Season’s Greetings Folks,
‘Twas the night before Christmas….what a perfect time to say that because it IS the night before Christmas!
Christmas is special. Did you know that Christmas didn’t even become a federal holiday until 1870? Yep.
Today I want to wish each of you the very merriest of Christmases. This message goes out to all of the members of my racing/finance/travel newsletters. If I’ve met you personally you need to know that I’ve thought of you multiple times this year. If I have never met you I can’t wait until I do.
The year 2020 has been a most unusual year. Some people say we are “all in the same boat”. Sorry. I disagree with that feeling 100%. We are NOT all in the same boat. Yes, we are all in the same ocean but not in the same boat. Some folks are in big boats and some are in small boats with holes in their boat.
People who have been directly affected by Covid-19 know Covid much differently than others. People who have lost their jobs and can’t pay rent or comfortably buy food are in one boat. People who are part of the 10% of investors who own 80% of the raging stock market are in a different boat. But…we are all in the same ocean! I can’t wait for them to get the friggin’ vaccine out there for all who want it. When that happens more boats will stay afloat.
When all of that happens Covid-19 will increasingly become a distant memory like other uncomfortable calamities have in the past. In the meantime, we will all have to wait, wash our hands, social distance and wear your damn mask.
So…while waiting on the vaccine and anticipating a very good 2021 I will share with you my 2020 pictorial review. As I look back on things the year began with a flying start with travel all over the world. Then it stopped for a while and picked up again and then sort of slowed toward the end of the year. For my racing enthusiasts, you’ll see my complete trackchasing list at the bottom of this message. During a pandemic year, I’ll take seeing 72 new tracks in six countries and 23 states.
For my “travel” fans (and that’s just about every one of you) I hope you enjoy the experiences I share. I take a lot of pictures on pretty much a daily basis. I’ve got one of those new-fangled cameras. Not only does my camera take great photos but it’s got a telephone inside it! What will they think of next?
Anyway, the main point of this message is to wish you a Merry Christmas. If Christmas isn’t your holiday I want to wish you the very best when your holiday pops up on the calendar. Then in a few days, we can all really celebrate the ending of one year with the eager anticipation of the next.
Happy New Year to each and everyone reading this!
My world travel year began on January 3, 2020.
Soon I found myself in the Italian Alps watching ice racing.
Believe it or not, this guy covered my visit in the Italian press.
I could wander around the small towns of France forever.
Next, Carol and I moved over to the French Alps for Trophee Andros ice racing.
If you gotta visit a car museum seeing the Monaco Top Cars Collection is a good choice in downtown Monaco.
It was time to move back to Italy at this point.
At the ice races in the Italian Alps with wife Carol (r) and our Italian race organizer.
I commonly wear a mask at the ice races. It gets cold! Little did I know this would soon become a part of my everyday wardrobe.
I have much to be thankful for. This gal is at the top of that list. Did I tell her she would be my ice racing dance partner when I first met her more than 50 years ago? I’m just glad she picked me…and she’s got good teeth.
It’s the racing that brings us to Italy. But….for the rest of the week, we eat pizza and pasta, see the sights and eat more pizza and pasta.
It was sad to see the fire that destroyed much of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral.
I’m the kinda guy that will try anything once.
A night on the town with tonight’s performer and my Tunisian buddy living in Paris, Fahem Mohamed Ali.
I get a lot of help from special people. Moncef, the Sheraton Club concierge in Algiers, Algeria was the best. By the end of my trip, we were best friends.
Sasha was another special friend I met in Algiers. What a day we had together.
El Hachemi (l) and Massi (r) hosted me during my stay in Algeria. These guys are welcome in my home whenever they can come.
How many guys who look like me get invited to a private wedding party in Algeria? Everyone I met in Algeria was friendly and caring.
This was before social distancing became a “thing”.
Soon it was back home and down to Daytona Beach, Florida. How many people get to meet the famous Leonard Wood of the Wood Brothers Racing Team. Great guy.
Sometimes “racing” looks like this even in Tampa, Florida.
I had not been to the Florida state fair in a very long time.
If you want a job done well…have Dustin do it. Of course, I could have bent down to put on my own carpool stickers…but I might not have been able to get up!
This was my first year of owning an electric car. I’m not gonna get it any shinier than this.
Soon I was off to central Minnesota for more ice racing. It’s routine for me to drive my rental cars well onto a frozen lake and just stand there!
I often ride or drive in these ice races. It truly is a wild adventure. I’m 6’3″ tall…but with a helmet, I’m about 6″7″ tall!
