The Roar in the Coliseum: Honoring a Legend at the Kenny Reece Classic

By Jim Foose Speedway Action Magazine

MARION, OHIO — February in Ohio is usually a month of gray skies, biting winds, and a silence that settles over the frozen cornfields. But on Saturday, February 28th, the silence at the Marion County Fairgrounds will be shattered by the sweetest sound a gearhead knows: the high-RPM scream of engines echoing off a metal roof.

While the big tracks are still thawing out, the Marion Coliseum is set to host one of the most anticipated grassroots motorsport events of the winter: The Kenny Reece Classic.

For the uninitiated, indoor racing is a contact sport. It is loud, and it is claustrophobic in the best possible way. But this event is more than just an escape from the winter doldrums; it is a high-octane tribute to one of the most innovative and fearless minds to ever come out of Marion, Ohio.

The Mad Scientist of Marion

To understand the weight of this race, you have to understand the man on the trophy. Kenny Reece wasn’t just a racer; he was a mechanical artist who treated rulebooks as “suggestions.”

Reece is perhaps best known in racing folklore for the audacity of his engineering. In the late 1970s, he unleashed the legendary “3-to-1” Supermodified—a car with three wheels on the right side and one on the left, designed to defy physics on oval tracks. It was a machine that looked like a mistake but drove like a missile.

But his most enduring innovation might not have been mechanical at all—it was sticky. Reece is credited as the originator of using soda syrup for indoor racing. Faced with the glass-smooth, dangerously slick concrete floors of indoor arenas, Reece had the idea to pour Coke syrup onto the track surface. As the liquid dried, it became incredibly tacky, giving tires the bite they desperately needed to hold a line.

That “sweet” trick revolutionized indoor racing, widely becoming the standard for slick-track grip. It was a simple, genius solution that paved the way for the advanced, chemical traction compounds now commonplace in professional outdoor racing series.

Beyond his inventions, Reece was a wheelman of the highest order. He was the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, a title that puts him in the company of legends like Mario Andretti and Rick Mears. Yet, despite rubbing elbows with racing royalty, Reece remained deeply rooted in the Ohio short-track scene, building cars, mentoring drivers, and keeping the spirit of innovation alive in Marion.

The Bullring Awaits

On February 28, the Marion Coliseum transforms into a concrete “bullring.” Unlike sprawling outdoor speedways, the Coliseum offers zero margin for error. The track is short, the corners are tight, and the acoustics magnify every pass and collision.This year’s Classic will feature a stacked card of indoor kart racing. If you think karts are just for kids, you haven’t seen them on an indoor slick track. These machines are twitchy and fast, requiring lightning-quick reflexes. The racing here is often described as “fighting in a phone booth”—passing requires patience, bravery, and usually a little bit of paint traded between competitors.

Why You Need to Be There

There is a unique camaraderie at the Marion Coliseum. The separation between the grandstands and the pits is thin. You can smell the race fuel and tire prep; you can see the drivers’ eyes widen as they dive into Turn 1. It is raw, unfiltered motorsport.

Whether you are a historian coming to pay respects to the legacy of Kenny Reece, or a family looking for a Saturday night adrenaline rush, the Classic delivers. It’s a reminder that even in the dead of winter, the heart of Ohio racing is still beating fast.

Event Details:

What: The Kenny Reece Classic

When: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Where: Marion Coliseum, Marion County Fairgrounds (Marion, OH)

The Vibe: Loud, fast, and historic.

Bring ear protection and a love for the sport.Tickets are available at the gate. Arrive early—the Coliseum fills up fast when the engines start firing.