"The Last Lap" — and the afterlife that followed it

2024 — 2026

The reported end: In May 2024 the speedway staged a two-day farewell, "The Last Lap," on 24–25 May, with 120 entries on the Saturday. Buddy Holt won the final Hornets "D" main late that Saturday; Kevin Sauer himself won the final 40-lap outlaw late model feature, over Austin Woodcox and Corey Ryman. SPEED SPORT reported the weekend as the track's end: the speedway "has been sold with the new owner not interested in keeping it a raceway," its columnist wrote. A March 2025 roundup in RacingHistory listed South Bend among the tracks "closed after almost 78 years."

The record since: The reported end did not hold as written. In April 2026 Outside Groove reported that Kevin and Brandy Sauer still own the speedway and will operate it until it is sold, with both of their tracks newly listed for sale: South Bend at 59 acres with a capacity of 7,500, "being sold as land — and you get a racetrack with it," in the listing's terms, and needing "some lovin' and a little bit of wall work to make it raceable for big cars." SPEED SPORT's own season-opening survey in March 2026 lists South Bend Motor Speedway under 2026 openers: "Limited Racing Schedule Begins – Saturday, April 11." The two accounts are printed as they stand, unresolved against each other beyond what they jointly establish: the 2024 farewell was real, the sale the farewell announced did not close the place, and as this history is written the speedway races on a limited 2026 schedule under the Sauers, with the property on the market as land.

Sources:

1. Stan Kalwasinski, "The Last Lap," SPEED SPORT, 27 May 2024 — the 24–25 May 2024 finale, the 120 Saturday entries, Holt's final Hornets win, Sauer's final late-model feature win over Woodcox and Ryman, and the report of a sale to an owner not interested in keeping it a raceway.
2. RacingHistory roundup, March 2025 — South Bend listed among tracks closed after almost 78 years.
3. Outside Groove, 20 April 2026 — the Sauers' continuing ownership and operation until sold, the listing of both tracks, the 59 acres and 7,500 capacity, the "sold as land" terms, and the wall work the track needs for big cars.
4. Stan Kalwasinski, SPEED SPORT, 20 March 2026 — South Bend Motor Speedway among the 2026 season openers, its limited schedule beginning Saturday, 11 April.