MEXICO

 

 

We live in San Clemente, California.  We are just 74 miles north of the Mexican border city of Tijuana.  Nevertheless, it took me until 2007 to see my very first race in Mexico.  It always seemed as if it was difficult to get racing information from south of the border.  Following my initial Mexican trackchasing conquest I went back for more in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and now in 2017.

 

Despite the reported dangers of visiting Mexico we’ve never had a problem when visiting these Mexican tracks.  The people and food are wonderful.  NASCAR has a major racing series in the country.  That series can provide several future trackchasing trips to Mexico.

 

In the meantime you can check on the six tracks I HAVE seen in Mexico to date.  In those few visits, we’ve seen lots of the country and eaten some outstanding Mexican food.  We even stop at roadside “restaurants” when we come south of the border.  

 

 

As you read along you might find some information that reminds you of a similar experience you have had or provides some stimulus for you to take a trip to these parts of the world.  I think you will find the scenery interesting and the people most friendly.

 

 

Mexico was the 10th different country where I have had the opportunity to see racing.  

RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Lifetime Trackchasing Countries

 

# 1 – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – Peoria Speedway (Mt. Hawley, oval)   

# 2 – CANADA – Cayuga Speedway (oval) – Track #174, Nelles Corner, Ontario, Canada 

# 3 – AUSTRALIA – Parramatta City Raceway (oval) – Track #180, Granville, New South Wales, Australia

# 4 – UNITED KINGDOM – Northhampton International Raceway (oval) – Track #378, Northhampton

# 5 – NETHERLANDS – Driesum Racetrack (oval) – Track #839, Driesum

# 6 – BELGIUM – Bellekouter oval (oval) – Track #841, Affligem

# 7 – FRANCE – Circuit de Croix en Ternois (road course) – Track #843, Saint-Pol sur-Ternoise

# 8 – GERMANY – Nurburgring (road course) – Track #844, Nurburg

# 9 – NEW ZEALAND – Western Springs Speedway (oval) – Track #1,134, Western Springs

# 10 – MEXICO – Triovalo Bernardo Obregon (oval) – Track #1,281, Tiajamulco de Zuniga, Jalisco

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

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From the travels and adventures of the 

“World’s #1 Trackchaser”

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Autodromo Monterrey

Asphalt road course

Lifetime Track #2,304

 

 

 

THE EVENT

 

 

My trackchasing hobby takes me all over the world. Each year I will visit 25-30 American states and several foreign countries.  Long ago I moved into the #1 trackchasing position in both the number of different racetracks seen as well as the number of countries where I’ve seen racing.  

 

 

During my media interviews and discussions with friends and fans they often ask, “When did you start trackchasing?”

 

 

Yes, that’s a question I get frequently. I never know how to answer it. I started out as a “racechaser”. I went to the very best tracks where my favorite drivers were racing.

 

 

Somewhere along the line, I decided I liked seeing a race at a track for the FIRST time rather than the TENTH time. As I went along I learned I liked the CHASE as much or more than the RACE. By the time I started trackchasing more than racechasing I was hundreds of tracks behind the leading trackchasers most of whom started in their 20s. Here’s a list of the number of tracks I had seen by a certain age:

 

 

Age 5 – 1 track

 

Age 30 – 71 tracks

 

Age 40 – 180 tracks

 

Age 50 – 404 tracks

 

Age 60 – 1,517 tracks

 

Age 68 (today – still a kid) – 2,304 tracks

 

 

 

Today’s adventure was one more of the 2,000 trips that have taken me up, down and around the long and dusty trackchasing trail. If you would like to see where I’ve been and experience those adventures here’s the link:

 

 

Randy’s Complete Track List

 

 

 

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!

 

 

Randy on Facebook

 

 

 

ON THE WAY TO THE RACES

 

 

 

FRIDAY

 

This was going to be a fun international trackchasing weekend. My day started out on an absolutely beautiful San Clemente early spring day. I wrapped up a 4.26-mile 60-minute power walk never more than a few yards from the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

‪At 12 noon I headed to the Los Angeles International Airport. Of course, Carol is invited on every one of these trips. We have a loose agreement that she will take one major trip (flying) each month. She’ll bypass this Mexican adventure do as much to a strong case of bronchitis as any other thing.

