History of the Redbud 300 at Anderson Speedway
Special from Dave Argabright & Dave Sink
June 12, 2014
Anderson, Indiana (June 12, 2014) – Back in 1967, the late John Marcum contacted then-
speedway owner Joe Helpling about the possibility of a long-distance stock car race at
the track, then called Sun Valley Speedway.
About the same time, the City of Anderson was starting a city-wide program to put
Anderson on the map as “Redbud Capitol of the World”. The activities honoring the
Redbud tree, financed by businesses, schools and governmental agencies selling
Redbud trees, would peak with a city festival.
The two ideas, a long-distance stock car race and putting Anderson on the map, came
together and the first annual “Redbud” event was born.
Sanctioned by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and set at 500 laps, the
“Redbud” survived an unusually cold August with Iggy Katona of Willie, Mich., and his Dodge taking victory honors.
ARCA also sanctioned the 1968 running with Andy Hampton of Louisville putting another Dodge in victory lane.
In 1969, a locally-based sanctioning body, the American Speed Association, took over sanction of the “Redbud” event, cutting the distance to 300 laps.
And ASA and the “Redbud” became synonymous with short-track racing at its best with the Chevelles and later Camaros, Firebirds, and Thunderbirds of ASA putting on memorable duals on the quarter-mile surface.
The “Redbud” remained a 300-lapper until 1983 when ASA added an extra 100 laps. The reason behind the addition was two-fold: one, ASA in general was lengthening its races and second, 400 laps seemed more conductive to a self-supporting event, with 300 laps not taking enough time and 500 laps too much.
Prior to 1983, only one time had the distance changed. That was back in 1976 when the 300-laps were run Monza-style in 100 lap segments. Jerry “The Bear” Makara was sizzling speedways that year in his famed Thrush Muffler Camaro and visited victory lane that year.
The race was renamed the “Anderson 400” in 1986. The event would continue on as the “Anderson 400” for the next twenty-one years.
Economic reasons dictated that ASA would no longer be the sanctioning body for the 2000 event. The Champion Racing Association (CRA) was called upon to be the new sanctioning body of the event. The young and fledgling series brought local stars back to the event and gave the race a new identity. CRA has continued to sanction the event ever since.
The race was a 250 lap affair that also included a 150 lap CRA Street Stock race on the same night in 2006 and ’07. It marked the shortest distance in the history of the event those two years.
In 2008, Anderson Speedway owner Rick Dawson vowed to return the event to its glory years. He promptly returned the event to a 300 lap format and renamed the race the “Redbud 300”. Since this move the event has steadily began to attract some of the top names in the sport including: Kyle Busch, Ken Schrader, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, T.J. Reaid, Ross Kenseth, and Bubba Pollard among others.
There is plenty of other trivia associated with the annual “Redbud” classic. For example, the race has been rain-shortened here times: 1974, 2001, and 2008. In 1974, then-NASCAR star Tiny Lund was in the top spot when Mother Nature struck. 2001 saw Bull Baker score the win after the race was called after 386 of 400 laps due to rain. In 2008, rain set in and the race was called official after 150 laps with Scott Hantz declared the winner.
The event format has changed multiple times since its inception in 1967. Long distance stock car races and Anderson Speedway seemingly go hand-in-hand. This would explain why the 48th annual Stoops Freightliner-Quality Trailer “Redbud 300” has survived as long as it has.
