Greetings from Hilo, Hawaii
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From the travels and adventures of the
“World’s #1 Trackchaser”
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Big Island Oval Track
Dirt oval
Lifetime Track #1,386
THE EVENT Today’s undertaking was just one of more than 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: If you’ve got a question, comment or whatever please leave it at the bottom of this report. It’s very easy to do. I’ll try my best to respond. Thanks! ON THE WAY TO THE RACES DAY 1 – ALTHOUGH IT’S NOT SAN CLEMENTE, THIS MIGHT BE STILL BE PARADISE TRACKCHASING TOUR One big goal accomplished. For those of you who have been reading the RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Reports for many years, you know I provide a season ending recap each year. In that recap, I establish goals for the coming year. I am a firm believer in setting goals. I was reading a book titled, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you may end up there”. That seems like a distinct possibility for the person unable or unwilling to set goals. Anyway, goal setting has always worked for me. I recommend the process most heartily. 2008 trackchasing goals. Below are my 2008 trackchasing (and other hobbies) goals. I sent this out to everyone last January. I believe it is important to share goals with family and friends. That way, I feel more of an obligation to get things done since people may be counting on me to get done what I said I would get done. I established a few simple goals. Today I reached one of them. With the addition of the Big Island Oval Track, I have now reached the #1 ranked trackchasing position (tied) in the Aloha state. This gives me the #1 ranking in 12 of the 13 Far Western states. From my 2007 RANLAY Racing Trackchasing Season Recap……. 2008 Trackchasing Goal Recap Lifetime trackchaser rankings (increase lead over second place to 200+ tracks) Annual trackchaser rankings (finish in the top 3) Lifetime National Geographic Diversity results (reduce my number of “15” point states) Far Western states lifetime rankings (gain leadership position in each of the 13 Far Western states (x California) Add at least five new countries to my trackchasing list Play golf at least 100 times with a golf index of less than 8.0 Continue to add to my trackchasing technology/information arsenal. Finally, my plan is simply to see as many new tracks in 2008 as I want too. If I don’t go trackchasing, it won’t be because of some form of restraint on my part. It will be because I found something more fun and interesting to do or I couldn’t find a place to go trackchasing. So how did I do against my goals? I had established a goal last year of getting a number one ranking in twelve of the thirteen Far Western states. At the time, I had a first place ranking in just one Far West state, Arizona. I can’t realistically achieve the #1 ranking in California. I trail the late Gary Jacobs by about 45 tracks in the Golden state. I have only 4-5 active tracks in the state that I have not seen. My original goal called for me to gain a #1 ranking in those 12 Far Western states by the end of the 2009 season. I was able to achieve this more than a year ahead of schedule. The Far West doesn’t see too many trackchasers. You can see more information about the Far West rankings at the very bottom of this report. Most trackchasers don’t do very much trackchasing in the Far West. There are several reasons for this. First, most of the trackchasers in our hobby live in the East, a long way from the thirteen Far West states. Tracks in this area of the country are usually pretty far flung. This makes it difficult for a trackchaser to see very many tracks during a short visit. I recognized this before the season began. I knew that if I concentrated on seeing Far Western tracks, I might only be able to see one or two in a given weekend. With this plan, there was no way I could approach the track totals I had achieved over the past four years. Far West – Chase to be #1. Now that the “Far West – Chase to be #1” is over, I am very happy with my decision to go this route. First, it’s nice to know that I have seen more tracks in 12 of these states than any other trackchaser. I also hold a #1 ranking in Texas. The scenery in the Far West is, arguably, the most beautiful in the United States. The racing isn’t the best out here, but there’s a lot more to trackchasing than watching 10 street stocks run a yellow flag plagued 12-lap feature event. Now that I’ve reached my Far West goal, I make no promises about how long I can hold onto twelve number one rankings. I just wanted to do it, to say I could do it. Now, I will move on to other trackchasing challenges. Simple goals. Editor’s note: It might go without saying that the above are simple goals. They are only a portion of the goals I have established in my life. I’m not trying to cure cancer, although I would if I could. However, whether a life goal is a serious one or a fun one, I get just as much kick out of meeting and achieving it as any goal that I set. TRACKCHASING TRIVIA Geographical bias. We have a noticeable geographical bias amongst the trackchasing leaders by state. I lead the most states in the west, Ed Esser of Wisconsin leads the most states in the Midwest and Guy Smith of Pennsylvania leads the most states in the east. Here is how that comparison stacks up. # of States led Randy Lewis – 13 (includes one tie for first place) Guy Smith – 12 (includes four ties for first place) Ed Esser – 11 (includes one tie for first place) Favorite sons. We have a few folks who lead in the state in which they reside and that’s the only state they lead. This includes: Norm Wagner – Ohio Roger Ferrell – Indiana Allan Brown – Michigan Gary Jacob – California John Moore – Tennessee (John also leads in Alabama, Georgia & South Carolina) Two deceased trackchasers remain atop the state rankings. These include: Pappy Hough – Washington D.C., Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island Gary Jacobs – California ONE MORE RECORD SET! I finished this trip with 164,755 flying miles so far in the 2008 season. That beats the air miles mark I established in 2006 of 161,751 miles. This brings me to 188,390 total miles traveled this season. That total includes planes, automobiles and boats. That number is still short of my 2006 mark of 208,314 total trackchasing miles. If I had to guess, I will pass that number before the 2008 season is finished. Coming soon! RANLAY Racing widens technology lead RANLAY Racing invited on crocodile hunt for upcoming foreign country visit My view on what it takes to become a listed trackchaser Five most significant trackchaser accomplishments done by other trackchasers What will the future look like? Editor’s note: The “coming soon” category is relatively new to the RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report. I just wanted to let you know what topics are likely to appear in future reports. I’ll do my best to get these subjects too you in a timely manner. However, breaking news events may delay the “coming soon” topics. Just be patient and you’ll read all there is to know in the hobby of trackchasing right here. TODAY’S HEADLINES What was the highlight of this trip? …………..details in “The People”. There are several strategies that can give you that vacation of a lifetime without depleting your bank account………………more in “The Trip”. How many different motorsports tracks were on the race property today?…………..details in “Rave Review”. CONGRATULATIONS Yes, congratulations are in order for Scott Hall from Ohio. Scott has been a loyal and dedicated reader of the Trackchaser Report for a long time. He also likes to look at the photos I post from each trackchasing trip. The photos from my past trackchasing trip in Wauseon, Ohio featured a pickup truck hauling some unusual cargo. I asked the viewers to identify the truck’s cargo. Scott was the first to come back with a correct answer. The small pickup was carrying a very large pumpkin. I estimate that pumpkin weighed 300 pounds or more. Scott will be amply rewarded for his efforts. A valuable $6 Wal-Mart gift card will be coming Mr. Hall’s way. Of course, like all big and important concerns it will take 4-6 weeks for delivery of Scott’s prize. By the way, he got back to me within five minutes of my posting the photos. Scott certainly makes it tough on his fellow contest competitors. ALOHA FROM HILO, HAWAII I woke up in San Clemente, California and then went to sleep over the next three nights in Kamuela, Hawaii. This is what transpired during the trip. PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS The Objective #1 baby. Today I moved into the #1 trackchasing position in my 12th Far Western state. This meets one of the goals I had established at the beginning of the year. The Trip I’m rich! Over the past three days, I became $530 richer. No, I did not invest in the stock market. I had prepaid for two tickets to the American League Championship game and for two tickets to game one of the World Series to be held at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California. That seemed a bit pricey but then how many people get to go to those games? No. You go ahead. Fortunately, I guess, the Angels graciously allowed the Red Sox to advance in the playoffs. I mean you can understand that can’t you? It’s getting cold and rainy in Boston. Winter can’t be far off. We have beautiful weather 12 months out of the year. I say let’s give those BoSox fans a break and let them watch another game or two. It’s the very least we could do for these folks before they are plunged into a deep freeze for the next 4-6 months. Obstacles are there to be overcome. Trackchasing travel, the way I do it, keeps the mind mentally sharp. The weekend’s trip was not without its share of obstacles. However, obstacles are there to be overcome. This is one of the things that makes the hobby of trackchasing so entertaining for me. To begin with, I analyzed 79 different flights into various points in Hawaii and from various points in the continental United States. Why would I do that? Seats on flights to Hawaii are difficult to get on a standby basis. In order to avoid having to wave good-bye to the plane I wanted to be on, it’s important to pick a flight where I have a good chance to getting a seat. My preferred route was to go non-stop from Los Angeles to Kona, Hawaii. However, there were only two flights that met that requirement out of the seventy-nine I was watching. Not just racing but a vacation too. There were also a few limitations that I had attached to this trip that limited the flexibility I would have. I was not just going to Hawaii to see some low level racing machines run around a red clay oval track located in a rural part of Hilo. This was going to be a vacation of sorts. I would be in Hawaii for at least three nights. Carol was off visiting her parents in New Mexico for the week. She didn’t mind