I first visited the Auto City Speedway on June 8, 2000.  The track was the 426th of my trackchasing career.  I didn’t begin writing my famous Trackchaser Reports until about track #430.  My first visit to Auto City just missed that cut off!  My limited notes do tell me that Stan Boyd #89 was the main event winner that day. This was a special Thursday night show.  Racing buddy Jim Sabo joined me for the fun.

 

 

Some nine years later Carol and I ventured back to Clio, Michigan.  On this night I would add the track’s inner oval and figure 8 tracks to my lifetime totals.  Those were lifetime tracks #1,492 and #1,493.  Carol would score a “triple” on this day, September 12, 2009 with her first visit to the Auto City Speedway outer oval.

 

 

Please don’t miss my recollections of that 2009 trackchasing visit to the Auto Club Speedway.  It’s right behind the tab, “2009 visit”.  You will likely also want to view the photo album from that day of trackchasing.

 

 

Reprinted with permission from my September 12, 2009 Trackchaser Report.

 

 

 

DAY 7 – “THIS IS NOT A TEST…OF MY PINPOINT AIRSTRIKE CAPABILITY” TRACKCHASING TOUR

 

 

TRACKCHASING ALERT!

My attempt to set a record for consecutive days of flying in the pursuit of the trackchasing hobby continues. This was day #6 of the planned nine-day travel scheme.

 

 

Day #1 – September 6 – fly – Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TX

(Additional driving distance – 308 miles)

 

 

Day #2 – September 7 – fly – Dallas, TX to Chicago, IL and then Chicago, IL to Des Moines, IA

(Additional driving distance – 244 miles)

 

 

Day #3 – September 8 – fly – Des Moines, IA to Minneapolis, MN

(Additional driving distance – 395 miles)

 

 

Day #4 – September 9 – fly – Minneapolis, MN to Detroit, MI

(Additional driving distance – 73 miles)

 

 

Day #5 – September 10 – Randy’s flight – Detroit, MI to Des Moines, IA; Carol’s flights – Orange County, CA to Denver, CO to Des Moines, IA

(Additional driving distance – 113 miles)

 

 

Day #6 – September 11 – Randy and Carol’s flights – Des Moines, IA to Chicago, IL to Milwaukee, WI

(Additional driving distance – 390 miles)

 

 

Day #7 – September 121 – Randy and Carol’s flights – Milwaukee, WI to Detroit, MI

(Additional driving distance – 191 miles)

 

 

 

 

RANLAY RACING EXCLUSIVE!!

Trackchasing sharing……I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!

 

 

  

Some people are taking advantage.

That’s right! We have people taking advantage of the trackchasing information sharing system. Most people believe it is better to give than to receive. However, enough is enough. I don’t think the phrase, “it’s better to give than receive” also was meant to mean, “It’s better to take and to take and never give anything back”!

 

 

Editor’s note:  These URLs were active in 2009.  They may not be current today.

 

 

Let me explain what I’m talking about. The top 40 trackchasers as listed by www.autoracingrecords.com have made 25,707 track visits.

 

 

Click here to see the complete top 40 list: http://autoracingrecords.com/tc/statlife.php. The list starts with me (1,486 tracks) and ends with trackchaser #40 Brian Hickey who has been to 275 tracks. By the way, the Auto Racing Records site is normally a few tracks in arrears when it comes to the most up to date totals.

  

 

We have several people doing the right thing.

We have several trackchasers who share important information about trackchasing. Those folks apparently feel “it’s more important to give than it is to receive”. On the other hand, we have some trackchasers whose behavior seems to indicate it’s better “to take and then take some more”.

 

 

Sharing can take place in many forms. Some trackchasers share information via their websites. Others write track reports after they’ve seen a race. Still others share upcoming race dates with their fellow competitors. Then there are others who don’t share a $%#^^$& with the trackchasing group. I’m hoping to turn the “spotlight of shame” onto those folks in the hopes they will come to their senses and begin to share with others.

 

 

Some trackchasers write stories for racing papers. I don’t know about you, but I operate on a pretty austere budget. I certainly don’t have the funds to buy a year’s subscription to every racing periodical on the planet. When I talk about sharing I’m talking about providing information for free to any trackchaser who wants to get it anytime 24/7. 