 

 

We are in the midst of spring break for our nation’s schoolchildren. Of course, spring break covers students all the way from kindergarten through doctoral programs. Spring break is a very difficult time to fly on a standby basis as I do.

 

 

For each and every trip that I take there are usually four or five different flight plans that will make things work. For the most part for this trip I decided I would sink or swim with a nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Monterrey, Mexico. Today that worked out just fine. In about three hours and 20 minutes, I was landing at the Monterrey International Airport.

 

 

Clearing Mexican customs was quick and easy. They didn’t ask me a single question whatsoever. They probably figured I couldn’t speak much Spanish. I can’t. That’s the kind of customs I like.

 

 

I would be staying at the Four Points by Sheraton Galleria hotel in Monterrey. The hotel website told me I could hire a car for $25 U.S. to make the 20-mile trip from the airport to the hotel. That really wasn’t all that expensive.

 

 

However, son J.J. recommended I use Uber ride-sharing. I’ve done that in the past on a few these international trips. It works out really well.

 

 

Tonight I took an “Uber Pool Car”. With UberPool the driver may or may not pick up other riders. He (I’ve never had a female Uber driver) may or may not deliver them to their destination before I get to mine.

 

 

UberPool saves money for each rider. I’ve used it several times. About half the time we pick up other riders and about half the time we do not.

 

 

Right now one U.S. dollar buys about 18.7 Mexican pesos. The U.S. dollar is very strong against all currencies right now. It is extra strong when converted into Mexican pesos.

 

 

It was 9 p.m. I waited outside the airport terminal for a few minutes until my Uber driver came by. You’ll never guess what happened to me while I waited. Mosquitoes were eating me alive! Of course, I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I rarely wear anything else. I think I can honestly say that I’ve never been bitten by a mosquito outside of an airport terminal before.

 

 

My Uber driver, Victor, was driving a Ford Fiesta. While we were still at the airport he picked up two other young women and dropped each of them at their own hotel before I reached my place.

 

 

The 20-mile drive took me exactly 59 minutes to make it to my hotel. We encountered some traffic and may have driven out of the way a little bit from the direct route to the hotel to get the women to where they were going.

 

 

The UberPool fee was only 172 pesos or about $9.30 U.S. You won’t find many places in the world where you can ride a taxi for 20 miles for less than $10 US. I was pleased with my Uber experience.

 

 

As you read these reports I will often comment about the cost of my experiences. Why do that? There are several reasons. I grew up poor. Even in 2017, the house I grew up in for the first fifteen years of my life is only worth about $50,000. Providing costs also might help the traveler who is thinking about making one of these trips. Finally, I have never had the big travel budgets that the Dreaded East Coast Trackchasers have. I pay all of my own bills and don’t bring anyone along to help defray expenses.

 

 

I didn’t really mind being the last one dropped off with my Uber ride. I sat in the backseat and watched the UCLA – Kentucky NCAA basketball game on my phone. I just cannot get enough of the conveniences of technology. Want to know who won that game? Google it.

 

 

The folks at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel were happy to see the World’s #1 Trackchaser. I have “status “with Sheraton. I am a platinum member of their Starwood Preferred Guest program.

 

 

What does that entitle me to? First of all, I was going to be using SPG points for my entire three-day stay. That meant my hotel wouldn’t cost me a single penny.

 

 

Additionally when I checked in the lovely young desk clerk upgraded me to a corner suite room. My room comes with a complimentary breakfast each morning. I was also given the hotel’s highest-speed Wi-Fi at no charge and a bottle of wine! Folks, I’ve been doing this travel thing for a long time. In my opinion, I think I do it pretty well.

 

 

It was only ‪10 p.m. local time. By the way Monterrey, Mexico is on the equivalent of the Mountain time zone in the United States even though it’s not all that far from San Antonio, Texas. I hadn’t had any supper. I walked across the street to a very upscale shopping area where I can grab a bite to eat.