Ice racing up in Saskatchewan, Canada with Rosetown drivers Cordell Goheen (l) and Dillan Pelletier (r). Nice guys.
It is common for me to sleep overnight in an airport in the U.S. or a foreign country. I’ll guess I’ve slept overnight in airports nearly 100 times.
My year included getting a revamped website, www.randylewis.org. Thanks to Jeff Hornacek for being my partner on that major project.
This is my official 2020 website photo.
When we go to UCLA basketball games we commonly encounter “red carpet” movie premiers. On this evening it was up close and personal time with Mark Wahlberg. Maybe next time he won’t close his eyes!
Little did we know that the use of our season tickets to see UCLA play in legendary Pauley Pavilion was about ready to come to a screeching halt.
We have seven airports within about an hour’s drive from our home. Our newest option is in Tijuana, Mexico! They have a new “tunnel” where we park our car on the U.S. side of the border, walk through the tunnel and magically appear inside the brand new Tijuana terminal.
I’m down in Mexico 3-4 times a year. It’s actually very safe. Great people. Great food. This trip was to the Yucatan.
Dinner with Dave and Sue, our new Canadian friends down in Yucatan, Mexico.
My last trip before Covid-19 came into my life was an ice racing adventure up in northern Sweden.
After riding the trains in Stockholm my train riding days would end for a good long time.
A night at the opera in Stockholm, Sweden was a perfect cultural event.
This was a very special Boeing 747 airplane. It would be my hotel for my last night in Sweden. It doesn’t fly anymore but you can sleep in it.
What a cool idea! Little did I know that despite staying overnight away from home in 2020 for 115 nights this would be my last night on the road for 85 straight days. When I returned to Los Angeles I found that my flight was the very last allowed to land from a foreign country without restrictions. I was grounded!
Our upcoming cruise to Alaska was canceled! However, as soon as we can we hope to look like these folks.
What happened to our Ralph’s? A new world was upon us.
I’ve never been a stay at home guy. But if you have to stay home doing so in San Clemente, California is the place to do it. This location is about 100 yards from our place.
I was a single-digit golfer for 15 years. About five years ago I figured I was getting worse and would never get better. I didn’t want to play like that so I quit the game. This year I began giving my golf stuff to my friends. How far will a five-year-old golf ball go? I do know this. They didn’t go as far as I wanted when they were brand new!
Several years ago I picked up my hobby of power walking. This is my inland trail in San Clemente. I often think about people who visit SoCal and all they experience are crowded freeways…when there are places like this just off the next exit.
This is more of the trail. Off to the right would be Camp Pendleton. I lived there for three months in the Marines all the way back in 1971.
I do a lot of my power walking at the beach. Would you like this guy’s backyard? It definitely gives new meaning to the worn-out phrase you have uttered a million times to the kids, “just go…go play in the backyard”.
When I’m home you will likely find me power walking on this beach path. Four miles up and back.
I’m not very handy but I did make this mask!
Covid-19 meet Facetime. That’s grandson Mitch, granddaughter Astrid and our favorite daughter Kristy smiling at us from Austin, Texas.
It’s a trackchasing thing.
This is the view from our living room. Surfers are out there pretty much 24/7/365.
This is my favorite parking spot in all of San Clemente. I’ll come up and have lunch and then for dinner grab some take out and bring Carol up here.
I noticed that with Covid and my barber being closed my hair was approaching college length. Yes, I still wear a headband. It’s the only thing that will keep my Apple AirPods from falling out of my ears.
I thought I would throw in an oldie but goodie. These are our kids, J.J., Jim and Kristy from our Chicagoland days in the early 80s.
This shot comes from the iconic San Clemente pier. You can see our house from this spot.
This is our view each evening. That’s Catalina Island off to the right.
At this point, things were definitely getting out of control. Carol says I have a lot of gray hair. I don’t see it, do you?
Why don’t these San Clemente beachgoers get a job? Who’s going to pay for my social security?
I haven’t even used Zoom that much and already I don’t like it.
In early June I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to start flying again. When I got back in the air I would fly somewhere in the United States for each of the next 24 straight weeks.
If you travel you probably know this location. It’s Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Have you ever seen it look like this?
I can tell. These ladies don’t like Covid either. I was going to tell them to wear their masks. Don’t miss the Dallas Botanical Gardens.
I meet a lot of nice people out on the long and dusty trackchasing trail. This is Pete from rural Oklahoma. Nice guy.