my going to the islands since she and I had been there just six weeks ago. Our son, Jim, lives in Honolulu and he would be coming to the “Big Island” to join me for the weekend. I love it when a deal comes together. By the way, I mentioned making an offer on a timeshare week in Maui during our visit there last month. With some major arm twisting that deal came together. This will give us two weeks of vacationing on Maui although we can trade our two weeks for FOUR weeks of timeshare occupancy anywhere else in the world. I find that when I make commitments (using a timeshare) like this as well as buying tickets to sporting events and plays it forces me to diversify my vacation/entertainment options. With commitments like these, I won’t go trackchasing at every opportunity. By the way, if you have any interest in Hawaii timeshares, let me know. It really is a great way to get a reasonably priced vacation. We’ve been doing it for about 15 years. Meeting up with Jim. With Jim having his airline tickets to Kona, there was no backing out for me on this trip. With that in mind, I booked a non-refundable hotel on the Big Island via Priceline.com. I try to save money whenever I can. I’ve been known to stay at Motel 6 when I’m out on the road by myself. However, when I’m entertaining family or in a resort location, I like to go first class. I know from your feedback that several of you have benefited from my Priceline and other travel buying experiences. That makes me happy! I love it when I can get a tip from someone else that increases my fun meter and/or saves me money. I love it even more when I can give someone else a tip that saves him or her money and increases his or her traveling enjoyment. Going, going, sold! I ended up bidding $113 per night for a “resort” hotel in Kamuela, just north of Kona. That successful bid got me a room for three nights at the Hapuna Beach Prince Resort. In checking their website, the least expensive room goes for $245 per night during the time period I will be visiting. With taxes, that comes to about $300 per night. I’ll be paying about $140 per night including all taxes and fees. That is a very nice savings on one of the more upscale properties in all of Hawaii. By the way, when I checked in I asked for a view room. Just by asking I was given an ocean view room that sells for more than $300 each night. For some reason the flights to Hawaii were much fuller than they were six weeks ago. That surprised me. I figured that with kids back in school the flights would be wide open. I decided to try for a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Kona, Hawaii. I would be checking my golf clubs. Since I have acquired my airline sponsorships, I rarely bring my golf clubs along. In the world of standby flying, I often don’t know until 3-5 minutes before departure if I will get on the flight. Here’s an example. Let me give you an example. With today’s flight, I checked my golf clubs on the flight from Los Angeles to Kona. The clubs would go to Kona on that flight regardless of whether I got on the plane or not. As it turns out, I did NOT get on the flight to Kona. The Kona flight ended up being oversold. They were even asking for volunteers from the paying passenger group to get off and take a later flight. However, I noticed that just across the hall a flight to Maui was departing from Los Angeles. My research, the night before, told me this flight had three first class seats available, coach was oversold and there were seven standby passengers. That didn’t sound good. When the Kona flight turned out to be a bust, I took a greater interest in the Maui flight. The flat screen TV that many airlines are using to show seat availability showed 12 open seats with 13 standby passengers. That didn’t look good, but then I didn’t have much choice. I sauntered over to the counter where the Maui flight would soon be departing. I asked the agent if I had a shot of changing from the Kona flight to her flight to Maui. She looked at her computer and shook her head no. I told her I would just step over to the side and if anything opened up, I’d be waiting. This seemed like a good idea to her and that’s what I did. The agent began to call standby passengers. When she called a few of the 12 standby passengers, they did not come to the desk to get their boarding passes. I don’t understand that. In order to be on the “at the airport” standby list you have to be at the airport and have already checked in just outside of security. Nevertheless, a couple of folks did not show up when their name was called. I got one of those seats! I was in the very last row but I was on the plane to Maui. Just lucky I guess. As luck would have it, I was seated amongst a young couple and their three children (ages newborn to four) and their grandparents. To put it mildly they were an active group complete with dropped pacifiers, missing shoes, etc. The parents were pretty laid back, but I’m certain both the children and the grandparents had major symptoms of ADD. You might recall John Candy on the airplane (massaging his sockless feet) in Planes, Trains and Automobiles to picture what I’m talking about. Of course, I was the helpless “Steve Martin” on today’s flight. As might be expected, the grandkid, while sitting in grandma’s lap, reached over and spilled my Diet Coke. Fortunately, he spilled it all over grandma! The grandparents were doting….as I guess they must be. I plan to be a doting grandfather, I just don’t have as much