Just when you thought Illiana Motor Speedway’s days were numbered, owner Mike Mikuly announced plans for a major remodeling the speedway in the form of new 6,000 fan-capacity grandstands.
Current plans call for the new seating to be on the speedway grounds this summer, with removal of the old ones beginning in October after the northwest Indiana speedway completes its 60th season of automobile racing.
Built after World War II by Harry Molenaar, the speedway, located near the town of Schererville, was primarily the scene of motorcycle competition early on, with Molenaar catering to his Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership customers and wetting his own appetite for motorcycle racing.
Auto racing was first held at the half-mile track in 1948. Molenaar sold the speedway to Mikuly in the spring of 1999. Molenaar died later that year.
Rumors flowed during the past year that Mikuly, a former stock-car competitor at the track, would sell the half-mile asphalt oval. Mikuly admitted he would sell the track for the right price. The speedway property along U.S. Highway 30 has seen enormous growth, with the Illiana site being “eyeballed” by countless investors/developers.
“I was tired of fighting,” Mikuly said. “It (running the track) takes the wind out of your sails sometimes. The noise problems, curfew hours, complaints from neighbors and working with the town. I was at the point that I was ready to throw in the towel.”
Prior to the 2000 season, Mikuly did a major renovation to the track, repaving the half-mile oval and adding a quarter-mile track in addition to new lighting, new cement walls and wheel fencing around the entire half mile.
“I went through the whole routine with developers about selling,” Mikuly commented. “The town doesn’t want us, but they don’t want (additional) housing. The Town Council wouldn’t approve the housing (plans). The whole thing then went into limbo. I heard the town wanted to buy it for the park department, but they never approached me.”  
On June 8, The Times newspaper carried the headline at the top of its front page, “Owner says Illiana race track not for sale.”
Prior to running June 2, Mikuly posted a “not for sale” message on the speedway’s highway sign.  
“Did you like that?  I knew that would get everybody’s attention,” Mikuly said about the sign. “That means it is not for sale. We’re here for 60 years. I’d like to see it go 120. It’s here to stay. It’s not going anywhere.”
According to The Times story, the Town Council is awaiting appraisals on a 50-acre parcel of land that includes the speedway and some of the surrounding areas.
Mikuly said he has been trying to acquire new grandstands for the past five years or so.
 “Out of the clear, blue sky, some grandstands became available that I might be interested in,” Mikuly said. “And why not? We’ve got the fans, we’ve got the drivers. By the end of the day, the deal was done and I had new grandstands.
“We’re going forward. We’re here to stay,” Mikuly stated. “I would like to see the speedway become more involved with town activities and events. Fourth of July fireworks, town fests, things like that. I would like to get people who are not race fans in here to show them the place. I think they would come back for the races. We’re also looking at maybe getting some more special (racing) events in here.”
With tracks seemingly closing up here and there throughout the country, the current Illiana story is a refreshing one. So far this season, the crowds seem to be down, with car counts in some of the five divisions that race weekly hurting a bit.  
Hopefully, Mikuly’s “here to stay” decision will benefit and strengthen the whole speedway’s picture, and, for that matter, the entire area’s racing health.