Greetings from Owensboro, Kentucky
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From the travels and adventures of the
“World’s #1 Trackchaser”
Windy Hollow Speedway Dirt oval Lifetime Track #294 . Windy Hollow Speedway Dirt figure 8 Lifetime Track #1,236 . Windy Hollow Speedway Dirt roval Lifetime Track #2,652 THE EVENT Editor’s note: It is very likely that trying to see new tracks at the Windy Hollow Speedway has been the most frustrating experience of any track facility I have ever visited. Considering that I’ve seen racing at nearly 2,700 tracks…that’s saying something! As you read this Trackchaser Report you will begin to understand why I have made such a statement I AM A TRACKCHASER. My name is Randy Lewis (above with Windy Hollow track announcer, Steve Bridgeman. Check out that golf tan!) I live out in San Clemente, California. We’re only 74 miles north of the Mexican border. I’m not sure a person could pick a more inconvenient location in the continental United States if they wanted to be a world-class trackchaser. My residential location virtually assures the idea that I must fly to virtually every track I visit. I am a “trackchaser”. I trackchase. Have you ever in your life heard of “trackchasing”? I didn’t think so. Trackchasing for me is all about three things. First, I enjoy auto racing. Secondly, my hobby requires a good deal of overnight travel. When I venture out to see a race at a track I’ve never seen before I do not want my trip limited to racing only. The very last thing I want when I’m done trackchasing is to have memories of only racing. I want to take some time to see the local attractions of wherever I might be visiting. Those visits in many cases will provide more long-lasting memories than whatever I saw on the track. Finally, I want to create a logistical plan that allows me to accomplish the two points mentioned above without depleting my retirement account. That’s trackchasing for me. Hundreds of trackchasers have stopped for a moment to create their own personal trackchasing list. I think that is great. However, I will tell you that no one has ever taken trackchasing more seriously than I have. Do I have any data to back up that assertion? I do. To date, I have seen auto racing in 85 countries at more than 2,670 different tracks. Does that sound serious to you? I’ve been able to see the world doing this. If you’re interested in exactly what I’ve been able to experience all around the U.S. and the world I recommend you click on this link. Trackchasing Tourist Attractions After each and every event that I attend I post a YouTube video, a SmugMug photo album and a very detailed Trackchaser Report about the experience on my website at www.randylewis.org. My trackchasing contributions generate a good deal of interest in what I am doing. My YouTube channel (ranlay) has more than 1.3 million views. My website gets more than 20,000 views every month. Because I have seen racing in 85 countries at this point I am considered the World’s #1 Trackchaser. That’s good enough for me. Now I encourage you to drop down a few spaces and read about today’s trackchasing adventure. As you discover what went on at this track just think about the idea that I’ve done this nearly 2,700 times. I don’t mind admitting I am addicted to the hobby of trackchasing. It’s just fun! If you’re interested in looking back and seeing where I’ve been the following link is for you. If you’ve got a question, comment or whatever please leave it at the bottom of this report. It’s very easy to do. Or you can visit me on Facebook. Thanks! FOREWORD Sunday, September 13, 2020. This had to be one of my most unusual nights of trackchasing I have ever had. Mind you I have had more than my share of unusual nights of trackchasing. Tonight I was returning to the Windy Hollow Speedway in Owensboro, Kentucky hometown of my good buddy Tim Frost (above). I had quite a history with the Windy Hollow Speedway. I first went there in 1996 to see racing on their ¼-mile dirt oval. Then I returned in 2005, 2006, and then again in2007 to see racing on their infield figure 8 track. In 2005 I went down to Windy Hollow but arrived too late to see the race. At that time they were running their figure 8 racing in the track’s infield. There was no lighting in the infield. After driving like a maniac from a daytime show I arrived just in time to see the figure 8 cars returning to the pit area after their one and only race. In 2006 I came back to see the figure 8 racing again. On that evening the figure 8 drivers boycotted the track when their purse money was cut. Undeterred I returned the very next year, 2007, to finally see a race on their infield figure 8 track. Ouch! Three trips to see one five-minute race. I must be crazy! Windy Hollow has almost always raced on Sunday nights. I’ve had them on my tentative schedule many other times only to be stymied by a bad weather forecast. Coming into the 2020 trackchasing season I had seen racing at two different tracks at the Windy Hollow Speedway. On that first visit in ’96, I saw some high-quality late model stock car racing. North Dakotan Rick Auckland won the main event. At the time the quarter-mile oval at Windy Hollow Speedway was my 294th-lifetime track where I had seen racing. I didn’t begin writing my famous Trackchaser Reports until I had seen about 430 tracks. That was in the year 2000. I did write down a single note describing racing at Windy Hollow in 1996. It read, “rutty, dusty, poorly organized, in the boonies”. The year 2005 was when I returned only to arrive too late for the figure 8 racing. I did get the chance to stay for their regular stock car show on their permanent oval. It has been my “M.O.” to return as quickly as possible when I think I have been “aced out” of a new track visit by some unusual circumstance. Not having any lighting as the reason for running a race early in the program qualifies as an “unusual circumstance.” That being the case I was back in Owensboro in 2006. The figure 8 racers were on the schedule. I arrived on time only to learn the figure 8 race was canceled. Why? At the last minute, the promoter cut the F8 purse and the racers wouldn’t race. Say what? Folks, I don’t give up. I figure I can take out my anger on the people responsible for my lack of success in these reports. I returned to Owensboro in 2007 intent on seeing a figure 8 race. I did. Here’s the long and sordid story from that 2007 figure 8 racing visit to the Windy Hollow Speedway. If this doesn’t convince you that “trackchasing” can be a weird and off-beat hobby I don’t know what will. Reprinted with permission from my Sunday, July 22, 2007, Trackchaser Report. DAY 10 – MONSTER MIDWEST TOUR (LAST DAY!!) TODAY’S HEADLINES I have just seen the most difficult track to see countable racing at in my entire trackchasing career. It took me three times to get there, but I did it! It wasn’t just three regular attempts. It was three of the most difficult attempts to get a track that I have ever had. If this doesn’t show that I never give up, then nothing ever will. Now I can rest in peace………………..more in “This is what happened in 2005………”. Greetings from Owensboro, Kentucky, I woke up this morning in Owensboro, Kentucky. I went to sleep in Bridgeton, Missouri. I flew home to San Clemente on Monday Morning. This is what transpired today. 