appreciation for OTHER people’s little rug burners. The next challenge is…. When I arrived in Maui, the next challenge would begin. I had to figure out how to get from Maui to Kona. I had not planned on that itinerary. It was not as easy getting to Kona from Maui as I had expected. To make a long story short I had to fly back to Honolulu and then take another flight to Kona, Hawaii. I was not able to use my sponsorship support and actually had to buy a ticket. Oh my! I don’t know how people do this airplane thing when they actually have to buy their tickets! Nevertheless, I made it to my destination in good order. I was reminded that Hawaii is very hot AND humid. Many of their buildings, such as airport terminals don’t have any walls whatsoever. The temperature rarely drops below 70 degrees so there is no need for a complete enclosure. This also means these buildings don’t have air-conditioning. I am a big fan of AC and not a big fan of humidity. The People Big Jim. The biggest highlight of this trip was being able to spend the weekend with son Jim. Jim is the youngest of our three children at 29. He’s also the tallest at 6’4”. Jim has lived in Honolulu for the past 4 ½ years. That makes it tough for us to see him as often as we would like. He gets to the mainland 2-3 times each year and we visit him in Hawaii 1-2 times a year. Jim has a challenging job as a tutor to high school and college students. He’s an independent contractor. He teaches math, physics and the like. Some students ask him to tutor them in a subject that he is not familiar with. He simply goes to the library and/or on line, researches the topic, and then teaches it!! A day trader? Jim’s real interest is in the stock market. He spends a good deal of his time studying the market and trying to figure out how to beat it. His near-term plans include relocation back to California to pursue a career of stock trading and analysis. No, I don’t snore! We spent the weekend driving all over the Big Island and seeing many diverse attractions. The trip up to Mauna Kea was probably the highlight although dinner at Merriman’s was great. To top it off, Jim said I didn’t snore! Thursday, October 9, 2008 You do what you gotta do. This might be more properly called a simple vacation than a trackchasing trip. I will be on the island of Hawaii, aka the “Big Island” (with all of its black lava – above) for four days, if not more. Just a few hours on Saturday morning will be devoted to trackchasing. Under normal conditions, I would not have come to Hawaii on Thursday for a Saturday morning race. However, in the standby airline game, you have to have contingency plans in place. I figured I would try to get to the islands on Thursday. If I didn’t make the flight, I could go on Friday and still make the race. After a very long day of flying and what could best be described as “hustling”, I made it to Kona. My hotel, the Hapuna Beach Prince Resort was just up the road from the airport about 25 miles. How would I describe the Hapuna Beach? Think Ritz Carlton at the beach on a Hawaii Island and you’ve got it. Our son, Jim will join me tomorrow evening when he gets off work in Honolulu. This will allow me to hit the hotel’s golf course tomorrow morning before Jim arrives. I love it when a plan comes together. Just kicking back Hawaiian style. I had a casual dining and drinking evening. I went down to the hotel cocktail lounge (Reef Lounge) that overlooks the Pacific Ocean at about 6 p.m. (9 p.m. San Clemente time). They feature live Hawaiian music in the lounge. I’m really not much of a drinker. I might have a couple of drinks each month. When I’m driving, I limit my consumption to just one drink. However, when I’m not driving I’ll go full tilt and have TWO drinks at most! The munchies selections on the cocktail lounge menu included several sushi type items. Although I love to experiment with new foods, sushi has never caught on with me. I ordered a Mai Tai and some boiled soybeans. Heck, if I were trackchasing in Florida, I would have boiled peanuts so why not boiled soybeans. A real hick from the sticks. The soybeans looked a lot like green beans still in the pod. They were served in a bowl with a little teapot of some type of soy sauce. Being a “hick from the sticks”, I wasn’t sure how boiled soybeans should be eaten. I figured the entire contraption, both soybeans and pod should all be eaten. I consumed several that way. Then when my cocktail server came by to check on me, I asked what the boiled soybean “protocol” was. It was at this point that I learned the pods were not to be eaten. She told me, “at least you’ve got your share of fiber today”! Live and learn! The travel today was a little tough. However, when I go on a trip like this the real challenge is getting where I’m going so I can start the trip. I really don’t worry about getting home, although Carol often does. Heck, I’m retired. There’s really no rush to get home when every day is Saturday and every night is Friday night in my life. Friday, October 10, 2008 Just golf. I awoke at a leisurely 7 a.m. local time. I love traveling to the west. It’s always easier to get up at 7 a.m. when it’s 10 a.m. in the home time zone that I just left. Today’s main activity will be golf. In the evening, I will pick up son Jim at the airport and we’ll go to dinner. Speaking of food, I went with the hotel’s breakfast buffet. There was a large selection and the food was good. However, at $28 per person plus tip they must think the Dow