 

 

Who are these good deeders?

Let me take a moment and tell you about the trackchasers who are doing a great job of sharing. I’ll start at the top of the list and move on down. Each trackchasers current rank will be in ( ).

  

 

Randy Lewis (1) – If you’re getting my Trackchaser Reports directly then you receive my form of sharing in that manner. Others will see these reports via my website at www.ranlayracing.com. I provide thousands of photos each year on the tracks I visit. I also try to provide information on hotels, things to do in the area and tons of other money-saving ideas so the cash-strapped trackchaser can get on down the road to see more and more tracks.

 

 

Guy Smith (2) – Guy is probably the foremost sharer of future track dates of anyone I know. He has greatly improved in this area over the years. Guy also does a nice job of recapping his at the track activities on a weekly basis via the trackchasing forum. You can view all messages on this forum by going to the Yahoo Groups website and searching for the trackchasers group.

 

 

 

Ed Esser (3) – Ed writes a short and concise recap from each track he visits. He pretty much sticks to the facts of who, what and where. Ed also operates a website at www.2arace.com. If you visit his site, you will see a picture of Ed proudly displaying his “Cheese” award. Ed “gets a little behind” in telling folks about those unique upcoming race dates he attends. This is not a criticism of Ed I do the same thing.

 

 

Allan Brown (5) – Allan has just dropped out of the trackchaser forum over philosophical differences with various members of the group. Nevertheless, Allan maintains a website at www.speedwaysonline.com. This site has one of the very best schedule lists of virtually every major sanctioning body in the U.S. and Canada. I’ve used this information several times this year.

 

 

Andy Sivi (7) – Once, one of the foremost trackchasers in the entire hobby Andy doesn’t trackchase much anymore. He’s only been to five tracks in 2009. However, Andy can usually be counted on to share a report via the trackchaser forum.

 

 

Roland Vanden Eynde (12) – Roland does most of his trackchasing in Europe as he lives in Belgium. He can always be counted on to provide a report following any races he sees. Roland does one of the better jobs of covering non-racing activities such as restaurants, hotels and the like. Unfortunately, 95% of the trackchasers will never set foot in most of the countries where Roland goes so his information can’t be used personally by many people.

 

 

Will White – center above (13) – Will maintains the website, www.autoracingrecords.com. This is the website I use for two major information searches. First, Will keeps track of all the trackchaser standings. If you’ve never gone to this site and want to know who the #1 trackchaser is in Indiana or who has seen the most indoor tracks, etc. etc. this is the place to go. I also use his site to see lists and links of tracks in the U.S. and all over the world. His site has helped me get going with my international trackchasing adventures. Will doesn’t trackchaser as much as he once did but he always writes a report about what he has seen. He is also good about sharing future race dates.

 

 

Bruce Eckel (20) and Pat Eckel (21) – The racing Eckels write a report for the racing website, www.gaternews.com. I rarely have time to “pull” racing results related information from the internet. I favor the “push” method where information is sent to me. Nevertheless, the Eckels are sharing their race information with anyone who wants to see it. 

 

 

Brian Hickey (40) – Brian is new to the group and brings up the rear for the top 40 trackchasers. I’ve seen him share a few dates here and there.

 

 

**** I will have to give Gordon Killian (4) a pass in this evaluation. The staff at RANLAY Racing doesn’t accept contributions from him so I don’t know if he shares information on the races he sees or not.

 

 

 

***** Ron Rodda (33) – Ron writes a column for the Hawkeye Racing News. This does not “qualify” in my book for free trackchaser information. However, because HRN is one of the two racing papers I get I notice his contributions, which I enjoy very much.

 

 

***** Rick Young – Rick does not rank in the top 40 but has his own website at http://www.rickattheraces.com/. Rick provides lots of photos and historical remembrances from his days of English racing as well as his current racing visits primarily in Canada.

 

 

There are a few other non top-40 trackchasers who contribute from time to time as well. Good for them.

 

 

 

We don’t have enough people doing the right thing.