2005 This is how it happened in 2005 at the: WINDY HOLLOW SPEEDWAY, OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY I could have simply ended the Mercer County Fairgrounds, Celina, Ohio Trackchaser Report with this concise passage, “As I was leaving the fairgrounds this afternoon, I reassessed the long drive for tonight’s figure 8 races in Owensboro, Kentucky. The drive was simply too long and it would be better to drive back to the Detroit airport and get a good night’s rest for tomorrow’s flight to California.” However, I don’t trackchase like that. You get the entire story, even if the race doesn’t happen. You need to know why it didn’t happen and make your own judgments about who should be held responsible. I left the Mercer County Fairgrounds at about 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. I had seen about 10 heats and 2 features. I had a very nice afternoon of vintage antique racing. I can’t wait to do it again. My sixth and final planned race for this trackchasing weekend would be the figure 8s at the Windy Hollow Speedway (WHS) in Owensboro, Kentucky. Driving down to WHS would be an incremental 629-mile round-trip. If I chose not to visit that track then I would save the wear and tear on me and the 9.5 cents per mile in gasoline expenses ($59.76 total) for the 629 miles I had to drive. What was the reward? The reward would be seeing the WHS figure 8 track. That track would be my 960th career track. Back on October 4, 1996, I saw North Dakota’s Rick Auckland win the late model feature at WHS. They were not racing on the figure 8 track on that fall evening nearly 10 years ago. My research told me that when the figure 8 cars raced at WHS last month, they had seven cars in the one and only race they ran on the figure 8 track. A figure 8 race with this amount of cars should last around 8 minutes. It would be the only race on the figure 8 track during the entire evening. Yes, I was going to drive and did drive, 629 extra miles to see just eight minutes of racing. As you might guess, I did not see the race. Just as the help did not reach the victims quickly enough in the Hurricane Katrina storm, I didn’t reach the Windy Hollow Speedway quickly enough. Just like the hurricane relief situation, procedures must be reviewed so this doesn’t happen again. I’m going to need your help to decide who “screwed up”. If you have read this far, then you are one of my most dedicated Trackchaser Report readers. Let me know who you think was responsible here. Point #1 – I had emailed the track earlier in the week and asked what time the figure 8 race would likely begin. This is the reply I received, “Yes, we will be running the figure “8” this Sunday. We have to run the race before it gets dark. It’s usually around 7:30 or 8 when we run it.” With this in mind, I left the Mercer County Fairgrounds at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. That would make it 12:30 p.m. Central time, which is the time zone for the Windy Hollow Speedway. I wanted to arrive by about 6:30 p.m. The one-way drive was 336 miles long. My mapping software told me it would take 5 hours and 33 minutes. I ran into no traffic problems at all. I made three stops, each for less than five minutes to gas up, visit the restroom and order a Diet Coke and salad from McDonald’s which I didn’t eat until after I arrived at the track. Point #2 – I was using the National Speedway Directory track directions and a Rand McNally paper map as my primary guides once I got into the Owensboro area. Point #3 – I headed north on Route 81. I would later find out this was the wrong direction to drive on Route 81. After a while, it looked like I was lost. At a stoplight, I pulled up alongside a brand new Chevy pickup truck. I made the universal signal for the driver to roll down his window. Even though the driver was born after crank windows were no longer offered on 97% of all U.S. vehicles he understood what I wanted and lowered his window. I told him I was trying to get to the Windy Hollow Speedway. He nodded and gave me directions with confidence. That positive approach by him made me feel good and increased my faith in my fellow man. I would later come to find out he was directing me to nearby Kentucky Motor Speedway and in the totally wrong direction! Point #4 – When I was convinced that the driver’s directions in point #3 were getting me nowhere, I pulled into a convenience store. Just at that moment, one of the most stereotypical poor southerners was getting into his car. The car was beat up, the car’s interior headliner was drooping and the poor guy had a little boy in the passenger’s seat without a car seat. I considered making a 911 call and reporting him for a car seat violation. I passed on that call and asked him about Windy Hollow Speedway. At first, he seemed indecisive. That didn’t make me feel good. After some reflection, he told me I was headed to the wrong speedway and that I must turn around and drive 15 miles in the opposite direction. I thanked him and headed away as I made the 911 call to bust him. Just kidding!!! Point #5 – The setting sun was now a huge red ball of fire glaring into my front windshield. It was starting to fall fast in the sky now. It dawned on me that I may have driven 336 miles and would have nothing to show for it. I’ve cut it close many times in the past but I can’t remember ever being shut out. I reached the point in the road where I should have gone south on 81 rather than north. I saw a sign for the Windy Hollow Speedway. I followed the sign’s arrow. It took me off onto a rural road. This didn’t look right. I retraced my path of about two miles to look at the sign again. I decided to try following the arrow again and ended up out in the country. A lone pickup truck was coming toward me on the narrow two-lane road. I waved my hand for the driver to stop. He did. These folks in the south can be nice…even to a Yankee. I needed to back up about 75 yards on the narrow road to talk with him. He came me good directions, but he talked so slowly. I noticed he had a taillight that was out. I considered reporting him but decided against