 

 

I had a nice late-night meal. My entree was a chicken and bacon sandwich with an egg salad serving on the side. I had to Diet Coke’s as well as a 4-inch brownie crushed by a large serving of vanilla ice cream. My bill came to a whopping nine dollars.

 

 

The restaurant was within a few yards of the hotel’s door. If I hadn’t known better I would have thought I was in Southern California despite the U.S. State Department warning regarding travel to Mexico. I’ll comment more on that later.

 

 

I walked back to the hotel. I took a moment to check with the front desk clerk. I enquired about some form of a city tour for tomorrow. She told me she would work on it and let me know what she found tomorrow. Soon it was lights out with great anticipation for the city tomorrow and the NASCAR Mexico racing series event on Sunday.

 

 

 

SATURDAY.

 

Today was a free day. I had come down to Monterrey a day early so I wouldn’t risk miss getting into town in time for the NASCAR race on Sunday. I would use today for touring.

 

 

By the way Monterrey has the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico. It is the ninth-largest city in the country. According to Wikipedia Monterrey is one of the wealthiest cities in Mexico and in the world with a GDP PPP of 130.7 billion dollars in 2012.

 

 

Monterrey is located in northeast Mexico, at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental. In 2005, Monterrey was ranked one of the safest cities in Mexico, and one of the two safest in 2006. However, since 2008 the city has experienced violence related to turf battles between warring drug cartels in Mexico. The year 2011 has been the most violent in history. Drug dealers are a major concern, although military offensives and police captures of important drug-cartel chiefs have weakened drug cartels trying to settle in the city. The city is safe to travel by day and night.

 

 

Last night I called the hotel front desk and asked them if they had any ideas regarding a city tour I could take today. The front desk at the Four Points by Sheraton in Monterrey has done an outstanding job since I checked in.

 

 

This morning they were soon giving me a recommendation of a driver/guide who would be available for my exclusive use. I love doing it that way. With my own guide I can go at my own pace, stop anywhere and anytime I want and go to those really off the beaten path locations.

 

 

‪At 12 noon my driver, Santos, showed up. He was driving a Volkswagen Passat. For just 250 pesos per hour (about $13 U.S.) I could have Santos handle bot the driving and tour guiding for as long as I wanted.

 

 

I will essentially getting several things for my 250 pesos per hour. First I was getting a modern car with air conditioning and the fuel needed to power it. Santos would also be my translator as well as my guide.

 

 

I told him that I had just for things I wanted to get accomplished on my tour. First, I wanted to see three or four of the Monterrey city highlights. Secondly, I wanted to find out where I could get tickets for tomorrow’s NASCAR Mexico race. I also wanted to stop at a quality local Mexican restaurant. I told him that I wanted to go to a place that he might be likely to take his family to. Finally, I told him that I wanted to tour the lower-income areas of Monterrey. Whenever I have a private driver I enjoy doing that. When an American tourist goes abroad they are not likely to take a city tour that includes those areas!

 

 

I am happy to report that we were able to meet all of four of those objectives one way or the other. I would ask that you take a look at my Monterrey photo album to get the best understanding of today’s touring.

 

 

We started off with a ride downtown. Santos parked the car and we took a tour of the number one and number three TripAdvisor rated tourist locations.

 

 

I’m talking about a boat ride through the ‪Paseo de Santa Lucia area. If you’ve ever ridden one of the little boats through the San Antonio riverwalk you know what I’m talking about. The boat ride turned into a visit to the park to the Fundidora Park. This is a beautiful park and the #1 recommended item from TripAdvisor out of 111 things to do in Monterrey!

 

 

Santos had a plan to visit a couple of downtown museums next. However, I overruled him. That’s one of the great things about having your own individual guide. You get to call the shots.

 

 

It was ‪1:30 p.m. I told him it was time for lunch. During our conversations, Santos told me that Mexicans eat lunch ‪starting at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon sometimes later. Dinner for them runs ‪from 8-10 p.m. That’s a lot different than how we do it at home. Carol and I usually have dinner ‪at about 5:30 p.m. When I was a kid we ate closer to ‪4 p.m. Why so early? The factories at the Caterpillar Tractor Company’s day shift ended at 3:30 p.m. When folks got home from work they were hungry! There’s a reason I like traveling abroad. I don’t want to see and do things that I can do at home.

