The motocross racing world will be coming to Crawfordsville this week.
Racing fans from across the United States and many countries will converge on the area Thursday through Sunday for the Tucker Freight Lines Ironman National at Ironman Raceway.
This marks the 10th anniverary of the local event.
The Montgomery County Visitors Bureau will again sponsor the Finish Line Festival from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the racetrack at 1389 C.R. 200S. The event is free to the public and includes free parking.
MCVB Director Heather Shirk organized the festival and she said the purpose is two-fold.
“We want local people to come out to the track to see what an awesome track we have and to see how big of an event the race is,” Shirk said. “But we also want to show off our county to all the visitors.”
Free pizza and ice cream will be served. There will be carnival games, an inflatable, DJ Judd and local GNCC announcer Mikey Wayne will provide entertainment and fun commentary. Professional riders will be available for autographs.
Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton has been in office since the inaugrual race here. He said it has provided good exposure for the city, and he wants visitors to have a good experience.
“We are excited to welcome race teams and fans to our great community again this year,” Barton said. “I hope our visitors are able to enjoy the many wonderful things this community has to offer over the next few days.”
The buzz about this year’s race is there is a great possibility that history will be made on the racetrack. Two Australian brothers, Hunter and Jett, could be the first brothers to wrap up series championships.
Jett, a rookie, has already claimed the 450 Class series championship by going undefeated this season. Hunter is the favorite to win the 250 Class series crown.
Race director Tim Cotter said the MX has had an outstanding year. He claims the increase of exposure with Peacock/NBC has helped increase interest and attendance at all 10 Pro Motocross events this year. The Ironman National is the 11th and final race of the season.
“Crowds are way up this year at the races,” Carter said. “With our new television package with Peacock/NBC interest has grown. We are expecting a big crowd this weekend.”
Cotter said he enjoys his annual visit to Crawfordsville.
“We love going to Crawfordsville,” Cotter said. “It is the best motocross track in America. The Shaver family is always great to work with.”
Residents can expect to see increased traffic headed to the racetrack beginning Thursday. The schedule includes amateur racing on Friday with the main professional MX event on Saturday. The weekend concludes with more amateur racing Sunday.
Hotels are nearly full for the annual event and area grocery stores and restaurants will likely see increased business.
Camping on the Ironman Raceway grounds turns the facility into the second largest city in Montgomery County for one weekend. An expected 10,000 fans will be on hand to witness racing though the weekend.
For a detailed schedule of events and to purchase tickets go online to www.promotocross.com/.