There you have it! Out of the top 40 trackchasers we have just ten that are sharing information, without charge, about their trackchasing activities. Other trackchasers who might like to visit the tracks already seen by others can get valuable information to make their trip easier and more enjoyable. When people don’t share their experiences other members of the group lose out.

 

 

Although the picture is bleak there are a couple of other things to consider. First, two of our top 40 are deceased. A few other trackchasers have cut back to just about no trackchasing whatsoever. I guess a couple of others might not have much internet access. Although those folks somehow manage to be in on the latest trackchasing information that is only available from the net.

 

 

I know that nearly 100% of the trackchasers I meet each year are regular readers of my reports. They either get them directly or via my website. How do I know this? They are always quoting one activity or another that could only be known via my reports. 

 

 

Don’t be a ‘taker’.

My main concern is for those trackchasers in the top 40 who have seen hundreds of tracks and aren’t contributing anything too the broader group. I see them as “takers”. Yes, they are more than willing to take information from other people via email and trackchasing oriented websites. However, they are unwilling to share information with the broader group. These folks should be ashamed of their one-way behavior.

 

 

Of course, I will be criticized for bringing this up. I have broad shoulders. I say don’t “murder the messenger”. The facts are the facts. Anyone who doubts the accuracy of the above can do one of two things: 1) Check out the messages for the Yahoo Groups trackchaser forum. There you can see who has posted and whether or not they have shared anything with the group. By the way, I’m not talking about sharing something once a year or when someone else specifically asks them too.

 

 

2) Do a Google search and see if the trackchaser operates a website for information sharing or does any internet writing that is available to the public at no charge and any time of the day.

 

 

It’s time for people to stop ripping off the system. If you are guilty of using other people’s information sharing, then I challenge you to make a contribution to the group. Sharing is a two-way street and no one likes a person who drives the wrong way done a one-way street.

 

 

If you don’t share, don’t take. If you don’t take, don’t be offended. If you want to continue to take, then share. Sharing can take whatever form makes sense as long it is available to everyone without charge.

 

 

Greetings from Clio, Michigan

 

 

 

TODAY’S HEADLINES

Maybe if our rules were different or the hobby was less competitive things would have turned out differently. …………..details in “The Objective”.

 

 

Seven straight days of flying and I’m still out on the road……………….more in “The Trip”.

 

 

It always fun to see how two people look at the same sets of circumstances differently. …………..details in “The People”.

 

 

What do you get when you have a great restaurant, a great announcing team and an ill-behaved driver? …………..details in “Race Review”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE OBJECTIVE, THE TRIP, THE PEOPLE…AND A WHOLE LOT MORE

 

 

 

The Objective 

 

 

I came to the track in an anxious state of mind.

I was anxious to see what tonight’s race program at the Auto City Speedway had in store for Carol and me. Trackchaser Guy Smith and his wife visited this track just weeks ago. They did not have a positive experience. They both agreed this was the worst program they had seen all year.

 

 

I’ll talk more about this in the “People” section of this report. However, this racing program was made slightly worse by the current trackchasing rules and the overall competiveness of our hobby.

  

 

This was my cause of concern.

Here’s the issue at hand. The Smiths were interested in staying to the very last minute at this program. Did they want to see how the very last race was run at midnight after sitting in the grandstands for nearly six hours? Sort of! You see the one and only figure 8 race was the last race of the night. They would have to stay for six hours to see this one race so the figure 8 race could be counted. 

 

 

  

Maybe if the rules had been different.

If Allan Brown had not proposed the rule that we trackchasers could count figure 8 tracks, the Smiths would have been on their way much earlier in the evening and I doubt very much the Auto City Speedway would have earned a “double thumbs down” from the Pennsylvania couple. 

 

 

Maybe if the hobby was less competitive.

Additionally, if the hobby was not as competitive as it is, the Smith’s might have looked at each other and said, “This program is dragging. We’ve seen enough. Let’s get out of here”. However, this is not how it is done in trackchasing. The Smith’s made the long trek from Pennsylvania to Michigan to see racing on the tracks’ inner oval, outer oval and figure 8 track. The program could have run until 3 a.m. and the Smiths would have stayed in their seats until the figure 8 race was run. 