 

 

We stopped at a local Mexican restaurant in downtown Monterey called El Asador (The Spit). They had live music, lots of waiters wearing white shirts with black vests and really good food.

 

 

We ate cheese queso, chorizo, and lots of tortillas as well as pollo and carne asada. This probably wasn’t as big of a cultural adjustment for me because we live just 75 miles north of the Mexican border. Carol and I authentic Mexican food once or twice a week. Nevertheless, the entire experience including getting to meet the owner Hector was outstanding.

 

 

Santos made some calls over to the Autodromo Monterrey offices. I wanted to find out the ticket situation. A few years ago Carol, J.J., and I went to a NASCAR Mexico race near Qualalahara. They were not selling tickets at the track on the day of the event! Santos was able to speak to them in Spanish and get the plan for tomorrow. Yep. For 250 pesos an hour, I was getting a bargain.

 

 

Santos and I talked about him driving me to and from the track tomorrow. Up until I met him I was simply planning on hiring an Uber car. Santos told me he could pick me up in the morning and then take me back ‪after tomorrow’s racing for 1,000 pesos in total. One thousand Mexican pesos is about $53 U.S. That wasn’t a bad price knowing that the racetrack was about 30 km from the hotel. I probably couldn’t rent a car and cover the gas for that price. Additionally, Santos would be my human GPS system and translator.

 

 

Nevertheless, when I checked out the price that Uber would charge for the same trip it came only to about 400 pesos. That’s only about $21 US. I showed Santos of the Uber price. I wasn’t trying to take advantage of Santos. However, I didn’t want to be taken advantage of either. When I argue a point I simply use data. That’s what I was doing today.

 

 

He and I ended up agreeing that he would take me out to the track and back and wait for me while I was there for 700 Mexican pesos. That’s only about $37 US. For the total package that he would provide to me including car, gas, GPS and translation capabilities the deal was a steal for me. I think it was good enough for him as well.

 

 

Next up on our touring agenda was for Santos to drive me through some of the local residential areas. Folks, this is not the first time I have made such a request of an international tour guide.

 

 

I’ve seen some horrendous slums in Jakarta, Indonesia and to a lesser degree in Panama City, Panama. The low-income areas in Monterrey, Mexico didn’t come close to matching my other experiences.

 

 

Santos described the situation and showing me where the poor people lived. He told me that he was also poor. That’s when he asked me if I would like to see his house.

 

 

Of course, I would! Some of my very best experiences have been when I’ve been invited into the homes of my foreign friends and acquaintances. As I think back I’ve done that in Scotland, Belgium, Zimbabwe Guyana, Argentina and Sri Lanka to name a few.

 

 

Soon I was meeting Santos’ wife, Raquel (center) as well as his two teenage daughters Raqueleta (right) and Gris (left), aged 15 and 18 respectively. They were offering me food and drink. Raquel makes tortillas at home by hand.   Soon they were bringing down the family portraits of their wedding 19 years ago and Gris’ quinceanera celebration. Everyone treated me like a long lost uncle.

 

 

Then Santos and his entire family along with me jumped in the VW Passat. Off we went for some more touring up in the Sierra Madre Mountains. We stopped at a roadside stand where the girls could get some roasted corn. That was a great local experience. I would’ve had some myself except we ate so much at lunch I was absolutely stuffed.

 

 

Santos’ oldest daughter is studying at University. One of her major classes is English. She speaks very well. She told me that her father had never brought one of his customers home before. I felt honored.

 

 

We toured for six hours. We are well. I had the fantastic opportunity of meeting a local family and being welcomed into their home. My Monterrey touring could not have gone any better.

 

 

I got to visit a couple of the very top Monterey touring attractions. I ate in an astoundingly authentic Mexican restaurant. By the way, Monterey certainly has its share of American retail chains in both the fast-food and general goods industries. They even have HEB supermarkets, a major brand from Texas.

 

 

I am 100% sold on hiring a private driver and guide. Santos speaks English well enough that we can have conversations where we each understand each other. I also get the opportunity of leading the tour in whatever direction suits me since I’m paying the tab.