I don’t stop at gas stations at home anymore.
If you get out in west Texas you are bound to run into these guys.
Yep. I pretty much knew I was in Roswell, New Mexico.
One more oldie. I’m glad I survived this one…or I never would have experienced a Covid pandemic.
Still the prettiest of them all.
I meet some characters in my line of work. This is the famous Johnny Landers from out in Oklahoma. Great guy.
I like to see the unusual. I highly recommend this place out in Amarillo, Texas.
I wanted to go here for the longest time. It’s the Cadillac Ranch also in Amarillo.
I wouldn’t wear a mask if I didn’t have to. However, it’s really not the end of the world. I think they work. If it might protect you I’m willing to do it.
Carol will wear a mask if you tie her down and drug her…but she don’t like it much.
We find ourselves in the weirdest places! This was in Michigan.
I guess traveling is in our family’s blood. This is granddaughter Astrid. She’s part of a six-person, 61-day, 48-state driving and sightseeing bunch doing the trip in a mini-van. Fun times!
We caught up with the gang in Michigan. L-R. Carol, daughter Kristy, sister Becky, friend Laura and brother-in-law, Bob.
Covid and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
I had a chance to visit Minneapolis shortly after the riots. What a year 2020 has been.
Nope! Not everybody is on the same page in our great country.
Talk about not being on the same page. This fellow was seen just outside of Cincinnati.
This is daughter Kristy and her friend from Austin, Laura. They led, with their four (combined) kids the historic 61-day, 48-state driving tour. Proud of you ladies!
This is my final of three oldie but goodie photos. It’s Carol and Kristy about ready for a cross-country drive to Ann Arbor, Michigan in a pretty well used up Ford Crown Victoria. She was headed to law school.
It’s fun to meet up with my friends, Frank on the left and Tim Lewis (no relation) on the right in Wabash, Indiana. These guys love to talk politics!
When the 61-day, 48-state traveling tour stopped in San Clemente we had to convert the Ranlay Events Center into a homeless shelter!
After the kids had been on the road for weeks they needed some spending money and a clean van. I put ’em to work. No work. No pay. It’s a simple formula. They did a great job.
One of the best things about trackchasing is I get to see my friends and family frequently who live all over the country. Here I met up with my brother Mark in Missouri.
Have you heard that you can use your iPad as a plate to heat up your SPAM in a microwave? You can’t.
I played just one hand of blackjack all year. I won 20 bucks right here in this Upper Penisula, Michigan, Casino.
To make the year even more interesting we had a presidential election this year. What could go wrong with that?
This was a good year to be a sign maker.
This was a top attraction of the year for me. We got to go to a cattle auction in Torrington, Wyoming.
That’s Jack our nephew showing Aunt Carol how his Wyoming corn crop is doing.
Our Wyoming relatives, Lee Ann, James, Blair, Jack and Carol went trackchasing with us in Nebraska.
I like to think of us as just a couple of kids out to have a good time.
What do you think when you see this car? I think about the time when someone pulled this baby into their driveway straight from the new car showroom. Their neighbor looked on green with envy.
I’ve got friends all over the world and two of the best are in Pennsylvania in PW and the Bingster. They both owe me big time because they don’t believe in presidential polls.
Write this down. About ten years from now you may see this girl winning an academy award in front or behind the camera.
Here’s a guy who had a lot of fun and it didn’t cost him much money.
Carol and I are out there among ’em.
I was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa shortly after their devastating wind storm. They call that a “derecho”.
It’s Taco Tuesday! Happy to report that the Peters’ family has relocated from Texas to San Clemente! Welcome, Astrid, James, Mitch and Kristy.
Carol is normally pretty good at following directions…even on an elevator.
We see our share of auto museums. The Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford, Wisconsin is top-notch.
Not to be missed. The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa where Buddy Holly played his last concert.
Visiting our grand-nephew Kyle Jecks at Iowa State University.
My sister Becky and her husband Bob join us at the track whenever they can.
This won’t mean much to most folks but Carol was meeting up with her cousin Dan for the first time in nearly 40 years here in Wisconsin.
Everyone likes to win at something. Congrats to Nick Hostetler for this race win in West Liberty, Ohio.
We got rained on just a bit but we could still smile about it at Ohio Caverns in West Liberty, Ohio.
Carol drinks the coffee. The 5-Hour energy drink is for me.
I’m trying to rock my Iowa State t-shirt.
