KEEPING THE LEGACY
ALIVE
HOW NEW OWNERS ARE REVITALIZING SALEM SPEEDWAY
WRITTEN BY PATRICK MURPHY
Racing has always revved up Melissa Middleton’ s heart.
Since she was a child, she has watched her father, Wade Sheeley, compete at the Sportsdrome Speedway. He drove the blue No. 3 car that featured a hatchet oozing with red paint on the side in the Modified Figure 8 races. Sheeley, Middleton, two uncles and a family friend competed in races at the Sportsdrome and other tracks around Southern Indiana and Kentucky.
“ I grew up as a fan and I was never old enough to get into the pits,” Middleton recalled.“ I had a great experience growing up and every weekend we were out racing together, sitting in the stands with several families that raced.”
Racing seeped and stirred inside Middleton, but it was always there for her. In 2008, she met Brent Harmon. The two have been together for 18 years.
In November of last year, Harmon contacted Nick Bohanon, who owned the Salem Speedway until the end of the 2025 season. Bohanon was co-owner of the speedway with Maegun Jackson. They put the speedway up for sale after their last race was canceled.
PAGE NO. 12 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE MAY / JUNE 2026