it. Kidding again! Point #7 – I was now driving at a rapid rate of speed. My last speeding ticket was in Illinois more than two years ago. If I got pulled over tonight, it would be a hefty penalty. I still had five miles to go and then two more miles of semi-residential road before I came upon the track. Fortunately, there were no children playing along the road in the rapidly approaching dusk. Point #8 – The first gate I saw turned out to be the pit entrance. I might need to storm the gate and pay later. I asked the woman if the figure 8 race had run yet. She didn’t know, but she thought so. I needed a much more definitive answer than that. They asked over the track radio if the race had run. The reply was, “They just completed the figure 8 feature”. It was 7:10 p.m. The track had told me the race would run at “7:30 or 8”. Those might have been the correct times in the middle of the summer but it was now nearly dark at only 7:10 p.m. Right about then I saw a figure 8 car pulling out of the pits already on its trailer. The race must have ended at least 15-20 minutes ago. I calmly walked over to the Budget Rental Car Racing Nissan Ultima and ate my McDonald’s salad in the dark. After I finished my salad, I then began my 455-mile drive back to the Detroit, Michigan airport. I had just enough time for the drive and eight hours in a motel. Now the rest is up to you. You make the call! Who is responsible for my not making it to the track on time? Was it the track’s email contact for not telling me the correct starting times for the figure 8 race? Was it the National Speedway Directory, and the Windy Hollow Speedway directions? Was it the driver of the new Chevy pickup truck who directed me to the Kentucky Motor Speedway and not Windy Hollow? Was it the poor guy in the beat-up Chevy Impala with the little boy who didn’t have a car seat, who experienced indecision during his giving of directions? Was it the farmer who stopped on the rural two-lane road and spoke so slowly that I may have missed the race? I will tell you who I think was at fault at the bottom of this report. Who was at fault? I can’t fault the track. I was in the Owensboro area well in advance of when the race really started. Could the track’s directional signs have been better? Yes, they could have. Could the track have had a phone number that was not busy from the time I first started calling until my last phone call at 7 p.m.? Yes, they could have. Could the track put up some lights for the figure 8 track? Yes, they could. I can’t fault the National Speedway Directory, the directions were O.K. The new blue Chevy pickup truck driver could have helped by not directing me to another track. What are the odds that two short tracks in rural Kentucky would be at opposite ends of the same road? How about the driver with the non-car seated little boy? He actually got me back on track. Could the rural farmer have spoken a little faster? Probably not. At least he stopped to help me. After a detailed review, I have decided who was at fault. Me! I made the wrong turn on route 81. It all started from there. If I make the correct turn, I make it to the track on time. If I had gone to my computer’s GPS system earlier than I did I would have made it. I’ll take 100% blame for missing my 960th track. There is good news. The figure 8 cars race on Sunday nights. I have almost no Sunday night opportunities in the area, so I can use the Windy Hollow Speedway as a Sunday fill-in next year. I may even make it a double with a Sunday afternoon race at Kentucky Speedway. Heck, I may even bring Carol along so she can get a triple with both WHS tracks and Kentucky Speedway. In my best Californian governor Austrian accent of Arnold Schwarzenegger, I offer this, “I’ll be back!” 2006 This is how it happened in 2006 at the: WINDY HOLLOW SPEEDWAY, OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY July 2, 2006 – As promised, I’m back! I was coming back to the Windy Hollow Speedway figure 8 track today, because of my own negligence last year. Back then, I drove more than 900 miles out of my way, only to miss the track because I played a travel hunch rather than using my GPS system. That hunch kept me driving around in circles until I finally found the track and the one and only figure 8 race of the night had already been run. Obviously, my error of last year, was on my mind as I hustled over to the Windy Hollow Speedway. Even though their less than complete answering machine message did not give an exact race starting time, I expected it to be 6 p.m. I arrived at exactly 6:04 p.m. I still didn’t know for sure if the figure 8 class was on tonight’s program. I pulled up to the pit shack to find out. I was smiling widely when both women working the pit entrance confirmed the figure 8s were racing. The grandstands were nearly full. This is a rundown track and the people look a little worse for the wear. My experiences tell me that people smoke more in Kentucky than in any other state I visit. This area of Kentucky as well as southern Ohio and West Virginia has that “Appalachian” look. It’s not a very attractive looking crew. The water trucks were on the track. It was almost 100 degrees. My plan was to stay in the car until I heard the beginning of racing. That took more than one hour! During that time, the crowd sat patiently with the sun in their eyes and all of the heat and humidity a Kentucky summer evening could muster up. The track didn’t even play music to entertain the folks. Finally, at about 7:15 p.m., some racecars appeared for the first race. I saw four heat races on the oval and the track was dusty from the very beginning. What had all of those water trucks been doing? It was starting to get dark. The figure 8 course in located in the infield of the oval. They do not have lights for the figure 8 track. That’s one of the reasons I missed the F8 last year. They had to run the figure 8s before it got too dark. After the four oval heat races, the water trucks were called to the track again. I figured they would throw some water on the bone dry and dusty infield so the figure 8s could slide around a bit. Three huge water trucks came out at the same time. They began watering the oval. I was getting somewhat concerned because they were not watering the figure 8 course. About that time, one of the trucks laid down some wet stuff in the general direction of the figure 8 track. I began to feel a sigh of relief. However, it was getting darker by the minute and almost all of the water was going onto the oval track that was getting muddier by the minute. I began to have a bad feeling. I decided to ask the flagman what was up. “Are the figure 8s racing tonight?” I asked. He simply shook his head “No.” When I asked