 

 

Would the Lewis’ have behaved any differently?

Would the Lewis’ have done it any differently. The short answer is “No”. The long answer is “Hell no”.

 

 

 

The Trip

 

 

Seven straight days of flying.

Today was my seventh consecutive day of flying. When I fly standby it’s best to take the first flight of the day. That’s true for several reasons. The first flight of the day is less likely to be canceled or delayed. The airline has had all night to get the plane ready. In addition, since the flight originates in its morning location, it can’t be late coming from somewhere else.

 

 

I am also counting on the “inherent laziness” of my fellow man. Folks might sleep late and have a “I’ll take a later flight mentality”. I’ve gone a long way in life understanding and exploiting this human phenomenon.

 

 

   

The early bird gets the worm.

Having a policy of “taking the first flight” is not that great for my sleep patterns however. I usually don’t get out of the racetrack from the night before until 10 or 11 p.m. Then I have to drive from wherever that track is located to the airport. I try to grab a hotel near the airport so my early morning drive won’t be far. Then it’s up bright and early (about two hours before flight time) to return the rental car, get my boarding passes and clear airport security in order to make a 6 or 7 a.m. flight.

 

 

As you can see I didn’t just fly on seven consecutive days. I’ve also driven more than 1,700 miles with the seven rental cars I’ve had. Of course, each of those rental cars had to be refueled at least once. You can imagine what my credit card statement looks like with a minimum of one gas charge, one rental car, one hotel room and lots of restaurant charges EVERY day for several days. I’m just trying to be an “active senior”.

 

 

The Detroit airport is worth the visit.

We spent two hours in the airport in Detroit just having lunch and admiring the wide spectrum of shopping opportunities. This airport has changed from one of the worst to one of the best. If you get the chance fly through Detroit. Don’t miss the photos and my “customized chili” at www.ranlayracing.com.

  

 

Carol gets the very best treatment.

Carol and I stayed in the Detroit Airport Marriott. This is the same hotel I stayed in a couple of nights ago when I came through Detroit. Marriott’s are upscale hotels. I bought this hotel room on Priceline.com. When I stayed here a few days ago, I paid $42 for the room. Tonight I paid $51. Considering Notre Dame was playing Michigan earlier this afternoon in nearby Ann Arbor I was surprised we could get a room like this with Priceline at all.

 

 

We did get upgraded to a concierge level room. However, the concierge level room that provides complimentary breakfast, drinks and evening appetizers is closed on weekends. Most business travelers are home then. However, I did mention my platinum status in the Marriott frequent stay program to the desk clerk. You would expect me to do this wouldn’t you?

 

 

It’s nice to get some respect.

The clerk was very respectful of my loyalty to the Marriott chain. Despite the “complimentary” benefits of the concierge level being unavailable she attempted to make up for it. First, she gave us coupons for two free appetizers in the bar area. Then she followed with two coupons for breakfast tomorrow morning in the hotel’s sit-down restaurant.

 

 

On the way to the track we went down to the bar to have our free appetizers. The huge shrimp cocktail and fried calamari carried a price tag of $26. Then we had breakfast on the Marriott to the tune of a $29 bill on Sunday morning. Now, let’s do the math.

 

 

First, they charged us $51 for the room. Then they gave us $55 in food credits. It’s got to be hard to turn a profit doing business this way. However, I’m sure the college football fans were paying more than $100 per night for their concierge level rooms and another fifty bucks or more for food. I prefer to do it the way we did!

 

 

 

The People

 

 

A less than positive experience.

Trackchasers Guy Smith (#2 trackchaser ranking) and his wife Pam (#18) visited the Auto City Speedway recently. This is a quote from Guy’s track report on their visit.

 

 

“Both Pam and I really disliked this show, and we both agreed it was the worst show we had seen all year. They had their six regular classes in action, with only one class requiring a consie and no race over 40 laps, but it still took them five hours to run the show, which ended at midnight. The crowd was not too good, and I can understand why. They are so slow restarting the races after a caution, as they look at replays and assign fault, then penalize only the driver judged at fault. The process takes a long time. One of the features was checkered early because of an alleged time limit, but most of the delay was not the drivers, it was the track officials.”

