Greetings from Ionia, Michigan
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From the travels and adventures of the
“World’s #1 Trackchaser”
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Figure 8 tracks are most common at county fairs in the U.S. and Canada. I’ve seen well over 200 F8 tracks. Iowa, Nebraska and Michigan have the best F8 racing that I’ve seen.
Ionia Free Fair
Figure 8
Lifetime Track #743
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Ionia Free Fair
Permanent dirt oval
Lifetime Track #937
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Ionia Free Fair
Temporary dirt oval
Lifetime Track #2,127
THE EVENT Three trips. Three tracks. Why? I have been to the Ionia Free Fair on three different occasions. Those visits came in 2004, 2005 and now 2015. As a trackchaser my hobby is all about going to a racetrack for the first time to “check it off the list” if you will. The astute observer might rightly ask, “Randy, if trackchasing is all about seeing a track for the first time then why did you return to the Ionia Free Fair THREE times?” That’s an excellent question. Let me give you some history. When I was a “racechaser” I never thought about WHICH track I was seeing. I simply went to the races to see my favorite drivers compete. There was no thought whatsoever given to whether I was seeing a new track for the first time or not. Then, somewhere along the line, I decided I enjoyed going to a track for the first time more than I enjoyed going to a track for the tenth time. I still liked returning to my favorite tracks (Peoria, Rockford, Santa Fe, Eldora, Ascot) but going to new track for the first time was winning out. One grandstand; one track. However, before I became aware of the more formalized trackchasing group, I would never consider going back to a track for the second time to get a different “configuration”. I would simply go to a new track, see the races, and add it to my list. I was definitely a “one grandstand, one track” trackchaser. My first knowledge of the trackchasing hobby. Then somewhere about 1991-92 (I’m really guessing on the dates here…it might have been later) I read an article about a fellow out east who had done some trackchasing. The guy’s name was Guy Smith. He lived in Pennsylvania. Mr. Smith was looking for people who had been to a lot of racetracks. The story said Mr. Smith would like to get the track lists of “trackchasers”. That sounded interesting. In 1991/92 I had “only” seen about 200 tracks. That was far less than Mr. Smith’s total of around 400 during this time frame. Nevertheless, as a rookie trackchaser I gathered my list together and mailed it off (snail mail they call it these days) to Mr. Smith. Each day I would go out to the mailbox to see if Mr. Smith had responded. He hadn’t and never did. Could my mailing have been lost in the delivery? I guess it could have but probably not. I should have learned my lesson. I should have learned my lesson in dealing with Guy Smith at the time. In my dealings with him over the years, time and again, Mr. Smith would promise one thing or another and never deliver. If I had to be direct and straightforward I would simply say Mr. Smith is dishonest and less (much less?) than genuine. He has a hard time telling the truth. He over exaggerates to disguise his true intentions. Just recently he told his crowd that he was going to take a month off from trackchasing to watch football games. He says things like this to try to disguise an important fact. He would sell his dog to get information on the next track to visit. What Mr. Smith failed to mention to his readers was there were NO convenient tracks to visit in the late fall for a month or so. It wasn’t that he wanted to see football. It was because there were no racetracks to conveniently see. Trust me on this. If this afternoon a new track popped up this weekend’s football game would be shelved and Mr. Smith would be on the trackchasing trail. Why can’t Mr. Smith simply tell the truth about his intentions? In my life I have encountered very few people as devious and dishonest as Guy Smith. When I can I attempt to distance myself from such individuals. Trackchasing’s original “guidelines”. Mr. Smith was the author of the first trackchasing “guidelines” which for the most part are now considered the rules of trackchasing. Those rules would need to be enforced from time to time. The “enforcer” was trackchasing commissioner Will White. I first came in contact with Will White also from Pennsylvania more than 15 years ago. I was researching a trip to England on line in about 1999 when I first “met” Will White. At the time both Will and I had about been to about 400 tracks. Trust me I’m doing my best on time frames and track totals and don’t think I’m too far off. Will White was just beginning an on line “trackchasing forum”. He invited me to join. The first person to ever join Will’s forum was California racechaser Gary Jacob. I was the second person to sign up for the forum. Gary is now deceased. That moves my seniority up to #1 in terms of people joining Will White’s trackchasing forum. Will would serve as the trackchasing “commissioner” for many years. With Will running the show folks knew that if they signed up they were signed up for life. There was no going home. Trackchasing politics. However, in a power struggle with other trackchasers, Will ended up resigning his post. Then Andy Ritter came on board as a forum moderator. He didn’t last long before he was unfairly being criticized as being biased. Andy soon resigned. Then who would take over the reigns of trackchasing’s forum leadership? If you guessed “Guy Smith” you would be correct. Oh my. Now Guy Smith, who had written the original guidelines that were approved by the leading trackchasers at the time (I was NOT one of those people), was the czar. This is possibly where the phrase, “The fox was in charge of the henhouse” came from. I can’t verify that. I had tried to give you some historical background on how trackchasing began, who controlled it and who did not. The “rules” of trackchasing are not what I would have developed. However, that feeling is not unusual. Most trackchasers had their own way of “counting tracks” as to what counted and what did not before they entered the trackchasing fiefdom. Why did I join the trackchasing group? Once I developed an interest in trackchasing I was interested in comparing my totals with other trackchasers. The only way to do that was to compare my results with others who were counting tracks the same way I was. The one and only aspect of the trackchasing rules I like is the idea that one track chaser’s totals can be accurately compared to another’s if the track meets the rules of trackchasing. So what ARE the rules of trackchasing? I’ll try to briefly summarize the rules of trackchasing. This is an overview but probably covers 95% of trackchasing’s key requirements. Trackchasers must see “races” where all the competitors start the race at the same time. This knocks out rally and true desert off-road racing. The race cannot be limited to two or fewer racers. This knocks out drag racing. Flat kart racing doesn’t count. Races count in three basic track configurations. Those are ovals, road courses and figure 8 tracks. Both inner and outer ovals count. Trackchasers can normally count up to two variations of road courses. If a track surface changes from hard (asphalt/concrete) to dirt or vice versa then a track with each surface type can be counted separately. The group counts racing with cars and trucks but not motorcycles, boats or airplanes. Only races that are open to adults (aged 18 and up) count. That’s about it. You’ve got most of the rules that are important to trackchasing. I am an oval race fan. I grew up as an oval racing fan. The only road course I ever went to before I joined trackchasing was at Road America in Wisconsin. I went there over a couple of summers because my college fraternity was having a weekend camping event at the track. We drank beer, slept in tents and