That’s our oldest son J.J. in the middle. He captains commercial airlines for a living. His best friend Dustin (l) and great friend Florian make up three of the nicest guys you will ever meet.
I have hundreds of Covid sign photos from all over the country.
Ice cream, peanut butter, marshmallow fluff over angel food cake. I eat like this every day.
Maybe asking for a top floor room at this Westin in Dallas wasn’t such a good idea.
After not having been to the Cadillac Ranch in 71 years I came back a second time just weeks after the first to show Carol what the place was like.
It was fun watching two guys trying to eat a 72-ounce steak in one hour in order to get it for free. They both failed mightily.
I think your smile should get there before you do!
This is our youngest son Jim and his Krista and their three beautiful daughters. We were in Texas to visit them. Boy…I wish they lived closer.
Trackchasing brought me to the other end of the country for this lighthouse visit in Maine.
Clever.
Racers are a patriotic bunch.
I see a lot of interesting places on my travels. Bronner’s CHRISTmasland is near the top of the list.
Seemed kind of funny on a 40-degree day to have to get our temperature taken. No problem for me. I go with the flow.
Racetracks are normally in rural locations with rural people. Frequently this is not a haven for mask-wearing or social distancing.
After being checked for weapons along this interstate in Youngstown, Ohio I did have to take a ride in the backseat of this Ohio state police car. It’s a long story!
Be a good neighbor. Do the right thing.
A night out with your granddaughter is always a good thing.
This is what the pumpkins looked like in Detroit this year.
I’m a platinum member of the Yogurtland frequent visitor program.
Yep. I’m a Californian. Born in Illinois but been in California for about 40 years. Won’t be leaving. It’s the best.
Girls can do anything…and they’re nice…and much of the time they do the job better than the boys.
The year 2020 is and was as good as you made it.
Folks, I can’t make this stuff up!
O.K. I admit it. I am addicted to Waffle House. My go-to meal is a chocolate chip waffle and a bowl of grits with butter and salt. I eat here at least 25 times a year and there are no Waffle House locations in California.
Cruising through Arizona on the way to a race.
I’ll take six miles at less than 15 minutes per mile.
Birthdays are a big deal at our place.
You work. You get paid. Questions?
I took grandson Mitch to a race out in the Arizona desert. The president of the club gave Mitch the ride of his life!
My trackchasing season for 2020 is finished. Now it’s just power walking up and down the beach…which at this point is just fine with me.
Hopefully, this guy is dressed better the next time I see him.
Like I said, ‘Twas the night before Christmas and the stockings were hung…..
If you made it this far congratulations. You’ve just seen my year in review. When I look at the photos and think about the people and the experiences I think…what Covid? 2020 has been a fantastic year.
I promised I would include my complete 2020 track list. It was a fun racing season. Thanks to everyone who helped me make it happen.
| # | Date | Track | Location |
| 1 | 6-Jan | Ice Pragelato | Pragelato, Italy |
| 2 | 10-Jan | Isola 2000 | Isola, France |
| 3 | 12-Jan | Ice Livigno | Livigno, Italy |
| 4 | 24-Jan | Dr. John A. Arnold Arena @ the Union County Fair & Exposition Center | Sturgis, KY |
| 5 | 25-Jan | Lake Superior (Barkers Island) Ice Course | Superior, WI |
| 6 | 8-Feb | Stampede Premium Covered Arena at the Florida State Fairgrounds – F8 | Tampa, FL |