 

 

Another point of view.

Then Allan Brown (#5) from Michigan and friends with most of the Michigan track operators came back with this reply to Guy’s complaint.

 

 

“I’ve come to the conclusion that your attention span doesn’t last as long as most NSD Quality tracks shows do. That’s the inherent problem about Trackchasing. Usually a Trackchaser only gets one chance to visit a track, and if they get there on a bad night, it’s that one lasting impression that dictates a unfavorable response. I’ve been to both tracks you visited many times. That didn’t sound normal. I’ll contact each track and get their side. Find out why they lasted so long.”

  

 

I didn’t know what to do.

Now I was in a real quandary. I wanted Carol to have a good time tonight. I wanted to have a good time tonight. I didn’t want to get to the track at 6 p.m. and still be here at midnight like the Smith’s experience. I don’t need six hours of this type of “entertainment”. Allan correctly pointed out that most tracks get only one chance to “make a good first impression” on a visiting trackchaser.

 

 

The ‘Race Review’ will tell all.

As you will see from my “Race Review” our experience fell somewhere in the middle of the two extremes experienced and/or predicted by my fellow trackchasing competitors. Tonight’s program did not last until midnight but it did go until 11:15 p.m. I don’t think virtually any race program should last for more than three hours, although most all do.

  

 

We did come up with a partial fix.

We “fixed” that problem on our own terms tonight by taking a one-hour break in what amounted to a 4.75 hour program for us tonight. I saw plenty of racing. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted the program to go any longer, although the racing we saw during more than three hours at the track was very good. It is certainly true that the impression you are likely to take away comes from a one-time experience.

 

 

 

RACE REVIEW

 

 

AUTO CITY SPEEDWAY (INNER OVAL & FIGURE 8), CLIO, MICHIGAN

  

 

Overall, this is a quality operation.

First, the weather was perfectly clear today in Michigan. That’s one of the reasons we were here in the first pace. To be successful in this hobby, you need 1) tracks, 2) good weather and 3) transportation. We had all three today.

 

 

The Auto City Speedway is a quality operation. They race on three countable tracks on most evenings. They have an outer ½-mile asphalt oval, a ¼-mile inner asphalt oval and an asphalt figure 8 track. Tonight Carol would add three new tracks and I would add two, having been here in 2000 to see the large oval.

 

 

  

The admission price of $15 seemed high to me especially in a war torn economy like Michigan’s. Of course, I used to buying good stuff cheap. Tonight was good, it just wasn’t cheap. The track has a huge grandstand. The setting sun caused some discomfort tonight as it took a long time to set over turns three and four.

 

 

   

Our bus ride was a special treat.

The track offered something special for early arriving fans. They had a school bus and took fans around the track for a ride at no charge. This was a great promotional idea that I would recommend other tracks consider. The driver of the bus was a lead foot too. We were on the last ride of the night and he tore through both ovals, the figure 8 track and the pits in record time. It was a fun ride and we had screaming kids on the bus to make the experience all the more real.

 

 

By the time we arrived all of the practice and time trialing was finished. Thank goodness. I’m not a big fan of that. The track started racing at 6:46 p.m. just a few minutes past the scheduled start of 6:30 p.m. I was concerned about how long this program might take considering Mr. Smith’s experience.

  

 

We had a plan.

I knew the figure 8 race would be the last race of the evening after calling the track. I had a plan. This plan was designed to prevent us from sitting on a board from 6 p.m. until past midnight.

 

 

This was the plan. We would watch heat races on both the outer and then the inner oval so we could count those tracks. Then we would head out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant just two miles from the track that I had noticed on the way in. Then we would return to the track to catch the oval feature action and then see racing on the figure 8 track. Yes, I was creating our own intermission.

 

 

This plan worked very well. Actually, it worked great! We saw about four hours of racing, had a delicious meal and our posteriors would live to sit another day. I highly recommend this approach to anyone involved with a multi-hour race program.

 

 

In asphalt racing like we saw tonight, they let the racers run a few laps to “get their tires warm” before the start of each race. I’m not a big fan of this type of delay but maybe it’s necessary.