why he just shrugged his shoulders. WTF? That was not a good enough answer for me after last years’ experience and the drive I had made today. I marched up to the announcing booth. What was up? The announcer who used to be the promoter told me the figure 8 cars had refused to run for a reduced purse. Why would they have to run for a reduced purse when the grandstand was nearly packed? “Where is the promoter”, I asked? “He’s running one of the water trucks,” the announcer told me. “But, you can go down to the office and talk to his wife.” I did just that. The promoter’s wife did not seem the least bit interested in my story about driving 900 miles last year or even the fact that the pit shack had confirmed the figure 8s were racing tonight. She was a southern lady and you can’t push southerners. They will just shut you out and “play ignorant” until you go away. She had a difficult time looking me in the eye. I asked her what reduced purse was being offered for the figure 8 drivers. “Two hundred dollars,” she sheepishly said. I was being aced out again by a slipshod racing organization. Nevertheless, I was reminded that racing is like golf. If you hit a bad shot, you are likely to get a bad lie. If I hadn’t screwed up last year, I would be dealing with these incompetent people again this year. I was simply being punished for my own incompetence. Nevertheless, how much punishment must I accept before I can get the reward? The very best thing about this near miss is that I only drove 34 miles out of my way. Driving from the Rock Castle race today to tomorrow night’s races in Topeka, Kansas had me nearly driving past tonight’s track in Owensboro, Kentucky. The really sad thing about all of this is that given the right circumstances I will return to the Windy Hollow Speedway in search of seeing just a handful of nearly used up and very beat up junkers race for six or eight laps. It’s simply what I do. 2007 This is how it happened in 2007 at the: WINDY HOLLOW SPEEDWAY, OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY July 23, 2007 – As promised, I’m back! Today I would be trying to get the figure 8 track at the Windy Hollow Speedway for the third time. They say, “the third time’s the charm” right? I would be doing my best not to repeat the mistakes I had made in the past. To begin with, I stayed at the Super 8 Motel right in Owensboro, Kentucky. My GPS unit told me the motel was only about 10 miles from the track. I had confirmed with the track’s announcer on Friday night at the High Banks Speedway that the figure 8 cars would race on Sunday night at the Windy Hollow Speedway. A call to the track told me “qualifying starts at 6 p.m.” From experience, I knew that the figure 8 race would run before it got dark since the figure 8 track is not lighted. Sunset is just past 8 p.m. in Owensboro at this time of year. I called the track back and got a live person. I asked when the figure 8 race would run. She told me she did not have the schedule and was unwilling to even hazard a guess. So, I guessed! It would have to start after 6 p.m. and before 8 p.m. I planned accordingly. Checkout time at the motel was 11 a.m. At exactly 11 a.m., the British Open Championship still had two holes to play before the champion was decided. I called down and ask for a late checkout of 12 noon. My request was granted. As luck would have it, the golf tournament went into a four-hole playoff. I figured I had better go down and make a face-to-face plea for an even later checkout time. Again, my request was granted. I didn’t end up leaving my room until the tournament was finished at 1:40 p.m. My next stop was for fuel. Fuel for the body that is. I stopped at the Long John Silver’s fast-food emporium. I had not stopped at one of these in years. The 10 fried shrimp, fried hush puppies and French fries were better than expected although my cholesterol may have taken a hit. It was now 3 p.m. on a warm sunny day. I decided to drive out to the track to confirm I knew where it was. The track is difficult to get to, but today I had a weapon I did not have in 2005. My portable GPS unit had a specific listing for the “Windy Hollow Raceway Park”. I guess that was the name of the Windy Hollow Speedway in the past. I went out to the track. It was easy to find today. I still had nearly three hours before anything was going to happen at the track. I had intended to spend the afternoon at the Ellis Park horseracing facility in nearby Henderson, Kentucky but when the British Open ran long that plan was aborted. I decided to go see a movie. A showing of “Sicko” by Michael Moore was showing at 3:55 p.m. It would be finished at just past 6 p.m. This would be cutting it close for the race, but I figured it would all work out. It would have been very embarrassing to miss the race for a third year in a row because I went to the movies! In order for me to see a Michael Moore movie, I must do it on my own time. Carol would not be caught dead seeing a movie like this. Mary and Michael Skonicki, please see this film and give me your assessment. I went directly from the movie house to the racetrack. Nothing much was happening except the water trucks were on the track putting down some moisture. It was now 6:30 p.m. Maybe they had already dispensed with qualifying. The invocation went on at 6:43 p.m. I bought a ticket for seven bucks. Then I waited in line for a BBQ sandwich and Diet Mountain Dew. I took my supper back to the car. I was not happy with the Windy Hollow Speedway due to my past experiences. I was determined to spend my time in the car finishing supper and wrapping up some lose correspondence ends. The track began to run oval track heat races. I was only yards from the track’s entrance, so it would be easy to come into the track when the figure 8 race was about to begin. After a few heat races, there was a lull in the program. I heard this announcement over the P.A. system, “Is Randy Lewis here?” Now, this is not something I hear at the track on a frequent basis. However, I knew that Steve Bridgmon, the High Banks Speedway announcer also worked at Windy Hollow. On Friday night, he told me he wanted to do another interview on Sunday at this track. By the way, Steve Bridgmon is a very experienced announcer. He does high profile Indiana high school basketball and football games for radio. He’ll be doing the Indiana state football championship game direct from the RCA Dome. Steve was most hospitable during my visit to the High Banks Speedway (Friday) and tonight at Windy Hollow. When I heard Steve’s announcement, I packed up the car and went up to the press box. Once inside Steve introduced me to everyone around. I met the primary announcer (former promoter at the Kentucky Motor Speedway) and