Dirt Track Racing at the Ponderosa Speedway

Photos by David Stephenson

At the Ponderosa Speedway, a race track made of red clay and nestled in the small hills of central Kentucky, spectators can be sure they will take a little piece of the track with them at the end of the night. It will be on their clothes, in their hair, and on the hoods of their cars parked nearby. And if you are one of the brave ones, you’ll stand next to the chain link safety fence and get a literal taste of the track as it is kicked in your face after the pro late models roar past.

Scores of weekend motor heads take their modified cars to this D-shaped track on muggy Friday and Saturday nights throughout the summer to see who is the fastest around. The drivers are husbands and wives, and sons and daughters. Some are school teachers and others are landscapers.

And they all like to race. And if they aren’t behind the wheel, they are in the stands or helping in the pits. It’s a weekend hobby for most, but some have aspirations of being more than that. NASCAR is in their hearts, but also on their radar.

But if being a professional race car driver isn’t in their future, they know the dirt will always be there.

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In this July 17, 2015 photo, cars race on a dirt track at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. The Speedway, in operation since 1972, is among a handful of dirt racetracks sprinkled across Kentucky where weekend drivers, their crews and families can test their mechanical and driving skills. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Stacey Harrison listens to instructions during the driver’s meeting held before the start of dirt track racing at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. Harrison races in the Four Cylinder division with the help of her husband and sons and finished in fourth place in her division’s featured race. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, drivers hold a pre-race prayer at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Tony Breeden and his two sons Landon, left, and Logan, shield their eyes from the late afternoon sun and the gritty air while watching dirt track racing at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. The boys were watching their cousin race. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, a driver in a late model race car kicks up a cloud of orange clay dirt as he takes a turn at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Melanie Denny watches other drivers as she waits to take to the track for a qualifying round at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Keith Gipson is towed off the track after a wheel broke loose from his car during dirt track racing at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. Gipson lost his wheel in a qualifying round and could not get it repaired in time to race again that night. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Jeremy Thomasson reattaches his wheel after fixing a steering problem during dirt track racing at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Jeremy Thomasson reaches through a wheel well to fix a steering problem during dirt track racing at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, drivers speed around the red clay, D-shaped Ponderosa Speedway at dusk in Junction City, Ky. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, dust and dirt fills the air as spectators watch dirt track racing at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, drivers steer their cars around the D-shaped track under the night lights during dirt track racing at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Sara Henry cheers for her husband during dirt track racing at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. Jake Henry finished in third place in his division in the final race. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Lonnie Gipson attempts to re-attach a wheel to his son’s car after it broke off in a qualifying round at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. Lonnie’s son, Keith Gipson, left, is the driver of the car and his other son, John, also helps out. They never fixed the wheel and did not have the chance to compete. Keith recently had a near-fatal aneurysm and after his recovery, decided that he wanted to drive, just like his father has been doing since he was 16. He had never had an interest in being behind the wheel of a race car before the aneurysm, but decided it was “now or never.” (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Lonnie Gipson attempts to re-attach a wheel to his son’s care after it broke off in a qualifying round at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. They never fixed the wheel and did not have the chance to compete. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, Michael Chilton squeezes into a corner of his car to make a quick repair to some body panels after he ran into a wall during dirt track racing in the late model division at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. He banged up the car in the qualifying round and had a few minutes to fix it before the final race. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

In this July 17, 2015 photo, crew members and fans walk through the dust in the pit area during the final laps of dirt track racing at the Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky. The Speedway, in operation since 1972, is among a handful of dirt racetracks sprinkled across Kentucky where weekend drivers, their crews and families can test their mechanical and driving skills. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

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Text from AP news story, AP PHOTOS: Dirt Track Racing at the Ponderosa Speedway, by David Stephenson. 

 

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