 

 

   

The plan worked really well.

Following a few heat races, we headed out to the El Adobe Mexican Restaurant in the town of Mt. Morris. A benefit to leaving at this point was that we wouldn’t have to endure the last several minutes of a brutish setting sun. This restaurant has only been open for three months and is just 1.9 miles from the racetrack. Their food was delicious (we eat Mexican food several times each month) and the prices were low. I give the El Adobe Mexican restaurant a RANLAY Racing Money Back Guarantee.

 

 

We were gone for the track for just less than an hour. When we returned the track was in the midst of running their “King of the Hill” races. These are called “spectator drags” elsewhere. For the uninitiated, these races call for spectators to bring their “street cars” onto the track for a one-lap race against some other crazy spectator who is willing to make a fraudulent claim against his insurance company if necessary. The crowd loves it because they want to see some other guy crash his car. Unfortunately, nobody did any major damage but there were some close calls.

  

 

The most important employee is the announcer.

The announcers tonight were great. They were of the “radio disc jockey” variety but they knew their racing. They kept the spectators entertained with their witticisms.

 

 

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a spectator grandstand area with better lighting. Some are like walking down a dark alley. They also had a vendor going through the stands selling soft drinks and later, as it got colder, coffee. I have long maintained that a track could increase their food/beverage revenues by doing this. However, tonight’s vendor stayed down below row one and hardly ever looked up in the stands. You won’t sell much doing it that way.

 

 

   

The feature racing was above average.

The super stock feature went off at 9 p.m. with 14 competitors for 40 laps. That race took about 25 minutes, which was more than reasonable. They even had some major crashes and driver clashes. Following this race some 24 street stocks ran 30 laps beginning at 9:33 p.m.

  

 

However, there are always people who can’t get along.

The track has a policy of moving the driver who CAUSED a yellow flag to the rear of the field regardless of whether that driver has to stop on the track. I love this rule. However, this offending driver was so incensed that for the next 10-15 laps every time he came past the flag stand he gave the starter the “one-fingered salute”. Talk about dumb. This driver had a fast car but never moved up a single position while he continued to show his displeasure with being put in the back. Finally, the driver spun two other drivers out. I saw what happened, although the announcers seemed to think the two disabled cars on the track were solely responsible for their predicament. I give the track full credit here. They took their time and figured out who the real culprit was…..our one-fingered salute driver. He was summarily dismissed but not before spinning his tires in front of the main grandstand and driving back into the pits at a high rate of speed where he probably ran into somebody again!

 

 

Next up were 22 pure stocks with the top 12 inverted. They started their race at 10:03 p.m. and went 25 laps. The track was a little slow getting back to green after caution periods with these guys. Finally, seven hornets came out at 10:44 p.m. for a 20-lap feature.

 

 

  

All this time we were munching on cinnamon toasted almonds sold at the track. Michigan is the only state I know where so many of their permanent oval tracks sell these nuts.

  

 

Soon it was three new tracks for Carol and two for me.

At 11:10 p.m., 14 figure 8 cars came out for a 12-lap race. There was a slight delay while the dirt surface that BORDERED the asphalt figure 8 track was watered. Apparently dust from cars driving off the racing surface had caused big sight problems in the past. This race went by quickly and the entire program was finished by 11:15 p.m. As the grandstands cleared the fans headed to the pit area to visit their friends and relatives or to the parking lot to head home. We still had nearly 100 miles to drive to get back to our hotel so we could do this all over again tomorrow. A very special touch by the track had a recording of “God Bless America” playing as the fan left the stands. I liked that.

 

 

 

STATE COMPARISONS

 

 

Michigan

Tonight I saw racing at my 67^th and 68^th Michigan tracks. This was my second visit to the Auto City Speedway facility. I was back here in the year 2000 for a special Thursday night show where they only raced on the outer ½-mile oval. Tonight I was able to add their ¼-mile asphalt oval and the figure 8 track. Carol added three tracks tonight with the outer oval, inner oval and figure 8 track. This brings her Michigan total to sixteen. I now trail P.J. Hollebrand for fifth place by just one track. Allan Brown leads in his home state with 159 tracks.