the track’s owner. She leases out the oval track and the adjacent dragstrip, while she promotes another dragstrip on the same night. She’s a busy woman. All of the folks I met in the press box showed off their Kentucky hospitality. The figure 8 race was getting ready to begin. Steve did a short interview with me over the P.A. I told the crowd how difficult it had been for me to see the figure 8 race at the Windy Hollow Speedway in the past. When I finished, there was hardly a dry eye in the house! Steve said, “let’s go down on the track. You can get some great pictures from there”. We did. Tonight the four-cylinder figure 8 cars were racing on the smaller of the two figure 8 tracks at the Windy Hollow Speedway. The eight-cylinder cars race on a traditional figure 8 track that incorporates the turns of the 3/8 mile oval. The small figure 8 track uses the oval’s infield for their figure 8 turns. Steve and I walked down onto the front straight of the oval track. I was surprised by how tacky (sticky and muddy) this part of the track was. Steve motioned me out toward the figure 8 track where the figure 8 cars were running some practice laps at speed. We were just 10 feet or so from where the speeding cars came sliding out of the turn. These guys were crazy to be standing this close to these crazy drivers. I told them so with these words, “you guys are crazy to be standing here. I’ve going to move back and take pictures from a safer distance”. Someone mentioned that I needed to grow a bigger part of my existing anatomy. That’s O.K. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I’m not going to let an out of control figure 8 car break any of them. I did get some great pictures. The folks at the track could not have been nicer, most especially the track’s announcer Steve Bridgmon. Steven, thank you! As soon as the figure 8 race was finished I was outta there. I had a 222-mile drive to St. Louis to complete tonight. That would leave me with a 5:20 a.m. (3:20 a.m. San Clemente time) wake-up call. The figure 8 track was the easy part of today’s effort. Tomorrow’s travel after being gone for 10 full days would make for a complete day. Little did I know but the Windy Hollow Speedway was not finished kicking my butt. Yes, I could have come back to San Clemente on Sunday and bypassed the Windy Hollow Speedway figure 8 track. I could have been home in time to see the final day of the British Open. But no, I had to stay out one more day in order to get the most difficult track of all time. Here is what happened on my travel day on Monday as I tried to get home after being on the road for ten full days. It is stories like this that are likely to keep any current driving trackchasers from attempting to trackchase with the ferocity I do. STATE RANKINGS The Windy Hollow Speedway figure 8 track provided my 23rd-lifetime track in my grandmother’s home state. I am now tied for sixth place here with Ed Esser. The two of us trail Allan Brown’s total of 24 tracks. Rick Schneider leads in Kentucky with 44 states. RACE REVIEW – WINDY HOLLOW SPEEDWAY (FIGURE 8), OWENSBORO – TRACK #1,236 I’ll make this short and sweet. I finally saw four figure 8 cars race on the inner figure 8 track. The race didn’t last nearly as long as it took you to read this far. RENTAL CAR UPDATE St. Louis – Friday-Monday (10 day rental) I was pleased with the National Rental Car Racing Pontiac Grand Prix over the space of ten days. Of the cars I rent, this is probably my favorite model. I did grow a bit weary of XM radio’s incessant self-promotion of their own programs on their own satellite radio network. Can’t they sell any ads to real buyers? I drove the Grand Prix 2,839 miles. That distance coupled with the mileage from my other THREE rental cars on this trip gave me a total driving distance of 3,269 miles. I paid an average price of $3.05 per gallon. The GP gave me 25.9 M.P.G. in fuel mileage at a cost of 11.8 cents per mile. The car cost 13.4 cents per mile to rent, all taxes included because of the drop off charges. Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser I live in my own world. People know me here. AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA – St. Louis, MO – 1,591 miles RENTAL CAR – ST. LOUIS (1st RENTAL CAR) St. Louis International Airport – trip begins Troy, Missouri – 71 miles Pittsfield, Illinois – 132 miles Newton, Iowa – 403 miles Osage, Iowa – 583 miles Scottsburg, Indiana – 1,289 miles AIRPLANE Cincinnati, OH – Grand Rapids, MI – 268 miles RENTAL CAR – GRAND RAPIDS (2ND RENTAL CAR OF TRIP) Gerald R. Ford International Airport – trip begins Hastings, MI – 25 miles Gerald R. Ford International Airport – 59 miles – trip ends AIRPLANE Grand Rapids, MI – Cincinnati, OH – 268 miles Cincinnati, OH – Harrisburg, PA – 429 miles RENTAL CAR – HARRISBURG, PA (3rd RENTAL CAR OF TRIP) Harrisburg International Airport-Olmstead Field – trip begins Hughesville, PA – 95 miles Lehigh Valley International Airport – 231 miles – trip ends AIRPLANE Allentown, PA – Cincinnati, OH – 503 miles RENTAL CAR – ST. LOUIS Cincinnati – Northern Kentucky Airport – trip resumes Muncie, Indiana – 1,511 miles Hartford, Michigan – 1,744 miles Philpot, Kentucky – 2,181 miles Bone Gap, Illinois – 2,312 miles Madisonville, Kentucky – 2,506 miles Owensboro, Kentucky – 2,598 miles St. Louis International Airport – 2,839 miles – trip ends AIRPLANE St. Louis, MO – San Diego, CA – 1,560 miles RENTAL CAR – SAN DIEGO, CA (4TH RENTAL CAR OF TRIP) San Diego International Airport – trip begins Los Angeles International Airport – 130 miles – trip ends Total Air miles – 4,619 (6 flights) Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 7,888 miles TRACK ADMISSION PRICES: Lincoln County Fairgrounds – $20 Pike County Speedway – Free (normally $3 for fan 55 & older) Iowa Speedway – $30 Mitchell County Fairgrounds – $15 (pit pass) Scott County Fairgrounds – $8 Barry County Fairgrounds – $14 (Fair-$5 & Figure 8 race-$9) Lycoming County Fairgrounds – $13 (Fair-$3 & Figure 8 race-$10) plus $2 parking Delaware County Fairgrounds – $5 Van Buren County Youth Fairgrounds – $8 (Fair-$5 & race $3) High Banks Speedway – $7 SOIL MX – $10 Western Kentucky Speedway – $10 Windy Hollow Speedway – $7 Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $147 RANKINGS LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE: There are no trackchasers currently within 100 tracks of my lifetime total. Other notables These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus) of Carol’s current trackchaser total. 