raced go-karts on those trips. We also saw some Trans-Am racing. I can’t ever recall going to a freestanding figure 8 race before trackchasing decided to add figure 8 racing as a countable configuration. Now back to the Ionia Free Fair. This brings us back to the Ionia Free Fair. I first went there in 2004 to see their figure 8 racing. Figure 8 tracks had just been voted on and approved as a countable trackchasing configuration. Then I returned in 2005 to see racing at the fair’s permanent dirt oval track. Now, in 2015, I had returned to see racing at the fair’s temporary dirt oval. On my own, and without trying to maximize my track count, i.e. “pad my totals”, I would have only come to Ionia, Michigan one time…to see the racing on the fairgrounds permanent dirt oval. I am not a member of the Pennsylvania based and Guy Smith dominated trackchasing group. I am not a member of the more formal trackchasing group headed by Guy Smith. When Mr. Smith took over he promised that anyone could leave the group at any time. That was not possible under Mr. White’s regime. I welcomed Mr. Smith’s promise that “if you didn’t want to be part of the group you didn’t have too”. However, true to my history with Mr. Smith I couldn’t count on him doing what he said he would do. He continues to provide my trackchasing list on his website at www.roamingtheraceways.com. I do my best to avoid Mr. Smith. Call me old-fashioned. I have a personal policy of not having any dealings with people I consider to be dishonest and/or not trustworthy. Check out my three visits to Ionia, Michigan. By clicking on the tabs in this report you can follow along with the travels and tales of my THREE visits to the Ionia Free Fair. The fair isn’t “free”. I’ll tell you all about that bogus claim. The fair’s approach didn’t seem very honest either. Nevertheless, I have seen three countable tracks that meet trackchasing rules. ON THE WAY TO THE RACES 4,600 miles – 13 days – just getting started. I woke up this morning in Champaign, Illinois. I will go to bed in Lansing, Michigan. This is how my Sunday turned out. It was day #14 of the “Long and Arduous Mega-Trackchasing Summer Tour of 2015”. I slept in this morning until about 10 a.m. I had set my alarm clock for 9 a.m. However when it went off I kept extending it for a few minutes at a time. I hadn’t gotten to bed until 2 a.m. last night. I would need reasonable amounts of sleep. The next few days of my trip will involve a good deal of driving. Granted I have driven 4,600 miles in the first 13 days of this trip. That might seem like a lot to some but the miles are going to add up even quicker in the next few days. I will tell you that I feel like one million bucks when I start my trackchasing day…each day. For whatever reason I have a lot of energy for seeing new things. It’s so much fun to head up, down and around the long and dusty trackchasing trail. Just to be clear….again. I hope it comes through loud and clear that I get a lot of support in my trackchasing hobby. There are people all over the world helping with my hobby. Of course without the Randy Lewis Racing research department I probably never find my way out of the house. Today I had extensive telephone conversations and texting periods with people in Illinois and New York. They wanted to help me in my pursuit of seeing more tracks. There’s fellow up in Wisconsin who is always keeping me posted on the latest new track news. It is people like him and scores of others that I have to thank for any trackchasing success I might achieve. Texting. I am an active texter. For the life of me I can’t imagine a life without instant communication with friends and family. A long time ago a friend told me, “Texting is for teenage girls”. If that doesn’t scream, “I’m an old man and I don’t change for anything” I don’t know what does. I like to keep my family updated on what’s happening on these trips. I have lots of friends that I will bounce texts back-and-forth with as well. It’s a great way to communicate. I was going broke at the “Free Fair”. Today I was heading up to the Ionia Free Fair in Ionia, Michigan. This would mark my third visit to the fair. Back in August 2005 I saw racing on the fairgrounds permanent dirt oval track. That was lifetime track #937. In July 2004 I visited the fairgrounds for their figure 8 racing program. That visit counted as track #743. Not how I would have done it. I do often see more than one track at one location. However, more often than not I have to go back a second or third time to add additional tracks. Left to my own devices I’d rather count just ONE track at ONE location. However, trackchasing’s founding fathers apparently wanted to “pad their totals” by allowing multiple tracks to be counted at just one location. I try to follow the trackchasing rules to the letter. THE RACING Ionia Free Fair – Ionia, Michigan Just in time. It was going to be roughly a five-hour drive from Champaign to Ionia, Michigan. Additionally I would lose an hour moving from the central to the Eastern Time zone. I used my Waze GPS program to budget my time as I went. I arrived onto the fairgrounds property just in time to hear the playing of the national anthem. Not good for the planet? I’m burning about a tank of fuel every day on this trip. That’s about what I used during last year’s epic 42-day trackchasing trip. Right now I don’t know for sure if this year’s trip is going to be longer or a bit shorter than last year’s. Disinflation. I stopped for my regular “go to” snack at McDonald’s for lunch. Of course I was using the drive-thru. I guess you could say I’m clinically addicted to Diet Coke. I love the fact that McDonald’s has chosen to sell their soft drinks, any size, for just one dollar. Most of their competitors sell soft drinks for closer to two dollars and up. That’s why I was somewhat surprised today to see a large sign in the drive-thru. It noted that an extra large drink was selling for just $.89. How low can they go? My extra large drink with double cheeseburger set me back about $2.60. At these prices I should be able to stay out of the trackchasing road for a while. The roads in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan leave a lot to be desired. I know these areas have been hit hard economically. That must reduce the tax base. A reduced tax base is going to translate into very well used highways. I do enjoy going into the Illinois toll road “oasis” rest areas. They’ve done a nice job with those. Of course they pale in comparison to the “Welcome Centers” in the United Kingdom but then every rest area I have ever visited does. The weather in Michigan today was gorgeous. Temperatures range to the high 70s and dropping as the day moves along. Skies were clear. It was nice to get out of the heat wave I’ve experienced in Illinois and Iowa for the past couple of nights. Didn’t get the memo? Got the memo and didn’t like it? Just a mile or so from the fairgrounds I came across a series of young men all feverishly waving southern rebel flags. There must have been a dozen of these twenty-something men all waving the stars and bars strongly. Since the controversy involving the Confederate flag began a few weeks ago it seems like I’ve seen more and more aggressive displays of that flag at racetracks. Right now it’s rare for any organization to say that you CAN’T display that flag it just seems to be in poor taste currently. Of course everyone had different tastes! When free is not free. No, I am not talking about Russia. I am a little concerned and confused with the public relations program being employed by the “Ionia Free Fair”. They say they are the largest “free” fair in the world. I was having a hard time believing this slogan. Why was that? First I paid seven dollars to park. Then I paid $13 to get a ticket into the grandstand to see the races today. Finally when I went to the restroom the attendant stared me down in hopes of getting a tip. He had already placed a large sheet of paper above each urinal stating that tips were accepted and