into K‑C Raceway in the mid‑80s, the Nier family modernizing it in the early 2000s with new seating, new concessions, a new press tower, and a pit area that kept stretching farther into the hillside. Jeff and Vickie Schrader took the reins in 2009, bringing in the World of Outlaws and hosting crown‑jewel events like the Dirt Track World Championship. And then, in 2022, Charlie Vest stepped in and breathed new life into the place again, bringing back national tours and restoring the track to the kind of prominence it held in its early years. Through all of it, the shape of the track stayed the same. Those high banks, that rhythm, that feeling you get when the field rolls into turn one.

And now here we are, staring down the 2026 season. A schedule that feels like a blend of everything Atomic has ever been. Big national shows, midweek racing, local divisions that give the place its heartbeat, and a few nights that carry more weight than the rest. It’s a season that feels like a continuation of the track’s history, not just another year on the calendar.

The first big moment is just around the corner. March 14th - the Gladiator Ice Breaker. Opening night. The first time the Gladiator 410 Sprints crack the air open for the season. The first time the Legends, Modifieds, and Sport Mods shake the dust loose. After months of silence, that first green flag is going to feel like a jolt to the system. This is the night the valley wakes up.

Just four days later, on March 18th, the Blue Collar Racing Series kicks off its first Wednesday night of the year. This is the part of the schedule that gives Atomic its midweek identity, a place where drivers and fans can settle into a rhythm. Legends, Modifieds, and Sport Mods… the kind of divisions that make a track feel like home. Wednesday nights at Atomic aren’t flashy. They’re comfortable. They’re familiar. They’re the heartbeat of the season.

Then comes March 27th - the Buckeye Spring 50. Lucas Oil Late Models rolling back into town, bringing national horsepower to a regional powerhouse of a speedway. Last year, Ricky Thornton Jr. took the win with Josh Rice and Devin Moran chasing him across the line. This year? Who knows. Maybe Rice breaks through for his first national series victory in his rookie Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season in his own back yard. Maybe RTJ goes back‑to‑back. Maybe the Buckeye himself, Devin Moran, plants the flag. Or maybe someone else seizes the Buckeye Throne. That’s the beauty of this race, it feels like a crossroads between the national scene and the local heroes who know every inch of this place.

April brings the All Star Circuit of Champions on the 18th, the first of their two visits. There’s something special about seeing the All Stars on these high banks. It’s a reminder that Atomic isn’t just my local track. It’s a stop that matters. It’s a place where regional pride meets national talent, and the racing is sure to reflect that.

June 6th is one I know you’ll be excited for - the return of the USAC Midwest Midgets. I only got to see them once last year at the Dean Knittel Memorial, but once is all it takes. Midgets at Atomic are a different kind of electricity. They dart, they dance, they throw sliders that make the whole crowd lean forward. Pair them with FAST and Gladiator 410 Sprints, Steel Blocks, and Modifieds, and you’ve got one of the most stacked nights of the summer.

And then June 20th - the Ohio Sprint Speedweek Championship. The All Stars come back through, this time to crown a Speedweek Champion. Last year, Danny Dietrich left the porch, came to Ohio, and stormed out of Atomic with the Speedweek title and the seven‑foot‑tall Dean Knittel Memorial trophy. The Knittel race won’t return this year, but the prestige of Speedweek is still as rich as ever. This is one of those nights where the air feels heavier, where the stakes are higher, where the crowd shows up early and stays late.

July 3rd brings the Lucas Oil Late Models back for the Independence 50 - a race that used to belong to Portsmouth Raceway Park before its closure. Now it lives at Atomic, and it fits here. Holiday weekend, big horsepower, a crowd that’s ready to celebrate. It’s one of those nights that feels like summer in a bottle.

August 29th is Herrnstein Hall of Fame Night, and that one carries a different kind of weight. This is the night the track honors the legends. Delmas Conley, Charlie Swartz, Dean Knittel, Jackie Boggs, and even Jeff Gordon, who was ripping around Atomic long before NASCAR ever came calling. It’s a night that reminds you how deep the roots run here and how many careers passed through these hallowed grounds on their way to bigger stages.

September 5th is Back to School Night, a tradition that always brings families out. Atomic has a way of making kids feel like they belong, whether it’s giveaways, activities, or just the magic of seeing the cars up close. It’s the kind of night that plants seeds for the next generation.

Then October 15th through 17th, the INEX Legend Car Dirt Championship Nationals. Steve Partin from Hidden Gem Motorsports played a big role in bringing this event back to the area, and with Brushcreek shifting toward enduros and moto events, Atomic was the natural home. This is the 30th running of the championship, following last year’s event in Minot, North Dakota. You can expect a massive car count and four divisions of Legends battling for national titles. It’s one of the biggest events of the fall, and it’s happening right here in our back yard.

And finally, the season closes with The Night The Stars Come Out on October 30th and 31st adds the Halloween SpookTacular. This is the last big swing of the year, the final chance for the Ohio Heating 410s and Burlile Petroleum Late Models to put on a show. Past sprint podiums have included reigning 2-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson, "Sunshine" Tyler Courtney, reigning High Limit Champion Rico Abreu, Bryce Lucius, and hometown hero Cole Duncan. Past late model features have brought in the likes of Mike Marlar, Devin Moran, Hudson O'Neal, Jonathan Davenport, and Freddie Carpenter. It’s the kind of weekend where anything can happen, and usually does.

Between all these big nights, the weekly divisions keep the place grounded. Sport Mods, Modifieds, Steel Blocks, Legends. These are the classes that give Atomic its identity, the drivers who show up week after week, the ones who make the track feel like a community instead of just a venue.

And that’s really what this whole season feels like, a continuation of a story that started in 1953 and never really stopped. Atomic has lived through eras, through promoters, through economic cycles, through quiet years and loud ones. But it’s still here. Still fast. Still proud. Still home.

For me, this place is where the passion came back. Where the noise and the dust and the smell of fuel settled into something familiar again. Where I found myself sitting on the lawn, listening to race control, watching the sun drop behind the trees as the field rolled out for hot laps. Atomic has a way of doing that to people. It gets under your skin in the best possible way and you just crave more.

And in 2026, it’s ready to do it all over again.

2025 Atomic Speedway Ohio Heating 410 Sprint Champion Cole Duncan watching the track come in - 2025 FAST/BOSS Sprint Finale