 

 

The United States State Department’s description and warnings for visiting Monterey, Mexico and the state of Nuevo Leon are absolutely dreadful. However, I never felt the least bit safe during our entire tour today. Heck, it really wasn’t any different than touring Los Angeles.

 

 

It has often been the case when the U.S. State Department warned of visiting one place or another and I didn’t feel insecure at all. I think you will see from looking at my photo album that everything in Monterey, Mexico looked perfectly normal. I mention this so that none of you who might be scared off from visiting one destination or another is scared off for no good reason. That is not to say that something can’t happen but it probably could if you lived in Los Angeles Chicago or New York or any other number of cities where if you were in the wrong place during the wrong part of the day you are tempting fate.

 

 

I was back at the hotel by ‪6 p.m. Today’s temperature was probably in the low 90s. It wasn’t the kind of weather that you wanted to run a marathon in. Six hours of being out in the sun and maxing out on eating was enough for me. It was nice to get back to my hotel suite at the Sheraton.

 

 

I capped off the evening by using a specially built pedestrian bridge. The bridge connected my hotel to the Gallerias Monterrey shopping mall. This was the first-ever mall to come to the city. It was built in 1983 but looked nearly brand new. The place was packed with upscale shopping venues. There was no way that I could tell if I were visiting an upscale mall in the U.S. or today’s Gallerias Monterrey mall. I grabbed some Chinese food and ate what I could. The rest went back to my hotel room’s fridge for consumption later.

 

 

 

SUNDAY

 

I was planning on seeing my sixth different racetrack in the country of Mexico. On three of those occasions, I’ve driven from the United States into Mexico to see the races.

 

 

One other time we flew into Guadalajara and I rented a car to drive to the track. On the other two occasions, including this visit to Monterey, I simply flew into the nearest major airport and hired a driver to take me to the track.

 

 

Am I the most adventuresome trackchaser that’s ever been in this hobby? I guess you would have to decide that for yourself. I’m sure if you were beset with that decision that you would want to look at as much data as you possibly could before coming to a conclusion right?

 

 

Let me help you out with the data. There are only two authentic trackchasers outside of my family whoever visited a racetrack in the country of Mexico. That’s saying something since people have been trackchasing since the 1950s and 60s. The only two other trackchasers to ever see a race in Mexico actually WALKED across the border to see their one and only track. I guess they didn’t go very far into Mexico! Does that help you make your decision in determining who is the most adventuresome worldwide trackchaser? I thought it would.

 

 

 

THE RACING

 

 

Autodromo Monterrey – Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

 

 

It’s always fun to wake up in the morning to a day of international trackchasing. I’ve been able to do that more than 300 times. Although this trip wasn’t adding a new country to my list it almost felt like it was.

 

 

I didn’t have a good grasp of the racing schedule at the Autodromo Monterey today. I had contacted a high-ranking NASCAR official a couple weeks ago to try to get this information. After speaking on the phone I didn’t hear anything more. That didn’t seem very hospitable since I have been a long-time proponent of NASCAR.

 

 

With that uncertainty in mind, I had my driver Santos pick me up at the hotel at 10 a.m. We were pretty well assured that we would get to the track by 11 a.m. For a Sunday race that seemed like an early arrival. It wasn’t all that early.

 

 

From what I have seen the Mexican race facilities are quite a bit more “rustic” than their American counterparts. The traffic, on a two-lane road with one lane running in each direction, made getting into the track an “E” ticket ride.

 

 

However, Santos had a special driving strategy in mind. There was very little traffic coming out of the track. Santos would simply go into the opposite lane against traffic and pass tens of cars. If one did that in the United States they might either get shot or put into the ditch.

 

 

Santos’ maneuver was a little bit like driving in California in the carpool lane. Often times one can drive 60 miles an hour in the carpool lane while the other lanes are at a dead stop. Although I was the beneficiary of his technique today I don’t think I’ll be reapplying it anywhere else anytime soon. I don’t think my rental car insurance can handle this approach.

 

 

I had originally thought about taking an Uber car from the hotel to the racetrack. In hindsight that would have been a terrible idea. This is not like driving to the Knoxville Raceway in Iowa and having someone drop you off at the side of the road within a few feet of turns one and two.