2007 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS Tracks have been reported by 37 different worldwide trackchasers this season. I was seriously pondered making this a 12-day “Monster Midwest” tour rather than just 10 days. Toward the end of the trip, I even began wearing some clothing for the second day in a row (but not the shirt I wore to the Windy Hollow Speedway!) in order to have enough clothes to last 12 days. However, good reason came over me. Had I stayed out 12 days, I would have been home only 12 hours before the next trip was to begin! By the time you read this, Trackchasing’s First Mother and I will be in Wyoming on our next trackchasing trip. By the way, the first person, and only the first person responding, who can tell me what the capital of Wyoming is will receive an In N Out Burgers t-shirt in his/her own personal size choice. Editor’s note: Prize has been claimed. 1,139. Meremere Dirt Track Club, Meremere, New Zealand – January 1 1,140. Meeanee Speedway, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand – January 1 1,141. Top of the South Speedway, Richmond, New Zealand – January 2 1,142. Woodford Glen Speedway, Christchurch, New Zealand – January 3 1,143. Robertson Holden International Speedway, Palmerston North, New Zealand – January 5 1,144. Taupo Motorsports Park, Taupo, North, New Zealand – January 6 1,145. Waikaraka Park International Speedway, Auckland, New Zealand – January 6 1,146. Angels Stadium of Anaheim (inner oval), Anaheim, California – January 13 1,147. Angels Stadium of Anaheim (outer oval), Anaheim, California – January 13 1,148. West Valley Speedway, Surprise, Arizona – January 14 1,149. Sandia Motorsports Park (road course), Albuquerque, New Mexico – January 28 1,150. Grand Prix De Lanaudiere, Lavaltrie, Quebec, Canada – February 3 1,151. Ste-Eulalie Ice Track, Eulalie, Quebec, Canada – February 4 1,152. St Guillaume, St Guillaume, Quebec, Canada – February 4 1,153. Caldwell Rodeo Arena, Caldwell, Idaho – February 10 1,154. Balsam Lake Ice Track, Balsam Lake, Wisconsin – February 18 1,155. Northeast Pond Ice Track, Milton, New Hampshire – February 24 1,156. Lee Pond Ice Track, Moultonborough, New Hampshire – February 25 1,157. New Hendry Country Speedway, Clewiston, Florida – March 3 1,158. Florida Sports Park, Naples, Florida – March 4 1,159. Honeoye Lake Ice Track – Road Course, Honeoye, New York – March 10 1,160. Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas – March 16 1,161. Houston Motorsports Park, Houston, Texas – March 16 1,162. Dawgwood Speedway, Chatsworth, Georgia – March 17 1,163. Toccoa Speedway, Toccoa, Georgia – March 17 1,164. Tazewell Speedway, Tazewell, Tennessee – March 18 1,165. Malden Speedway, Malden, Missouri, Tennessee – March 23 1,166. Dacosa Speedway, Byhalia, Mississippi – March 24 1,167. Swinging Bridge Raceway, Byram, Mississippi – March 24 1,168. Florence Motor Speedway, Florence, South Carolina – March 25 1,169. Foothills Raceway, Easley, South Carolina – March 30 1,170. Mileback Speedway, Gray Court, South Carolina – March 30 1,171. Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida – April 1 1,172. Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas, Nevada – April 8 1,173. Huntsville Speedway, Huntsville, Alabama – April 13 1,174. Low Country Kartway, Aynor, South Carolina – April 14 1,175. Dillon Motor Speedway, Dillon, South Carolina – April 14 1,176. Valley Dirt Riders, Berthoud, Colorado – April 15 1,177. Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Lancaster, California – April 22 1,178. Sertoma Speedway, Tularosa, New Mexico – April 27 1,179. Sandia Motorsports Park (outer oval), Albuquerque, New Mexico – April 28 1,180. Sandia Motorsports Park (inner oval), Albuquerque, New Mexico – April 28 1,181. Hollywood Hills Speedway, San Felipe Pueblo, New Mexico – April 29 1,182. Meridian Speedway, Meridian, Idaho – May 11 1,183. Diamond Mountain Speedway, Vernal, Utah, Idaho – May 12 1,184. Rocky Mountain Raceways (oval), Salt Lake City, Utah – May 12 1,185. Rocky Mountain Raceways (figure 8), Salt Lake City, Utah – May 12 1,186. Modoc Speedway, Modoc, South Carolina – May 18 1,187. Possum Kingdom Super Speedway, Belton, South Carolina – May 19 1,188. Laurens County Speedway, Laurens, South Carolina – May 19 1,189. Fairplex at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, Pomona, California – May 20 1,190. Lowes Motor Speedway (inner oval), Concord, North Carolina – May 24 1,191. Lowes Motor Speedway (road course), Concord, North Carolina – May 24 1,192. Madison International Speedway (inner oval), Oregon, Wisconsin – May 25 ** Madison International Speedway (outer oval), Oregon, Wisconsin – May 25 1,193. Thunderbird Stadium (figure 8), Bremerton, Washington – May 26 1,194. Thunderbird Stadium (oval), Bremerton, Washington – May 26 1,195. Whispering Pines Motorsports Park, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada – May 27 1,196. Magic Valley Speedway, Twin Falls, Idaho – May 28 1,197. Owyhee Motorcycle Raceway Park, Boise, Idaho – June 1 1,198. Race City Motorsports Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada – June 2 1,199. Edmonton International Raceway, Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada – June 2 1,200. Castrol Raceway, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – June 2 1,201. Hidden Valley Motorsports Park, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada – June 2 1,202. Boyd’s Speedway, Ringgold, Georgia – June 8 1,203. Fayette County Fairgrounds, Washington Courthouse, Ohio – June 9 1,204. Brush Creek Motorsports Park, Pebbles, Ohio – June 9 1,205. Brown County Speedway, Russellville, Ohio – June 9 1,206. Vinton Speedway, Vinton, Ohio – June 10 1,207. Hilltop Speedway, Millersburg, Ohio – June 10 1,208. I-70 Speedway – dirt (outer oval), Odessa, Missouri – June 13 1,209. L A Raceway, La Monte, Missouri – June 14 1,210. Valley Speedway, Grain Valley, Missouri – June 22 1,211. Jamaica Raceway, Jamaica, Iowa – June 23 1,212. Calhoun County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Rockwell City, Jamaica, Iowa – June 23 ** Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, Iowa – June 23 (new for Carol only) ** Iowa Speedway (outer oval), Newton, Iowa, Iowa – June 24 (new for Carol only) 1,213. Butler Motor Speedway, Butler, Missouri – June 24 ** Peoria Speedway, Peoria, Illinois – June 25 1,214. Kart Kanyon Raceway, Aztec, New Mexico – June 30 1,215. Aztec Speedway, Aztec, New Mexico – June 30 1,216. Sunvalley Speedway, Vernon, British Columbia, Canada – July 1 1,217. Georgetown Speedway, Georgetown, Delaware – July 6 1,218. Delmarva Motorsports Park, Middleford, Delaware – July 6 1,219. Hunterstown Speedway, Hunterstown, Pennsylvania – July 7 1,220. Shippensburg Speedway, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania – July 7 (Randy only) ** Hagerstown Speedway, Hagerstown, Maryland – July 7 (new for Carol only) 1,221. Blanket Hill