| 7 | 9-Feb | Stampede Premium Covered Arena at the Florida State Fairgrounds – oval | Tampa, FL |
| 8 | 15-Feb | Clearwater Lake Ice Course | South Haven, MN |
| 9 | 16-Feb | Pelch Services Ice Race | Rosetown, Saskatchewan |
| 10 | 1-Mar | Autodromo de Yucatan Emerson Fittipaldi | Merida, Yucatan, Mexico |
| 11 | 7-Mar | Asele Motorsallskap Ice Course | Asele, Sweden |
| 12 | 5-Jun | Tomah-Sparta Speedway | Tomah, WI |
| 13 | 6-Jun | What Cheer Raceway | What Cheer, IA |
| 14 | 11-Jun | Wisconsin International Raceway | Kaukauna, WI |
| 15 | 12-Jun | Buffalo Creek Speedway | Canton, TX |
| 16 | 13-Jun | Kiamichi Mountains Speedway | Nashoba, OK |
| 17 | 20-Jun | Alien Motor Speedway | Roswell, NM |
| 18 | 26-Jun | Boss Dirt Track Speedway | Lawton, OK |
| 19 | 27-Jun | Route 66 Motor Speedway | Amarillo, TX |
| 20 | 3-Jul | Good’s Raceway | Alliance, OH |
| 21 | 4-Jul | Whittemore Speedway | Whittemore, MI |
| 22 | 8-Jul | Bennett’s Raceway | Neenah, WI |
| 23 | 10-Jul | Coulee Go-Kart Raceway | West Salem, WI |
| 24 | 11-Jul | Mudlick Valley Raceway | Tollesboro, KY |
| 25 | 12-Jul | McClure Raceway | West Liberty, OH |
| 26 | 16-Jul | Wabash County 4-H Fairgrounds | Wabash, IN |
| 27 | 17-Jul | Big Four Fairgrounds | Nashua, IA |
| 28 | 18-Jul | Cache County Fairgrounds | Logan, UT |
| 29 | 24-Jul | KC Raceway | River Bend, MO |
| 30 | 25-Jul | Poplar Grove Speedway | Kamrar, IA |
| 31 | 26-Jul | Dirt City Motorplex | Lena, WI |
| 32 | 29-Jul | GSR Kartway | Clintonville, WI |
| 33 | 30-Jul | Miami County Fairgrounds | Peru, IN |
| 34 | 31-Jul | Norway Speedway | Norway, MI |
| 35 | 1-Aug | Luce West Macinac Fairgrounds | Newberry, MI |
| 36 | 7-Aug | Highway 92 Raceway Park | Gering, NE |
| 37 | 8-Aug | Road America | Elkhart Lake, WI |
| 38 | 9-Aug | Concordia High Banks | Concordia, KS |
| 39 | 14-Aug | Lorah’s Family Farm | Walnutport, PA |
| 40 | 15-Aug | Walnut Creek | North Salem, IN |
| 41 | 15-Aug | Miller Raceway | Montgomery, IN |
| 42 | 16-Aug | Sawyer County Fairgrounds | Hayward, WI |
| 43 | 21-Aug | Viking Speedway – inner | Alexandria, MN |
| 44 | 22-Aug | Midvale Speedway – inner | Midvale, OH |
| 45 | 29-Aug | Twelve 64 X-treme Off Road Park | Wellsville, KS |
| 46 | 30-Aug | Hawkeye Downs Speedway RC | Cedar Rapids, IA |
| 47 | 4-Sep | Crandon International Raceway | Crandon, WI |
| 48 | 5-Sep | Guthrie Center Fairgrounds | Guthrie Center, IA |
| 49 | 6-Sep | Madison International Speedway | Oregon, WI |
| 50 | 7-Sep | Lion’s Park | West Liberty, OH |
| 51 | 11-Sep | Honor Speedway | Pueblo, CO |
| 52 | 12-Sep | State Fair Arena | Sedalia, MO |
| 53 | 13-Sep | Windy Hollow Speedway | Owensboro, KY |
| 54 | 19-Sep | Round Town Raceway | Circle, MT |
| 55 | 20-Sep | Washington Quarter Midget Assn | Monroe, WA |
| 56 | 26-Sep | Cedar Hill Raceway | Ovalo, TX |
| 57 | 2-Oct | Jennings County Fairgrounds | North Vernon, IN |
| 58 | 3-Oct | Cridersville Speedway | Cridersville, OH |
| 59 | 9-Oct | Bartlett Bridge Raceway | Lyman, ME |
| 60 | 10-Oct | Slayton Speedway | Slayton, TX |
| 61 | 16-Oct | Longhorn Raceway | Viburnam, MO |
| 62 | 17-Oct | Adrenaline Motorplex | Adrian, MO |
| 63 | 17-Oct | Udall Figure 8 Arena | Udall, KS |
| 64 | 24-Oct | Montmorency County Fairgrounds | Atlanta, MI |
| 65 | 25-Oct | Hayfield 125 | Conneaut Lake, PA |
| 66 | 31-Oct | MEC Coliseum | Shipshewana, IN |
| 67 | 7-Nov | 81 Speedway | Park City, KS |
| 68 | 8-Nov | Old 71 Speedway | Butler, MO |
| 69 | 14-Nov | Kingsport Miniway | Kingsport, TN |
| 70 | 14-Nov | Lake View Speedway | Nichols, SC |
| 71 | 21-Nov | Gila County Fairgrounds | Globe, AZ |
| 72 | 5-Dec | Tucson Kart Speedway | Tucson, AZ |