 

 

The Autodromo Monterrey sits a mile or so off of the main major highway. Getting into the track was very slow. Getting out of the track was equally slow with heavy-duty traffic in both directions on the small two-lane road.

 

 

I really wasn’t sure that I wanted Santos to come into the race with me. I liked the man very much. He had already made my trip much more complete and enjoyable. However, let me tell you why I considered going it alone.

 

 

When I’m by myself I see and learn so much more. Seeing and doing new “foreign” activities is a big part of my international trackchasing. The last thing I wanted was a local speaker showing me everything that I had hoped to learn and see for the first time on my own. That is absolutely no disrespect toward Santos. I just wanted to have the type of experience that I wanted to have.

 

 

I had even discussed the idea of Santos dropping me at the track and then coming back later to pick me up. As mentioned, with the traffic situation that would have been an absolute nightmare. We might not have been able to pull that off.

 

 

As I talked to Santos I learned that he had never seen an auto race in his life. That sealed the deal. I was inviting him to be my sidekick today. For me the primary benefit would be seeing a man experience something like this big race for the very first time. The feeling I got out of it is not much different than watching our grandkids enjoy Disneyland for the first time or two after I’ve been there nearly 100 times.

 

 

Santos had a nice surprise for me on the way to the track today. Just a few miles from the track he took a side road past a Sunday morning at flea market. He told me he had a “bonus” for me. Frankly, seeing a rundown flea market was not really what I wanted to be doing when I was less than five miles from adding my sixth lifetime Mexican track. Then all the sudden Santos pulled over the curb and asked me to get out of the car. I had no idea what was up.

 

 

It turned out that Santos’ 90-year-old aunt and her family live where we were now parked. We made a surprise visit, just like we used to do with the Gilkerson family down in Delavan, Illinois. Back in the 50s, we would show up unannounced (about a 25-mile one-way drive) to see my aunt, uncle and cousins. Back in the day, a 25-mile drive seemed about like going to Monterrey, Mexico from Southern California! If our kinfolk were home great and if they weren’t we just turned around and drove back to our house. That’s the way things were done before cell phones and the internet!

 

 

However, the Santos’ clan was home. I was soon introduced to everyone and Santos extended family as his American friend. The people couldn’t have been nicer. I will tell you this. I’ve traveled outside of the United States more than most. I can’t really ever recall meeting up with a mean spirited person in my life. There have been a couple of strange characters that I wouldn’t want to spend much time with but 99.87% of the time the people have been charming and wonderful.

 

 

We bid farewell after taking a few pictures. When we got close enough to the track to see what the parking situation was the traffic was very heavy. Although I could have done it on my own Santos got the information about parking charges and ticket prices.

 

 

Parking would be sixty Mexican pesos or about three dollars. We had a choice of tickets. We could get tickets as Santos described as “closer” or tickets, which I presumed would be less close.

 

 

The lower-priced tickets were 80 pesos. The VIP paddock tickets were 120 Mexican pesos. That comes in at about six bucks U.S.! I would splurge today. I told Santos that we would go with the VIP paddock passes for the both of us.

 

 

There was only one lane in, on a very dusty road, to the parking lot. The lot was basically a dirt and grass field. We had to go pretty much to the back of that lot before we could find a space. It looked like it might take us forever to leave the parking lot just like what used to be the case at North Wilkesboro back in the 80s.

 

 

Off we went into the paddock area. Security was unusual. In some ways, it was extremely lax. In other ways, it was much more protective than anything you would find in the states.

 

 

We saw several soldiers outfitted in full military attacking year. They had automatic rifles and some bigger long guns that made the automatic AK 15’s look like toy guns. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of their anger.

 

 

On the other hand, we pretty much were free to roam all over the inside of the Autodromo Monterrey road course. They do some oval racing here as well. The oval cuts off about half of the road course layout.

 

 

We could stand within 10-20 feet of the Jersey barrier that separated the cars racing on the track and us. Beyond a 3-foot high Jersey barrier, there were no other protective fences or cables. If the unexpected happened, and the unexpected does happen in auto racing, it could have been a dangerous scene.