Speedway, Whitesburg, Pennsylvania – July 8 1,222. Lincoln County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Troy, Missouri – July 13 1,223. Pike County Speedway, Pittsfield, Illinois – July 13 1,224. Iowa Speedway (road course), Newton, Iowa – July 14 1,225. Mitchell County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Osage, Iowa – July 14 1,226. Scott County Fairgrounds (oval), Scottsburg, Indiana – July 15 1,227. Barry Expo Center (figure 8), Hastings, Michigan – July 16 1,228. Lycoming County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Hughesville, Pennsylvania, Michigan – July 17 1,229. Delaware County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Muncie, Indiana – July 18 1,230. Delaware County Fairgrounds (oval), Muncie, Indiana – July 18 1,231. Van Buren County Youth Fairgrounds (road course), Hartford, Michigan – July 19 1,232. High Banks Speedway (oval), Philpot, Kentucky – July 20 1,233. High Banks Speedway (figure 8), Philpot, Kentucky – July 20 1,234. SOIL MX, Bone Gap, Illinois – July 21 1,235. Western Kentucky Speedway, Madisonville, Kentucky – July 21 ** Windy Hollow Speedway (oval), Owensboro, Kentucky – July 22 1,236. Windy Hollow Speedway (small figure 8), Owensboro, Kentucky – July 22 2020 Now…13 years later let’s return to see what might come out of my 2020 visit to the Windy Hollow Speedway in search of seeing some racing on their road course configuration. If you thought my visits to WHS in 2005, 2006 and 2007 were screwed up wait until you read about what happened in 2020. This morning I woke up in Columbia, Missouri. Since I will be driving right through St. Louis, Missouri I had a change in plans with my rental car strategy. Initially, I planned to rent my car for two days picking up in St. Louis and dropping in St. Louis. That had to change. When the flight opportunities getting me back from St. Louis to Los Angeles on Monday didn’t look good I sought out an alternative. I found that I could grab a nonstop flight on Monday morning from Nashville to Los Angeles. However, that new airplane opportunity necessitated a change in rental car usage. Now rather than renting my car in St. Louis for two days I would rent it for only one day. Sometime before 12:12 p.m. today (12:12 p.m. was when my rental car contract began yesterday) I would need to return my rental car. Upon return, I would close out the contract in St. Louis after only one day’s usage. I instructed the National Car Rental agent to close out that contract without me ever leaving the driver’s seat or moving my gear out of the car. When he did that I simply made a U-turn and exited the rental car lot to begin a new one-way rental contract picking up in St. Louis and dropping in Nashville. For some reason, the one-way rental rate for a luxury car was $10 less than a regular-sized car. I don’t make the rules I just play by them. I rented the luxury car for 10 bucks less but begin my new rental contract on the way to Nashville in a Chevy Malibu, definitely not a luxury car. Anyway, I saved $10. The drive over to Owensboro, Kentucky site of tonight’s racing at the Windy Hollow Speedway was for the most part uneventful. I did make a quick stop at the Waffle House at the St. Louis airport area for a quick waffle and large bowl of grits. My southern readers have convinced me that salt and butter are the best way to dress down a bowl of grits. I was using my third free waffle coupon for being a member of the Waffle House Regular’s Club in the past two weeks. All was good in the socially distanced Waffle House. Along the way, I stopped in a series of highway rest areas. Each time I did I walked a minimum of a half-mile. Since I was spending so much of the time driving today I would need to get in my four miles of powerwalking when and wherever I could. Once I arrived in downtown Owensboro I put in another mile. Owensboro doesn’t look to be all that prosperous from what I can see as an outside tourist. Tonight racing was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. I arrived at 6:01 p.m. with ten single dollar bills. I have been raiding my folder of dollar bills that had accumulated over the past year to get me into these races. This almost made getting into the race seem like it was free but of course, it wasn’t. When I looked into the large grandstand to select a seat I was shocked. This place was packed. There was no social distancing and there was no mask-wearing. I haven’t seen a grandstand this full since I can’t remember. I selected a seat about midway up into the grandstand just to the left of the flagman. It wasn’t the best location. The family on my right had three little kids who were nonstop motion machines. The couple in front of me were smokers. That was until the lady with the three kids asked him not to smoke “in front of her kids”. Good for her. Soon the smokers left leaving the bench in front of me open so I could stretch my legs. Tonight there were four classes of lower-level stock cars racing on Windy Hollow’s dirt oval track. Tonight was their special “King of the Hollow” promotion. They’ve been doing that for a long time. As mentioned I had already seen racing on that configuration. Tonight I have come to Windy Hollow for one very specific reason. I needed to see racing on their “roval“. I called the Windy Hollow Speedway earlier in the week. They told me there would be one and only one race on the roval. It would be the last race of the night. That wasn’t great news. The weather forecast called for clear skies all night long. I wouldn’t have a problem with the weather but I might have a problem with time. The announcer told everyone there were more than 120 cars in the pit area. That fact would probably make the running of the roval as the last race of the night even later. According to some of the leading members of the trackchasing hierarchy, southern racing doesn’t start on time. That may be true but it’s a little bit like the pot calling the kettle black. These guys who live in rural Pennsylvania want to make themselves sound more sophisticated than people from the south. In reality, their living conditions are pretty much just like living in Alabama. The south can be tardy but that is also a characteristic shared with much of short track racing…anywhere. Tonight they didn’t turn their first lap of heat racing until about 7:15 p.m. We were not off to a good start time-wise. When the races were over I need to make a more than 2-hour drive down to the Nashville International Airport. Tomorrow morning I had an 8:30 a.m. flight scheduled to take me back to my generic big city hometown of Los Angeles, California. Tonight had to be one of my most unusual nights of trackchasing ever. That combined with my weird