should be offered. Would this woman be empathetic? I brought my financial expenditures situation to the attention of one of the ushers at the grandstand. She seemed like a nice enough older midwestern lady. I really just wanted to engage her in conversation. I wanted to see what her reaction and answer might be to my comment that I had already spent $20 on the “free” fair. I told her I was made to feel as if I needed to pay the man in the restroom who was there to watch me wash my hands. Of course she gave me the stock answer. The Ionia “free” fair meant that you could walk around the fairgrounds for free. There was no admission to the actual fair itself. Of course I knew that was the situation. I did point out to my new usher friend that I have been to more than 300 county fairs. Let her think about that one for a while! I would estimate that less than 10 or 20 of those fairs ended up costing me $20 or more for parking, admission to the fair and admission to the grandstand. Most of the time the total expense is about 10 bucks. Dueling derbies. Tonight I was seeing a Unique Motorsports event. Unique Motorsports is a promotional company headquartered in Michigan. They will do about 50 motor sports events each year at various county fairs all over the Wolverine state. There is another company called USA Demolition Derby that does the same thing as Unique. I’m sure they compete strongly for the right to run events at each county fair. I don’t know if they compete on a friendly basis or not. Michigan racing….and lots of it. Michigan has more racing of one form or another than any other state in the country. Today I was seeing my 115th lifetime track in the “mitten” state. What makes that a noteworthy number is that I still have nearly 100 tracks left to see in Michigan! A large sign told me the Ionia Free Fair was founded in 1915. There were celebrating the fair’s 100th anniversary. Good on them! The track. The racers. Tonight racing program started on time at 6 p.m. The racing configuration itself was an oval track about 1/10 of a mile or maybe less in distance. The cars would race around a series of large tractor tires on a flat dirt surface. Just like a Cracker Jack box. A surprise in every one. It was a little unusual to see the flagman’s starting stand positioned at the exit of turn four. I can’t recall if I’ve ever seen something like that at any of my previous track visits. Tonight there were three main classes of racing. The four cylinders had a stock group and a little more robust than stock class. There were probably 30-40 cars and possibly more competing in these two classes. There was also a V-8 class that brought eight cars to the party. The first event of the night was a “powder puff” race. Of course the “powder puff” is a somewhat sexist term in today’s politically correct world. A little Donald Trumpish? Powder puff contestants must be women. That seems discriminatory right there. These ladies pick up a car from either their boyfriend or husband or whomever and have a good time racing. When the press calls I answer. While I was watching the racing this evening I got a communication from Minnesota. The Aitkin Independent Age newspaper had published a story on my recent visit up to their county fair in Minnesota. The editor was calling me to let me the story was now available for public consumption. If you’d like to see what that story looks like, click on the link below: Trackchasing guru comes to the fair From road to race. I would say the racing was entertaining considering it was primarily four-cylinder junk cars. When the winners were interviewed they told the announcer it took them 8-12 hours to turn their car from a road beater into a racer. I never like to take a lot of space in these pages telling you too much about the racing. That’s one of the reasons I produce photo albums and YouTube videos. I hope you take advantage of that to see what the racing actually looked like today at the Ionia Free Fair. AFTER THE RACES 10 p.m. and there’s the hotel already? I was staying just 30-40 miles from the track tonight. I would have a beautiful suite. Priceline gave me another good deal. I typically pay $40 or so for hotels that are priced at $90-$100. That seems like a good deal. For the first time in a while I was arriving at my hotel before 10 p.m. Most nights lately I have gotten to the hotel at well past midnight. I stay busy. Tomorrow could be a busy day. My hotel is situated in a nice area for powerwalking. There’s not too much traffic. I like that. I needed to schedule my powerwalk around the British Open golf telecast. The British Open had been rain delayed with the championship round moving from Sunday until tomorrow Monday. Since the tournament is played in Scotland they’ll be five hours ahead of my Eastern Time zone location. I would catch a little of the tournament on TV and record the rest for viewing later. I picked Lansing for my overnight location because it’s somewhat near the Gilmore Auto Museum. I hope to stop by this famous place. If I make it I will share some photos for your viewing pleasure. This is Bing Metz winner at the Atlantic City Convention Hall. Bing is now an active trackchaser. What does the immediate future hold? If it doesn’t rain I’ll have a 4-5 hour drive down to Indiana for a “TQ Midget” race for a rare Monday night race. The weather forecast is “iffy”. I really don’t want to make that long drive to the south without getting a track credit. Whether it rains me out in Indiana or not tomorrow I will begin heading toward rural upstate New York for a Tuesday evening figure 8 show. If I end up trackchasing in Indiana tomorrow night then it will be an 8 hour drive over to New York to see a county fair figure 8 show. After New York I’ll drive 12 hours BACK to the Midwest (Illinois) for Wednesday night stock car action. I could make life easier but that wouldn’t allow me to get the results I get. I could just stay in the Illinois/Indiana area and not drive 20 hours to see a 20-minute figure 8 race. That’s right there will be just one figure 8 race in New York. That F8 event will precede the main activity, which is a demolition derby. Don’t worry. It’s what I do. I can never let people down. I had picked up a couple of Indiana-based minor-league baseball games that would have fit into my schedule really well. However I’ve had some personal contact from the New York fairgrounds. If folks show an interest in my trackchasing hobby I feel minorly obligated to jet out there. Of course I will not be “jetting” I will be driving. The vast majority of miles on this trip will be behind the wheel of a rental car and not in the exit row of a jet airplane. I figure my only incremental expense is the cost of gasoline. I pay about six dollars per hour for gas. Yes, I know. Lots of people want to tell you how much they pay per gallon/liter. Twenty hours of driving will mean $120 of additional expense. The mantra. You’re going to be hearing me say this more and more. I have a 15-word “mantra” that explains my lifestyle. What is that? “The only true real wealth is being able to spend your time as you wish”. Good night. Michigan The Wolverine state This evening I saw my 115th lifetime track in the Wolverine state, yes the Wolverine state. There are still a lot of tracks to see up here. I like touring Michigan. The events are comfortable to attend. Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis World’s #1 Trackchaser Peoria Old Timers Racing Club (P.O.R.C.) Hall of Fame Member Michigan sayings: It’s called pop not soda QUICK FACTS AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Chicago, IL (ORD) – 1,745 miles RENTAL CAR #1 O’Hare International Airport – trip begins London, KY Indianapolis International Airport – trip ends – 766 miles RENTAL CAR #2 Indianapolis International Airport – trip begins Bedford, KY Indianapolis International Airport – trip ends – 603 miles RENTAL CAR #3 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – trip begins Aitken, MN Morten, Manitoba, Canada LaGrange, IN Manchester, IA Oskaloosa, IA Bowling Green, IN Buncombe, IL Ionia, MI TRACK ADMISSION PRICES: Laurel County Fairgrounds – $10 (not a trackchasing expense) Trimble County Recreational Facility – $10 Aitken County Fairgrounds (oval) – complimentary admission Aitken County Fairgrounds (RC) – $8 ALH Motor Speedway – complimentary admission LaGrange County Fairgrounds – $10 Delaware County Fairgrounds – $10 Mahaska County Fairgrounds – $5 Sandstone – $15 (include pits) HBR Raceway – $10 (included pits) Ionia Free Fair – $13 LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS The three most important trackchasing comparisons to me are: Total lifetime tracks seen Total “trackchasing countries” seen Lifetime National Geographic Diversity results Total Lifetime Tracks There are no trackchasers currently within 450 tracks of my lifetime total. Don’t blame me. Total Trackchasing Countries There are no trackchasers currently within 10 countries of my lifetime total. Current lifetime National Geographic Diversity results That’s all folks! Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report Reprinted with permission from my August 14, 2005 Trackchaser Report GREETINGS FROM GRATTAN, MICHIGAN, THEN IONIA, MICHIGAN AND FINALLY GALESBURG, MICHIGAN SPECIAL NOTICE Don’t forget to read the Galesburg Speedway racetrack report below to find out what type of racing they offered that I had never seen before. Also, tomorrow’s Trackchaser Report will introduce you to the “Trackchaser Cheese Challenge”. You won’t want to miss that. PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS Last year (2004) a new annual tracks seen record. On New Year’s Eve of 2004, Carol and I capped off the year at the Western Speedway in Hamilton, Victoria, Australia. That track was my 127th new track in 2004. My total set the record for most new tracks in a season, breaking the old mark of 114. Last year, it seemed like it was a constant struggle to add new tracks and to meet and beat the old record. Starting this year, I had absolutely no intention of trying to beat my 2004 results. I think if anyone were to ask other knowledgeable trackchasers, they would have said that record would be very difficult to top. I would have agreed with that point of view. Then, in the early part of the year, I was challenged by a couple of other trackchasers and decided to see how many tracks I could visit. 2005 – Ionia, Michigan – A new al-time annual track record….again. With this afternoon’s racing at the Ionia Fairgrounds Speedway, I saw my 128th new track for the year. That breaks my record for most new tracks seen in a season. I will try to answer a question that I’ve been asked recently. How many tracks will I finish up with this year? My most honest answer is, “I really have no idea”. Steak n Shake….from my boyhood days. Rather than chance the racetrack food, we stopped for lunch at the Steak n Shake. This is about my sixth stop at this chain during this trip alone. Here’s what the menu has to say about Steak n Shake. “The first Steak n Shake opened in Normal, Illinois in 1934. The food was prepared on a grill out front and not hidden in the back. This is where our slogan, ‘In sight, it must be right’ started. You can be sure your food is made just the way you ordered it and delivered on china directly to your table by a friendly server. It is not just nostalgia that kept us doing things right over 70 years, it’s just that we always believed things should be right”. The stock symbol for Steak n Shake is SNS. Why such a fascination with the Steak n Shake by me? On many Sundays in East Peoria, Illinois, following church services at the First Methodist Church we had “Sunday dinner” at the East Peoria Steak n Shake overlooking the Illinois River. In retrospect, I guess having Sunday dinner at a place like Steak n Shake wasn’t such a big deal but back then it was to me. When I was about 12 years old, our church moved into a new building and location. Reverend Kinison and his congregation bought our old building for their church services. I used to hang around with Billy Kinison, Reverend Kinison’s oldest son. Billy’s younger brother was the popular comedian, Sam Kinison. Billy was driving behind Sam out near Las Vegas when Sam was involved in an auto accident that claimed his life. 63 runners. Dead last. Billy Kinison and I ran high school cross-country together. The only cross-country race I ever won was a “last chance qualifier” for the conference tournament. The organizers took one runner from the last chance race to the “A” feature, the conference high school cross county championships. Each of our nine conference teams fielded seven runners. That made for 63 runners in the conference championship. Billy and I ran together that day until the very last part of the race. At that point, we both made a sprint to the finish. Billy wound up in 62nd place and I finished in 63rd. Since my future did not appear to be in cross-country running, I turned to cross country travel and became a trackchaser. That is my tie-in between the Steak n Shake and trackchasing! Editor’s note: Yesterday’s Owosso Speedway was changed from the back half of a blended double with features to the back half of a day/night double with the Jackson Speedway concrete oval. This change was made too more accurately reflect what type of double the Owosso Speedway really was. RACE TRACK NEWS: GRATTAN RACEWAY PARK, GRATTAN, MICHIGAN – TRACK #936 A beautiful day for racing. Carol and I had a very enjoyable experience today at the road course in Grattan, Michigan. The course itself is beautiful and most of the track is accessible by walking. Today, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is sanctioning the races. They probably do the best job of running American road racing of any group I see. There were seven different races on today’s racing agenda. Four ran before lunch and three raced in the afternoon. We arrived during the lunch break. This gave us plenty of time to explore the entire facility. Our exploration took place after a failed attempt to “walk by” the pit gate worker. She was busy consuming two hot dogs and I figured that if she wanted to charge us, she would. I underestimated the speed with which she could down those dogs and we were requested to pay the $10 per person admission. For trackchasers on a budget, you can watch most of the racing from a nearby motocross track for free. A lot like Road America. The entire facility reminded me most of the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin road course. There are multiple changes in elevation, a couple of “S” curves and other nooks and crannies that take the cars through some heavily forested areas. Overall, it’s a park like setting. We walked around the entire course and I took several pictures as I always do. We did have a SCCA official chase us down when we inadvertently walked into a forbidden area. She didn’t really chase us down (it looked like her chasing days were over), but she did have to blow her whistle at us twice. We watched races 5 & 6. Each race was 23 laps long and lasted about 35-40 minutes each. I like the “EP” SCCA class. These are foreign car convertibles for the most part featuring Triumphs and Miatas among others. Race #5 included this group of cars. Race #6 featured open wheel formula type racers. I have now seen all the traditional road courses in Michigan. I have used these types of venues to fill in my Saturday and Sunday afternoons all across the country for the past few years. There are fewer and fewer traditional road courses for me to see. I guess I’ll be playing more golf during my afternoon weekends on the road in the future. You gotta love government regulation. We saw this sign on a track bulletin board, “The state of Michigan says whether you are transporting for gain or hire or if you could win cash, a trophy or plaque or any kind of award, even if it’s only a piece of paper saying you won, you need a commercial drivers license and/or a chauffeur’s license.” Carol liked Grattan more than