 

 

Remember we had no idea what the racing schedule was. When we arrived they were racing pick up trucks. From what we could see in the paddock area at least one formula class had already competed.

 

 

I knew that the NASCAR Mexico series had two divisions. They are called “Peak Challenge” and “Peak” divisions. The NASCAR Mexico primary sponsor is Peak antifreeze.

 

 

I had been told in advance by a NASCAR official that each of the NASCAR Mexico divisions would start about 25 cars. That turned out to be accurate.

 

 

It was interesting to see all of the concessions and souvenirs being sold today. Between races, I had five corn tortilla tacos with shredded pork, onions and lime. They were absolutely delicious.

 

 

All of the PA announcements were given by a very excited Mexican-speaking speaker announcer. I didn’t hear a word of English today from the announcer or virtually any fan I encountered. I did not see any American racing fans to my knowledge.

 

 

We watched the NASCAR Peak Challenge division from inside the paddock area. They raced for 24 laps.

 

 

When it came time to watch the premiere division the Peak division we went over to the main grandstand. They raced for 35 circuits on the 3.4 km (2.1-mile) road course layout.

 

 

We had a decision to make. Again, I had no idea if the NASCAR Mexico Peak division was the last race of the day or not. I sort of thought it would be since that was the main event on today’s race card.

 

 

However, when I looked at the race program after getting back to the hotel I noticed that the schedule called for a “big truck” race, and another open-wheel formula race. I didn’t see any big trucks in the paddock area. I’m not sure if they would have a race today or not. The program only showed three entries for the second Formula open-wheeled division.

 

 

The weather has been warm, probably in the low 90s. However a nice breeze made it feel cooler. It was also very dry.

 

 

I can’t say for sure how many people were in attendance. The parking lot was jam-packed. I might guess there were 3,000- 5,000 people on hand. Again, that’s a very rough guess.

 

 

 

AFTER THE RACES

 

 

On the way back to the hotel from the racetrack, we stopped at a 7-Eleven convenience store. There I treated Santos to a cold drink and an ice cream sandwich. I asked him if he would consider returning to this race next year. He told me enthusiastically that he would. If they race on their oval track then maybe I will join him!

 

 

I was back at the hotel by about 5 PM. I bid adios to Santos. He had done his job well and I appreciated his help in navigating things. This was especially valuable in a 100% foreign-speaking country.

 

 

I relaxed in my room watching NCAA elite eight basketball games. Then I took advantage of the bridge that spans the highway from the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel to the Gallerias shopping mall.

 

 

Even on Sunday nights, the mall is open till 9 p.m. I don’t think we keep those kinds of hours in California. The Gallerias Mall is as upscale as pretty much any mall I’ve ever seen. Tonight it was packed with shoppers and families.

 

 

I did see a federal police green pick up truck patrolling the streets. They had two or three soldiers in the bed of the truck again with long guns and something that almost looked like a Gatling gun. They looked pretty menacing. We don’t see that in San Clemente.

 

 

When I called it a day and got back to the hotel I gave the trip some thought. The U.S. State Department made Monterey, Mexico sound like it was in Beirut, Lebanon. Here are just a couple of snippets from what the state department had to say about Monterey.

 

 

“Effective: December 8, 2016

 

The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens about the risk of traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal organizations in those areas. U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning for Mexico, issued April 15, 2016.

 

 

Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight. The Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations and has engaged in an extensive effort to counter criminal organizations that engage in narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout Mexico. There is no evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. citizens based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the level of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes.

 

 

U.S. government personnel are prohibited from patronizing casinos, sports books, or other gambling establishments in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon (Monterrey!), Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Colima and Nayarit.  

 

 

Kidnappings in Mexico take the following forms:

 

 

• Traditional: victim is physically abducted and held captive until a ransom is paid for release.
• Express: victim is abducted for a short time and commonly forced to withdraw money, usually from an ATM, then released.
• Virtual: an extortion-by-deception scheme where a victim is contacted by phone and coerced by threats of violence to provide phone numbers of family and friends, and then isolated until the ransom is paid. Recently, hotel guests have been targets of such “virtual” kidnapping schemes.

