2025-26 Round 17

HO Indy 500 - South Shore Superspeedway - Saint Francis, WI

April 18, 2026

Round 17 of 17

HO Indy 500 Fast Facts

 Race date: Saturday, Apr 18

Track: South Shore Superspeedway, 2.5 mile oval

Race distance: 1000 laps

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2025 race winner: Ev Kamikawa (No. 12 Team PenskeHO Chevrolet-Daboiler)

2025 Firestone P1 Award: Ev Kamikawa (No. 12 Team PenskeHO Chevrolet-Daboiler), 8.040 seconds

Qualifying record: Mike Kristof, 7.987 seconds, 2021, Single Lap: Mike Kristof, 1.950 seconds, 2020

Race record: Ev Kamikawa, 38 minutes, 36 seconds, 2025

IndySlotCar Channel Streaming: All IndySlotCar Series races will stream on YouTube.

At-track schedule (all times local):

10:30 – Gates open

11:00 – Chassis distribution/Drivers meeting

11:05 – IndySlotCar Series Practice

11:20 – Qualifying for the Firestone P1 Award (single car, four lap total time qualifying in blue lane)

12:10 – Lunch break

1:00 – Heat Races

1:30 – 33rd running of the HO Indy 500

Race Notes:

·         Ev Kamikawa joined John Wiedemann in the five-time winner club of the HO Indy 500 last season, it was the Team PenskeHO driver’s fifth win of the season, the most since his championship season in 2000-01.

·         The Husarsbilt Cup championship comes down to three drivers, Mike Lack leads Joe Heitz by 16 points and defending champ, John Wiedemann by 39. As long as Lack finishes ahead of both, it would be the FAST driver’s record extending eighth title. Heitz’s path to the championship includes winning with Lack no better than fourth, or second, but then Lack no better than about sixth. Wiedemann needs win and the other two to not qualify for the field of eight.

·         With Dean Strom unable to enter the “500”, that means Steve Rist and Mike Kristof are in a battle to be the first driver off the championship podium, Kristof is fifth just five points ahead of Rist, both will score enough to pass Strom, essentially, whichever finishes higher will end up fourth in the championship.

·         Mike Lack clinched the Andretti/Mansell Award for the road course championship at the Larry Rotter Memorial Grand Prix, it’s the seventh time since the award was instituted in 2011-12 that Lack has won this championship.

·         John Wiedemann leads the Foyt/Mears Award points for the Oval title by 14 over Matt Hayek, with Rist, Heitz and Lack sitting 25, 26 and 28 points back respectively.

·         Stats Watch: Joe Heitz joins John Shea and Hall of Famer Dave Austin in a tie for 13th in all-time pole positions, with his 13th Firestone P1 Award at the Rotter Memorial.

HO Indy 500 HISTORY (32 events, 1994 – present)

Date                   Race Winner                                                    Track

5/19/1994        Phil Cianciola                               Shrine Road Course

5/18/1995        John Shea                                     Edgewood “The Edge” Superspeedway  

5/18/1996        Dave Austin                    

4/26/1997        Ev Kamikawa                                  

4/18/1998        Jim Kaehny

4/17/1999        Phil Marich

4/15/2000        Phil Cianciola

4/21/2001        Jim Kaehny

4/12/2002        Ev Kamikawa

4/13/2003        Larry Rotter

4/17/2004        Chris Spehert

4/9/2005           Dan Margetta

4/18/2006        Ev Kamikawa                               South Shore Superspeedway

4/14/2007        Jim Iverson

4/12/2008        Mark Walczak

4/18/2009        Chris Spehert

4/10/2010        Matt Hayek

4/9/2011           Matt Hayek

4/14/2012        Ev Kamikawa

4/13/2013        Mike Fitzlaff

4/5/2014           John Wiedemann

4/11/2015        Mike Kristof

4/9/2016           John Wiedemann

4/8/2017           Mike Lack

4/7/2018           Mike Fitzlaff

4/13/2019        Mike Lack

6/12/2020        John Wiedemann

4/17/2021        John Wiedemann

4/16/2022        Dean Strom

4/22/2023        Joe Heitz

4/13/2024        John Wiedemann

4/19/2025        Ev Kamikawa

Most Wins – 5-Ev Kamikawa, John Wiedemann; 2-Mike Lack, Mike Fitzlaff, Matt Hayek, Chris Spehert, Jim Kaehny, Phil Cianciola