yesterday’s Waterford Hills outing. The Grattan venue reminded her of a plush golf country club. The flagman was the strangest she had ever seen. He wore a straw hat and an Aloha shirt. The weather gods have smiled on us again. The rain forecast fluctuated from 30% to 60% all week. When it was time to throw the green flag the rain forecast had decreased to just 20%. The temperatures were in the mid-70s on a blue sky and white cloud day. We did not try any concessions, since we had a tasty lunch before reaching the track. IONIA FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY, IONIA, MICHIGAN – TRACK #937 High hopes. Disappointed. I was looking forward to this mid-afternoon Sunday show. I could not have been more disappointed. Where do I start? They were scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. You might have guessed they missed that by a ways. They sang the national anthem at 4:36 p.m. The first heat did not take the green flag until 4:55 p.m. Under perfect weather conditions, they could not seem to start this show until nearly an hour after the scheduled start time. Maybe they had so many cars, it was impossible to get everything together so they could start on time. No, that was not the answer. They had just three classes including late models (12), modifieds (12) and sportsmen (7). Nuthin’ to talk about. The announcers were good, but they had nothing to talk about. They were overly optimistic about starting times, car counts and quality of the food. They insulted my intelligence as my butt told me this was a very bad show. They were supposed to start at 4 p.m. They completed five heat races with just 4-7 cars in each heat, took an intermission and then started a five-car sportsman feature event at 6:12 p.m. That means they were only able to run five heats in more than two hours after the scheduled start time. Not a pretty word picture. I was at this facility for a figure 8 program last year. The “Ionia Free Fair” has a covered grandstand but the legroom is bad. The bathrooms are about 100 yards from the grandstand. When Carol returned from her bathroom visit, she said, “That’s quite a haul; by the time you get back you need to go again!” The racecar haulers blocked the backstretch view for both the spectators and the flagman. I listened on the race radio and the flagman kept saying, “Where’s that car on the backstretch, I can’t see a thing”. The flagman was horrendous. He had so many restarts it was comical. After the cars missed the green they would then take their pace lap around the nine-sixteenths dirt oval at about 5 M.P.H. Each of those pace laps took about two minutes. Too much information? The announcers also mentioned that Barney Oldfield raced on this track and that today’s stock car driver, Chris Patterson drove his first ever race at the Ionia Fairgrounds Speedway. One piece of information that I wish the announcers had not shared was the winner of the NASCAR Nextel Cup race. I don’t know why they do that especially for a Sunday afternoon show. I would imagine that NASCAR fans at the race today might be recording that race and would not want to know who won. Anybody who was not recording the race probably would not have much difficulty finding out who won the race after they left the track. A program like today is why blended doubles were defined. Although I should have left after being at the track for more than two hours and seeing just five heat races I didn’t. We stayed for the five car, fifteen-lap sportsman feature. I wish we hadn’t. What did Carol say about the whole show? Carol had several observations. She also felt the program was slow, especially since they didn’t have many cars. The announcers did not explain what was causing the numerous yellow flags. Carol had never seen a track where they displayed a red flag so they could tell the drivers to watch the flagman (I heard the reason for the red flag on the radio). According to Carol one of the worst aspects of the program was that fans could not see the cars while they raced on the backstretch. She liked the sturdiness of the grandstand and the two announcers who could play off each other, even though “one was a semi-moron”. Editor’s note: The announcer got the “moron” rating with this comment, “I would like to wish a happy birthday to my fiancé who turns 73 next Tuesday…..no, I mean 43”. Carol didn’t like the idea that he mentioned his fiancé’s age. I made a mental note to myself! Carol liked her sloppy joe. The Ionia Fairgrounds Speedway was the back half of a blended double with features event with the Grattan Raceway Park. GALESBURG SPEEDWAY – FIGURE 8, GALESBURG, MICHIGAN – TRACK #938 Carol’s first four-bagger. Today, Carol saw her first trackchasing four-bagger of her career! These were Carol’s 206th, 207th, 208th and 209th lifetime tracks. Both the oval and figure 8 tracks were new for her at the Galesburg Speedway. I had seen the Galesburg oval back in 2001. This was quite a trackchasing trip for young Carol. In just five days of trackchasing she was credited with 10 new tracks. Importantly, the first new track of her trip was her 200th. This allowed Carol to be a “listed” trackchaser. Today’s racing in Michigan brought me my 45th, 46th and 47th countable tracks in the state. I have now seen 30 new Michigan tracks in 2005. This is the most tracks I have ever seen in one year in one state. Allan Brown leads the state standings with 126 tracks. I still have about 79 countable tracks to see in Michigan. I am ranked 9th in the state. School bus figure 8 racing. With some daredevil driving by Carol, we pulled into the Galesburg Speedway at 7:47 p.m. Their program for the evening was scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. The featured event of the evening is school bus figure 8 racing. Carol has never seen this event and I am anxious to see what she thinks. The buses had PEOPLE in them!! Although there is some school bus figure 8 racing across the country, I have never seen school bus figure 8 racing the way the Galesburg Speedway does it. What is so different about Galesburg’s school bus figure 8 races? Just like in real life, the school bus figure 8 vehicles carry PEOPLE! The heat races for the school buses are conducted on the oval track and the school bus feature event is raced for 15 laps on the traditional figure 8 track. All the while, each bus is racing around with 5-15 passengers. With all of the insurance liability problems I have seen and heard about for American racetracks, I found the “passenger” idea somewhat unbelievable. No shorts. Later in the evening, I had a chance to talk to track owner and promoter, Ralph Warning. I asked him what steps were taken to insure the passenger’s safety. He told me each passenger must wear a seat belt, a helmet and a long sleeve shirt. Then he looked down at me and added, “And no shorts”. I asked him if kids could ride the school buses at the racetrack. “No, we used to let ‘em, but they have five years to sue you, AFTER they turn 18, so we had to stop them from riding. We have everyone sign their rights away with a liability release form and have never had any problems”, Ralph told me. So off we went with the final event of the night, school bus figure 8 racing WITH PEOPLE riding on the bus. One of the buses was sponsored by an evergreen Christmas tree farm. He had two 10-foot tall evergreen trees affixed to the rear end of his bus. The evergreen bus got “t-boned at the “X”” and flipped over. Soon the driver and about 10 of his “passengers” emerged unscathed. I don’t car if you do have a seat belt and are wearing a helmet. If you are hit from the side hard enough to turn the bus you are riding in over, that has to hurt. Galesburg Speedway does things differently. In addition to the school bus racing, tonight was “Powder puff” night. This meant that the program was devoted to women. I’ve scene a hundred powder puff races in my time, where the track has just one race and they let the driver’s wives or girlfriends drive the racecars for 10 laps or