 

U.S. citizens have been murdered in carjacking and highway robberies, most frequently at night and on isolated roads. Carjackers use a variety of techniques, including roadblocks, bumping/moving vehicles to force them to stop, and running vehicles off the road at high speeds. There are indications that criminals target newer and larger vehicles, but drivers of old sedans and buses coming from the United States are also targeted. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from intercity travel after dark in many areas of Mexico. U.S. citizens should use toll roads (cuotas) whenever possible. In remote areas, cell phone coverage is limited or non-existent.

 

 

Nuevo Leon (includes Monterrey): U.S. government personnel may travel outside the city of Monterrey only during daylight hours on toll roads, and must return to the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia municipal boundaries to abide by the Embassy-imposed curfew of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., except for travel to the airport after 5 a.m.”

 

 

 

If I hadn’t read that in advance and I came to Monterey, Mexico I wouldn’t think it was much different than most bigger cities that I see in the United States. Never, at any time, did I feel in any danger with the possible exception of when I saw the police with their huge guns.

 

 

This is been my common experience when traveling internationally. The U.S. State Department has lots of warnings but I’ve never come close to encountering a problem anywhere. I’m sure that if I did I would feel quite a bit differently about things.

 

 

Tomorrow morning I need to leave the hotel at about 6 a.m. for a nonstop flight that leaves Monterrey for Los Angeles. The flight departs at 8:30 a.m. I expect to be at the Los Angeles International Airport at about 11 a.m. Jet planes are a wonderful thing.

 

 

Pretty much everything that I planned for worked out for this trip to Mexico. It’s my six separate trackchasing trip to the country.

 

 

Hiring a driver was a good idea. Being able to take a nonstop flight from Southern California worked out well. Being able to get an upscale hotel in the center of the action was good too. I think Carol would have enjoyed this trip but she has an eye on a Hawaii vacation leaving in about two weeks. I can’t blame her for that.

 

 

 

 

 

MONDAY.

My wake-up call came at 5:25 a.m. (4:25 a.m. San Clemente time). By 6 a.m. I was checked out of the hotel and in the backseat of my Uber driver’s car. We were headed some twenty miles to the Monterrey International Airport.

 

 

My fare was only 177 Mexican pesos. That’s about $9.34 U.S. at the current exchange rate. On the way to the airport my driver had to pay a toll. I don’t know how much that was. Nevertheless, my credit card was charged just 177 pesos. I found everything in Mexico to be a great value.

 

 

My flight departed at 8:30 a.m. Clearing Mexican airport security was quick and easy. Folks don’t have to take their shoes off! I took the time to watch an Apple iTunes movie (Banking on Bitcoin) on my MacBook Pro on the flight home.

 

 

I thought back about this trip. What I had just done was somewhat routine for me. However, what is routine for me is a pretty big trip for most. I never ever take what I get to do for granted.

 

 

My plan had worked out well. I love having a plan. However, I love it even more when a new idea comes up that is better than the original plan. When that happens I change things up in a heartbeat.

 

 

That’s the word from Monterrey, Mexico.

 

 

 

 

Nuevo Leon

 

 

The Free and Sovereign state

On Sunday morning I saw my first ever track in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. It was my sixth track to see in the country of Mexico. I hold the #1 trackchasing spot in Mexico.

 

 

 

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

Mexican sayings: No tiene dos dedos de frente

 

 

He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed

 

 

 

 

QUICK 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 565 tracks of my lifetime total. Don’t blame me.

 

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 2,304

 

 

 

Total Trackchasing Countries

There are no trackchasers currently within 20 countries of my lifetime total.

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 74

 

 

 

Current lifetime National Geographic Diversity results

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 4.37

 

 

 

That’s all folks! Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the links below to see the video production from the racing action today.

 

 

Monterrey – 1

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Monterrey – NASCAR Mexico Series racing action

 

 

 

Click on the links below to see a photo album from each of my trackchasing trips to Mexico.  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.

 

Monterrey 

The Autodromo Monterrey trip from Monterrey, Mexico 

You can see what the entire trip to Mexico looked like with this photo album. Go for it!