visits to Windy Hollow Speedway in 2005, 2006 and 2007 made the WHS possibly my weirdest track ever to visit…for so many reasons. Talk about weird. How likely were the following things to happen in just one night of race watching? While we waited for the actual racing to begin a large dog roamed throughout the stands. The canine even came up from behind me in the middle of the grandstands and licked me. If you’re a race fan how often have you seen a large dog unleashed in the stands? Then during one of the heat races, a car caught on fire. Initially, the fire was located around the engine area but soon the entire interior of the car burst into tall flames with the driver inside. Don’t miss the video. Fortunately, the racer was OK. How often will you see a fire like that at the track? Then about midway during the program, the backstretch lights went out. Oh my. I was at a track in Colorado a couple of years ago with Carol when the lights went out. We had already seen racing on the one configuration that I had been to before but the configuration that I have never seen still hadn’t been used yet. They never did get those lights fixed. We never did see racing on that second configuration which totally bummed us out. Fortunately after a 20-minute wait or maybe more they were able to get the lights repaired. How often do you go to the races and the lights fail? Yes, it happens but not often. The announcer told us that during a couple of races drivers had been disqualified I think because of rough driving. That happened tonight during a feature race. When the driver learned of his disqualification the offending driver would not leave the track. The flagman displayed the red flag. Still the driver the disqualified driver wouldn’t leave. The track’s management sent the Windy Hollow Speedway wrecker crew to move the car. When the driver saw what was happening he backed up his car away from the wrecker and sat still. Then two sheriffs cars rolled onto the track and surrounded everyone. At that point, the driver slammed his car into first gear, spun the tires and drove off splitting the two sheriff’s vehicles. As he exited the track at turn one he did a mini 360° burnout and headed off toward the pits with both sheriff’s cars in hot pursuit. Please don’t miss the video! The cops with their flashers on 100% stayed in this driver’s pit area for more than 30 minutes. Then the kicked out of the arena driver loaded up and headed on out. There were a series of yellow flag delays during the roval racing tonight. I would say they were a little bit slow in removing the disabled cars. Then a yellow flag came out and there was no apparent reason why the race was being slowed. What was causing this yellow flag delay? The dog that had been licking me earlier in the program was now out on the track running faster than any greyhound I’ve ever seen. They had to throw the yellow flag because the dog was running up and down and all over turns three and four. Soon they were able to open up the gate that separates the spectator side from the race track underneath the flag stand. The dog found that exit and ran full speed up to its owner seated midway in the stands. What a weird circumstance! Another yellow flag happened when one of the drivers overshot turns three and four and ran over the bank and out of sight. This looked like a bad accident. What was the cause? The announcer came over the PA system to explain. He told us the cause of the yellow flag was that the steering wheel came off in the hands of the driver! Wow! Folks, I simply can’t make this stuff up. I’m not that smart. However, I did know this. I had now seen racing on the oval, figure 8 and roval configurations at the Windy Hollow Speedway. Will I ever return to this track? I never say never! Tonight’s racing was supposed to begin at 6 p.m. The last race of the night, the race on the roval, took the checkered flag at 1:11 a.m. I did take a break during the race action to visit the concession stand. I downed a delicious foot-long hot dog with bacon (a buck extra) and cheese. My break also allowed me to make a quick tour through the pit area. Since a pit pass tonight was $30 U.S. I had elected to pay the $10 admission price. I figured I had gone through enough tonight to get a “complimentary” walk-though of the pits. I would not arrive back in the greater Nashville area until a bit later than 3:30 a.m. after the racing. There would be no time for a hotel. There would be enough time to get about three hours of sleep in my rental car. That was really my only good option. The next morning, Monday, I grabbed a non-stop flight back to LAX. I was dragging just a bit but then I am built for this kind of travel. I had just enough energy to have lunch at son J.J.’s with Dustin and Florian. I enjoyed that. If you have read this far you now have a good sense of exactly what trackchasing can be about. It certainly was on this return trip to the Windy Hollow Speedway! Good evening from Owensboro, Kentucky. Randy Lewis – 85 countries – 2,652 tracks. Kentucky The Bluegrass State This evening I saw racing at my 55th-lifetime track in the Bluegrass State, yes, the Bluegrass State. I hold the #1 trackchasing ranking in Kentucky. Kentucky ranks #15, amongst all the states, in tracks seen for me in the U.S. Here’s a link to my all-time Kentucky state trackchasing list. I have made 36 separate trips to Kentucky seeing these tracks. 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 Kentucky sayings: Close that door; you weren’t raised in a barn? AKA self-explanatory, unless said person was raised in a barn. Mind you, barns on an upscale farm were nicer than houses in an impoverished community. JUST THE FACTS 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 780 tracks of my lifetime total. Don’t blame me. Total Trackchasing Countries My nearest trackchasing competitor, a native of Belgium, has seen racing in more than 30 fewer countries compared to my lifetime total. Current lifetime National Geographic Diversity results That’s all folks! Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report Click on the link below to see the video production from the racing action today. Click on the link below for a photo album from today’s trackchasing day. You can view the album slide by slide or click on the “slide show” icon for a self-guided tour of today’s trackchasing adventure. My 2006 visit to Windy Hollow…shut out! My 2007 visit to see figure 8 racing at Windy Hollow 2020 – My fifth trip to Windy Hollow…this time for the roval racing 
WINDY HOLLOW SPEEDWAY (FIGURE 8)
UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS
RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2007
(** not the first time to visit this track)