so. Women. Women. Women. Galesburg Speedway does things a little differently. EVERY race (except the school buses) was run with the women drivers tonight. We missed the first hour of the show. I don’t know how many races they had during that hour. In addition to the school bus heats, we saw five stock car heats and features on the oval, all run by women, with most races having 15-20 cars. The track normally has 3-4 women racing on a regular night. Those women drivers are not allowed to race on “Powder puff” night. There was ample seating and the place was absolutely jammed on a Sunday night at $12 per person. Shortly after arriving I received a complete trackchaser mention over the P.A. by the announcer. Normally when that happens, that’s it and there is no further trackchaser reference for the night. Tonight was different is many ways. The announcer asked me, a few minutes later, to come up to the booth. I was having a good time eating roasted almonds with Carol. By the way, tracks in Michigan are just about the only ones who serve these kinds of nuts and they are delicious. I was satisfied with my trackchaser mention and almost didn’t accept the announcer’s request. After several additional pleas I ascended the steps to the scoring tower. Andrew, the announcer, wanted me to watch the figure 8 feature from the scoring tower. He explained the view would be great and it was. “But what about ‘Trackchasing’s First Mother?’” I asked. This drew a strange look from the announcer. I told him I was referring to my wife. “Bring her up here!” the owner and promoter, Ralph commanded. Would Trackchasing’s First Mother please come to the tower? Just before the figure 8 feature I brought Carol into the tower. She’s been with me in these situations before and she enjoyed tonight’s encounter a good deal. I was the “entertainment” during intermission along with track t-shirts being fired into the crowd. The announcer was very enthusiastic and inquisitive about the trackchasing hobby. He like many announcers who have a love for racing told the crowd, “Wouldn’t that just be the greatest to go all over just seeing races?” Yes, Andrew, I enjoy it! Can the track get along with the city? I learned from different people in the booth that the city is not that wild about Galesburg Speedway’s existence. They have imposed an 11 p.m. curfew on the track. There is no camping allowed, so the track’s management must lease the Calhoun County Speedway for a two-day event later in the year where overnight camping is allowed. Also, the track is not allowed to construct any permanent new structures on the property. Maybe that is why the scoring tower shook like a California earthquake every time someone walked up the steps. Carol and I had a great time. We’d like to thank Ralph, Andrew, and everyone else we met at the track for their fine hospitality. The Galesburg Speedway truly did offer some racing, I had never seen before, under beautiful weather conditions. It is not often after 938 tracks, I can say I’ve seen some form of racing for the very first time. The Galesburg Speedway was the back half of a day/night trackchasing double with the Ionia Fairgrounds Speedway. RENTAL CAR UPDATE: I wanted to enter the National Rental Car Racing Chevy Malibu LS V6 in the sportsman feature at the Ionia Fairgrounds Speedway. I know I could have turned in at least a fourth place finish, which might have paid for today’s expenses. LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE: These worldwide trackchasers are within 100 tracks (plus or minus) of my current trackchaser total. Other notables 2005 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS * Trackchasing “New Tracks in One Season” record Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis Trackchasing’s #1 trackchaser of the 21st century Randy Lewis is a freelance writer, who winters in San Clemente, California and frequently flies in economy class. CUMULATIVE DRIVING DISTANCES: Orange County Airport, Santa Ana – trip begins Waterloo, Illinois – 329 miles Ludington, Michigan – 883 miles Onawa, Iowa – 1,683 miles Knoxville, Iowa – 1,918 miles Beatrice, Nebraska – 2,214 miles Hartington, Nebraska – 2,489 miles Audubon, Iowa – 2,719 miles Chesaning, Michigan – 3,494 miles Mason, Michigan – 3,690 miles Goodells, Michigan – 3,852 miles Lambeth, Ontario, Canada – 4,002 miles Cheboygan, Michigan – 4,289 miles Elmira, Michigan – 4,349 miles Standish, Michigan – 4,622 miles Mason, Michigan – 4,751 miles Coldwater, Michigan – 4,824 miles Imlay City, Michigan – 5,069 miles Bay City, Michigan – 5,402 miles Corunna, Michigan – 5,598 miles Mt. Pleasant, Michigan – 5,761 miles Clarkston, Michigan – 5,947 miles Jackson, Michigan – 6,070 miles Owosso, Michigan – 6,147 miles Grattan, Michigan – 6,271 miles Ionia, Michigan – 6,303 miles Galesburg, Michigan – 6,389 miles Air travel Orange County, CA – Chicago, IL – 1,726 miles TRACK ADMSSION PRICES: Waterloo County Fairgrounds – $9 Ludington County Fairgrounds – $10 Blackbird Bend Speedway – $8 English Creek Speedway – $5 Beatrice Speedway – $8 Cedar County Raceway – $8 Bull Valley Speedway – $7 Saginaw County Fairgrounds – $7 Ingham County Fairgrounds – $14 Goodells County Park – $5 Wonderland Speedway – Free Northern Michigan Speedway – $10 Spartan Speedway – Free Branch County 4-H Fair – $9 Eastern Michigan Fairgrounds – $12 Bay County Fair Derby Arena – $10 Shiawassee County Fairgrounds – $10 Mt. Pleasant Speedway – $13 Waterford Hills Road Race Course – Free Jackson Speedway – dirt – $5 Owosso Speedway – $Free Grattan Raceway Park – $10 Ionia Fairgrounds Speedway – $10 Galesburg Speedway – $12 August 15 – Lenawee Country Fairgrounds, Adrian, Michigan August 16 – Genessee County Fairgrounds, Mount Morris, Michigan ** Great Yarmouth Stadium (oval), Yarmouth, England, March 27 ** Tucson Raceway Park (outer oval), Tucson, Arizona, April 30 ** U.S. 30 Speedway (outer oval), Columbus, Nebraska, May 26 ** Rocky Mountain National Speedway (oval), Commerce City, Colorado, May 28 ** Hawkeye Downs (outer oval), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 3 ** 81 Speedway, Wichita, Kansas – July 21 ** Spartan Speedway, Mason (oval), Michigan – August 7 ** Galesburg Speedway (oval), Galesburg, Michigan – August 14 Reprinted with permission from my August 14, 2005 Trackchaser Report SPECIAL NOTE Notes back to my readers. Our youngest son, Jim, just returned home from 10 weeks of traveling around Europe. He had a great time and will be home in San Clemente for just a couple of weeks before he starts his PhD. math graduate studies at the University of Hawaii. It’s tough duty but someone has to do it! Welcome home, Jim! Carol and I also had the great pleasure to attend the wedding of the new Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Robertson this past week. Ryan is the son of our good friends, George and Melanie Robertson. It was great seeing Mrs. Martin, Rita, Elizabeth Ann and the rest of the North Carolina gang. I’m looking forward to my next visit to North Carolina. Best of luck to Ryan and Heather. Don, my barber, is an avid reader of my track reports. He tells me he saved $250 by using www.hotwire.com for his recent airline ticket purchases. Add that to the $7,000, I saved him on a car purchase and Don is on his way to financial independence. It pays to read these reports! Eleanor thanks for your note. No, I will not leave any heroin in my rental car anytime in the future. Russ thanks for your note about the Kansas Turnpike tollbooths. It’s a small world out there and it seems there really are only six degrees of separation in just about everything. PEOPLE/TRAVEL NEWS Options….make life better. Today, I believe I set my all-time trackchasing wake-up call record. That would be 3 a.m.! In Southern California, we have many choices. We have six major airports within 70 miles or less of my house. These would be Orange County, Los Angeles International (LAX), Ontario, Burbank, Long Beach and San Diego. My preference is Orange County and my normal backup is LAX. If I can’t get