 

 

I still have 96 tracks left to see in Michigan. Just ten of those race on a regularly scheduled basis. Most of the rest are county fair locations that race just a time or two each year. I will have tracks to see in the Wolverine state for many years to come.

 

 

 

Coming Soon – RANLAY Racing Exclusive Features!

Why I fear Ed Esser. (Delayed again! Come on Ed I can’t wait forever…..my readers can’t either. They’re beginning to bug me about this).

 

 

Trackchasing politics revealed….they’re about ready to kill each other.

 

 

Who have been Randy’s three toughest trackchasing competitors? (September, 2009)

 

 

Don’t miss my financial “Return on Investment” review that I offer each year. (Coming in the first report after October 11, 2009)

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

 

Randy Lewis

Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser

Jesus loves you but I’m his favorite.

 

 

 

 

TRAVEL DETAILS

 

AIRPLANE

Los Angeles, CA – Dallas, TX – 1,237 miles

 

RENTAL CAR #1 

Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport – trip begins

Belton, TX – 149 miles

Dallas-Ft. Worth International – 308 miles – trip ends 

 

AIRPLANE

Dallas, TX – Chicago, IL – 802 miles

Chicago, IL – Des Moines, IA – 299 miles 

 

RENTAL CAR #2 

Des Moines International Airport – trip begins

Bethany, MO – 141 miles

Des Moines International Airport – 244 miles – trip ends 

 

AIRPLANE

Des Moines, IA – Minneapolis, MN – 232 miles 

 

RENTAL CAR #3 

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – trip begins

Grand Rapids, MN – 199 miles

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – 395 miles – trip ends 

 

AIRPLANE

Minneapolis, MN – Detroit, MI – 528 miles 

 

RENTAL CAR #4 

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – trip begins

Saline, MI – 40 miles

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – 73 miles – trip ends 

 

AIRPLANE

Detroit, MI – Des Moines, IA – 534 miles 

 

RENTAL CAR #5 

Des Moines International Airport – trip begins

Boone, IA – 55 miles

Des Moines International Airport – 113 miles – trip ends 

 

AIRPLANE

Des Moines, IA – Chicago, IL – 299 miles

Chicago, IL – Milwaukee, WI – 67 miles 

 

RENTAL CAR #6 

General Mitchell Field – trip begins

Plover, WI – 199 miles

General Mitchell Field– 390 miles – trip ends 

 

AIRPLANE

Milwaukee, WI – Detroit, MI – 238 miles 

 

RENTAL CAR #7 

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – trip begins

Clio, MI – 99 miles

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport– 191 miles – trip ends 

 

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES: 

Belton County Expo Center – $13

Northwest Missouri State Fairgrounds – $6

Grand Rapids Speedway – $5

Saline Community Fairgrounds – $7

Boone Speedway – $10

Golden Sands Speedway – $15

Auto City Speedway – $15

 

 

 

COMPARISONS

 

 

LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY UPDATE

 

Randy Lewis – current score = 4.98 (tracks posted thru September 1)

 

2009 NGD point changes 

Connecticut -7

Iowa -1

Maine -10

Massachusetts -6

New Hampshire -11

North Dakota -1

Rhode Island -8

South Dakota -1

Texas +1

Vermont -8

Wisconsin -1

 

Net changes -53

 

 

 

Gordon Killian – current score = 5.76 (tracks posted thru August 27)

 

2009 NGD point changes 

Connecticut +1

Georgia -6

Kansas +1

Kentucky +1

Minnesota -1

Nebraska -2

New Jersey +1

New Mexico -4

North Dakota -1

Ohio -1

Rhode Island -1

South Carolina +2

South Dakota +1

 

 

Net changes -9

 

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS 

 

 

There are no trackchasers currently within 200 tracks of my lifetime total.

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,493

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Official end of RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report

 

 

 

You might have remembrances of the Auto Club Speedway.  If so, please feel free to share in the comments section below.  If you have any photos from back in the day, send them to me at Ranlay@yahoo.com.  I’ll try to include them here.

 

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.

 

 

 

Auto City Speedway – September 2009