the schedule or price I’m looking for from these two airports, I’ll branch out to the other four. This process let me to depart from San Diego today. I rarely fly from this airport even though it’s only a one-hour drive away. My flight was scheduled to depart at 6:15 a.m. To make sure I didn’t forget anything in my early morning fog, I packed the car the night before. I was out the door at 3:19 a.m. with a chocolate donut and a glass of O.J. SoCal – Best roads. Southern California has the smoothest and widest roads of anywhere in the country. The only problem is they are usually crammed with cars. However, at 3:19 a.m., there ain’t much traffic. The drive from San Clemente to San Diego during the day is one of the most beautiful 60-mile rides you can have in the United States. The road parallels the Pacific Ocean almost all the way. A most diverse landscape. But, since it was pitch black out I wouldn’t be seeing much ocean this morning. Nevertheless, I would pass several very unique landmarks that most folks don’t get to see in their part of the world. San Clemente is the southern most city in Orange County. Driving south just a couple of miles gets me into San Diego County. The first landmark you reach on the drive south on I-5 is Camp Pendleton. Pendleton is a major Marine Corps base. It’s very common to see helicopters hovering just above the ground and tanks running all over just yards off the freeway. I did my rifle training at this base several fiscal quarters ago. Camp Pendleton is a little quieter than normal with most of the Marines fighting for us in Iraq. Just 12 miles south of San Clemente you will encounter the U.S. Immigration checkpoint. The checkpoint is on the northern side of Interstate 5. The purpose of the checkpoint is to prevent illegal aliens from entering the country. Mexican citizens can enter the U.S. during the day to work but cannot go further north than the checkpoint without a green card. There are yellow traffic signs near the checkpoint area that picture several people crossing the road. This is meant to warn drivers that people may be walking/running across the freeway. There have been more than 35 illegal aliens killed crossing the road on foot in this area during the last five years. Very near the immigration checkpoint is the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. This plant has two large nuclear reactors. Good friend, Wes Moody helped build this monster. The structure is nicknamed the “Dolly Parton” nuclear power plant. Imagine Dolly Parton lying on her back and you might get a words eye picture of what the facility looks like. Honestly, I don’t make these things up! Continuing within just a couple hundred yards of land between the freeway and the ocean are the wine vineyards. The grapes are totally replanted each year. The growing process starts with totally bare land and a million sticks placed vertically in the ground. The sticks are about four feet high and about four feet apart for acres. I remember when trackchaser report reader, Bev Herrin, was visiting us from Illinois several years ago. I told her this was a “stick farm”. I’m pretty sure she believed me! A final landmark before getting into San Diego is the Del Mar Thoroughbred Race Track. They actually had an auto race on this track just a few years ago but I was out of town and missed it. The huge grandstand looked eerie in the early morning darkness. The track is in the midst of its 43 day meeting right now. If you’re ever out this way go to Del Mar for the day. The oceans breezes, people dressed to the nines and the gorgeous facility will make for a very enjoyable day. For this to be a successful day everything had to go perfectly. One would think that by getting up at 3 a.m. there would be plenty of time to get to my race. Truth be told, everything has to go just perfectly for me to make the race in Ionia, Michigan. My plane lands in Chicago at 12:30 p.m. It’ll take about an hour to get my bags and rental car. That makes it 1:30 p.m. I’ll be driving to Michigan, which is in the Eastern Time zone, so I will lose one hour. Later in this trip, we’ll drive back and forth across the central/eastern time zones a few times. If I don’t get stuck in the infamous Chicago traffic during rush hour, I will make it over to Grand Rapids at about 6:30 p.m. to meet up with #2 in the world trackchaser, Allan Brown. From Grand Rapids it’s another 45 minutes to the track. That would get us there about 15 minutes before race time. That means, if everything goes according to plan, I will get up at 3 a.m., travel about 14 hours and get to the track with 15 minutes to spare. Yes, I could move to the east coast and be some namby pamby trackchaser who leaves after work, takes a short drive (by trackchaser standards), and sleeps in his own bed most nights on the way to his first 500 hundred tracks or so, but what fun would that be? RACING NEWS: Where was the “free”? The Ionia Fairgrounds figure 8 race, which was sanctioned by Unique promotions, was my 743rd lifetime track. The race was held during the Ionia Free Fair. The “Free” part in the name meant there was no charge for admission to the fair. Of course, there was a $5 parking charge, $10 admission to the races and there was a charge for the carnival rides. Therefore, the “Free” fair was a bit of a misnomer. Familiar faces. When we entered the grandstand, we started to see familiar faces. The first folks we ran into were Allan’s brother Nathan and Nathan’s grandson, Cory. I have now met both of Allan’s brothers having met Adrian at the Barnes City figure 8 program in Iowa a couple of years ago. Nathan told me he was quite a “hawker” of concessions at this track in years gone by. He sold concessions for more than 20 years and remarked that today’s hawkers cannot hold a candle to the people who walked through the grandstands years ago selling their goodies. I would agree with his analysis. Grandson, Cory, was a very knowledgeable figure 8 fan. He knew who the top drivers were and was into scoring the drivers as they raced. Leading trackchasers…..disenchanted leading trackchasers. Just a few seconds after running into Nathan and Cory, we happened across the number one and three worldwide ranked trackchasers, Rick Schneider and Andy Sivi. It was a pleasure chatting with these fellows during the evening. Why doesn’t Rick Schneider simply ask to be removed from all lists? Ardent followers of the trackchasing game now that Rick has a self-imposed exile going because of the “oppressive tyranny” of trackchaser rules and management. He feels so strongly about the wrongs he thinks have been committed against him that he has returned the trackchaser champion trophy he earned a few years ago when he took over the #1 position. Mr. Schneider would very much like to be removed from the trackchaser lifetime standings and no longer wants to be part of the group. I support his point of view on this one but may be the only ranked trackchaser who does. During the evening, Andy asked Rick if the trackchaser group reversed its stance on the two rules (Lake Erie and Chenango) that went against Rick if we would return to the group. Rick answered with an emphatic, “Absolutely not!” To follow up Andy’s query, I asked Rick if he would return to the group if we all chipped in and paid him $10,000. Again, an “Absolutely not!” My final question was would he PAY US $10,000 to stop asking him these questions? This evoked a huge laugh from Rick. Other than the fact that Rick refused to pose for pictures with Allan, Andy and me when Nathan offered to take our photo, I enjoyed the evening with Rick. This is the second time I have met Rick. The first was at the Chenango County Fairgrounds in New York. That night we were also with ranked (ranked means in the top 20) trackchasers Eleanor (see way above) and Paul Weidman. We ended up being “Chenangoed” (understood by those effected by oppressive tyranny) that night so I can understand Rick’s disappointment, but possibly not his reaction. First, I think Rick should come back to the group. Nevertheless, if he doesn’t want too, which he says he doesn’t, then we should agree with his wishes to have his name removed from the rankings. Andy Sivi….one of the most rational and intelligent of all the trackchasers I have met. I don’t want to slight my meeting with the #3 ranked trackchaser, Andy Sivi. The Pittsburgh CPA has risen quickly in the worldwide rankings. He was the first trackchaser ever to go to 100 new tracks in one season, a significant accomplishment. Andy started the season with 908 lifetime tracks. Many expected him to go for 1,000 this year. However, Andy has decided to take a more relaxed (for some) approach to trackchasing this year and will probably only get 50 or 60 tracks. Nevertheless, he should reach 1,000 next year and take over the top spot sometime during the next two years. Cupid’s arrow? It has been speculated by some that the currently divorced Pennsylvania trackchaser might be curtailing his trackchasing because of cupid’s arrows. As the self-appointed trackchaser gossip columnist I felt my readers would like to now the true reason on why Andy is seeing fewer tracks this year. Since Andy is a CPA he is used to protecting people’s personal information. He appreciates everyone’s concern regarding his personal life. He did admit that he has had “visitors” coming to his house that have prevented him from attending as many races as he normally does. He was reluctant to identify anyone in particular. He did say that he had learned many lessons from his previous two marriages that might influence his decision about matrimony in the future. He asked that no one spread any “rumors” about his romantic activities. Andy is a sly fox and will let us know when his “status” changes. I’ve done my best here to restate Andy’s words on the subject without distorting his attentions. Maybe, Andy will comment directly to the group. What about the racing? After meeting these folks, we actually saw some racing! There were two classes of figure 8 cars. They were the “big” rear-wheel drive figure 8s and the “small” front wheel drive figure 8 cars. There were about 30 big cars and 15 small cars. The tires the cars raced around were about 110 feet apart. Allan said this is one of the bigger figure 8 tracks he has seen. Bigger means faster speeds. I thought this was one of the best figure 8 shows I have seen. There was a tremendous amount of crashing and banging. I would say that during every 8-lap, 8-car heat there were at least 10 flat tires. Normally this didn’t prevent the competitors from continuing to try to flatten someone else’s tire. The program was well run and we stayed until the end. Allan knew the announcer and was able to forward the trackchasing press release. Although the P.A. system was much clearer when one stood outside and behind the grandstand the announcer did give all of the trackchasers in attendance their due. Just chewing the trackchasing fat. Following the program, the four of us stood outside on a perfect summer evening and chewed the trackchaser fat for more than one hour. Allan said he had never heard Rick talk so much. Although Rick sees himself as the trackchaser black sheep, I think he sees me as not too far behind. I like to kid Rick about his trackchaser complaints and I think he likes to talk about the issues at hand. We spent our time talking, next to a very creative county fair promotion. It seems a Ford car dealer is offering a free car to fairgoers. The contest started out 29 hours ago with 15 people placing their hands on a Ford Focus. The last person to remove their hand will be the owner of that Ford. When Andy arrived at the track there were six people still in the contest. As we talked after the race there were just four remaining. Every three hours they get a short restroom break. We were there just before they got their break. Of the four remaining contestants, two were young women and two were young men. It was obvious that they needed to get to the restroom fast. The bathrooms were about 50 yards from the Ford. When they were given the signal they raced to the bathrooms and then about a minute late raced back to their positions. I would guess they were given a three-minute break in total. I would love to know how long it took the winner before they were the last player handing. At nearly midnight we ended our trackchasing seminar and headed into the night. Rick went in an unknown (at least to any identified trackchaser) direction and Allan, Andy and I headed to Comstock Park. More on that tomorrow. Editor’s note: As of 2015 this was the last time I had ever met up with Rick Schneider who still refuses to have anything to do with the trackchasing listing/ranking procedure. I don’t understand why Rick doesn’t ask trackchasing commissioner Guy Smith to remove his stats from the www.roamingtheraceways.com website. RACE TRACK FOOD: Who doesn’t like breasts? The food selections were somewhat limited in quality at the county fair. I went with the three-piece broasted chicken combo. It was an extra 50 cents to upgrade to breasts. If life were only this easy! I also enjoyed the “lemon shakeup”. This is a drink with water, sugar and a lemon. There were two original sizes. A large was $5 and a small was $3. But, wait! There was a $6 size that allowed for refills. Since the $6 cup was nearly as large as the $5 cup I had to go with the refill offer. Midway during the race I went to get my refill. The 16 oz. cup has water, a lemon, and two full ladles of sugar! It was good although a bit gritty. RENTAL CAR UPDATE: Allan drove me from his house to the track. I will be driving the National Rental Car Racing Pontiac Grand Prix. This appears to be one of the better rental cars I’ve had recently although I did pick it up with more than 19,000 miles on it. Our daughter Kristy and her husband James ventured to Ed Esser’s home in Madison, Wisconsin to present the ‘Cheese Challenge’ award. ED ESSER & P.J. HOLLEBRAND UPDATE: Check this area on my last report of this trip to see what Ed and P.J. have been up too. As of July 20, 2004, the battle for positions 7-10 in the worldwide trackchaser standings is as follows: CUMULATIVE DRIVING DISTANCES: Chicago O’Hara Airport – trip begins Grand Rapids, Michigan – 221 miles (Allan drove to Ionia, Munger & Auburn) TRACK ADMSSION PRICES (U.S. DOLLARS): Ionia Fairgrounds – $10 ($5 parking) Randy Lewis That’s all the news that’s fit to print from San Clemente where the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and all of the children are above average. **Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, Ohio, June 12 **Charleston Speedway, Charleston, Illinois, May 22 **Sunshine Speedway (oval), Pinellas Park, Florida, April 3 **Central Arizona Raceway, Casa Grande, Arizona, January 20 29-Jul Figure 8 Munger Fairgrounds Munger, MI 29-Jul Inner oval Tri-City Mtr Spdwy Auburn, MI 29-Jul Outer oval Tri-City Mtr Spdwy Auburn, MI 30-Jul Figure 8 Warren Cty Fair Roseville, IL 30-Jul Oval Warren Cty Fair Roseville, IL 31-Jul SCCA Gateway Intl Raceway E. St. Louis, IL 31-Jul Figure8 Sportsdrome Spdwy Jeffersonville, IN 31-Jul Oval Sportsdrome Spdwy Jeffersonville, IN 31-Jul Oval Thunder Valley Spdwy Salem, IN, 1-Aug Regular program Jackson Speedway Jackson, OH 1-Aug Regular program Ninety-three Spdwy Oak Hill, OH Click on the link below to see the one-minute “Video Lite” production from the Ionia Free Fair off-road demo derby. Click on the link below for a photo album from today’s trackchasing day. Double click on a photo to begin the slide show or watch the photos at your own pace. Hover over a photo to read the caption. Today’s photo album from the Ionia Free Fair 
Cheboygan County Fairgrounds – $10
Standish Asphalt Raceway – $10Planned new racetracks
Racetracks visited in 2005 (** not the first time to visit this track)
GREETINGS FROM IONIA, MICHIGAN,
Racetracks visited in 2004 (** not the first time to visit this track)
Planned new racetracks (on the last day of each racing trip I will post my tentative plans for my next trip)