is still over 14,000. Following breakfast, it was time to head over to the Hapuna Beach Golf Club. The course is located on the hotel property so I didn’t have to go far. My 9:30 a.m. tee time would work well with all of other activities I have planned for the day. When I play golf on the road, I go out of my way to get to play with others. Some people might not look forward to spending 4-5 hours with complete strangers. I, on the other hand, request the opportunity. Today, the starter was able to join me up with two players. One of them lived locally on the Big Island several months during the year. The course was good. It had ocean views, a number of hills and was a very challenging golf course. What was surprising to me is that the wind blew some 25-40 M.P.H. the entire day. By the time I finished I was whipped. During the course of a four-hour round of golf, you can get to know a person very well. I’ve heard people say that you can get to know someone better by playing golf with them one time than you can being neighbors with them for 20 years. I believe that thinking is true. UCLA! I was paired with “Jack” and “Dean”. It turned out they were both graduates of UCLA. Of course, since I was sporting my UCLA blue and yellow golf bag that worked out perfectly. They had known each other since their college fraternity days when they attended school in the late 40s. Dean was 82 years old and Jack couldn’t have been far behind. Dean was retired from a high-level international position at TRW and still involved in his family’s nursery business. Jack was retired from his family’s new car automobile business. He told me they had several dealerships that sold “those cars people are dying to get their hands on, Fords and Chevys”. I think he was saying that is jest. Concerned about the economy. Both of these successful businessmen were concerned about today’s economy. Dean was concerned that people were not going to be buying his $3,000 palm trees. Jack bemoaned the fact that only people with the very best credit could get a loan to buy a new car. He told me they have reduced the work force at their auto dealership from more than 800 people to less than five hundred. I like older people. For some reason I have always gotten along very well with people older than me. I was raised to show my elders respect. I also see interacting with older people as an opportunity to learn from their life experiences. I figure that many of the things they’ve already encountered in the 23 years they lived beyond me I will someday face. Therefore, I like to ask questions to see what they did and what they think as a precursor to what I might do and think by the time I get to be their age. I play most of my golf rounds at the Pacific Golf Club with people aged 55-80. Therefore, my playing with a couple of 82 year olds didn’t seem at all unusual. Depending upon your age, you may think of an 82 year old as some decrepit nursing home individual or as a youngster! To me, they seemed like they could be my older brothers. No, I have never been a long hitter. One of the best things about playing with people older than me is that they think I can hit a golf ball a long ways. Little do they know that I am often considered a “short hitter” when playing with people my own age. Both of these fellows live the majority of each year in Southern California. It wasn’t unusual running into SoCal folks in Hawaii. Hawaii is to Southern California folks what Florida is to eastern and midwestern folks as a vacation spot. Californians travel more than just about anybody. It’s also fair to say that Southern California residents travel more than most. If I’m on a cruise or traveling abroad, it’s very common to run into travelers from the Golden state. For some reason, SoCal people are much more willing to spend money on houses, cars, restaurants and travel than people from anywhere else in the U.S. As a native Midwesterner and a person who has lived in eight different states and frequently traveled to all of them, I feel qualified to make such a statement. We finished our round of golf with them treating me to lunch. I always enjoy my golf when I travel. I won’t be able to record my score with the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) because my playing partners jumped around from one set of tees to another on each hole. Therefore, that made whatever score I would have shot invalid for handicapping purposes. I didn’t mind that. It was just fun to be playing golf in Hawaii on a course with lovely ocean views. The company was probably more fun than anything else was. Merriman’s. After golf, I made a trip down to the Hilo International Airport to pick up Jim. From there it was up to the Waimea area for dinner. Merriman’s had been highly recommended to us. Their sign says they specialize in “regional cuisine”. This truly is a “high-class” restaurant. However, as in most upscale Hawaiian eateries, Aloha wear is perfectly acceptable. The server knew more about food than just about anyone I have ever met. I enjoyed a delicious New York strip steak with all the trimmings. If money is a restraint, Merriman’s might not be a good choice. If money is not a concern, then you will likely be more than satisfied with this restaurant. Why go into such detail? I always try to give you “names and places” of the venues I visit. That way when you come to the area, you’ll have a personal recommendation about a place you may be considering. I hope you find that of value. Saturday, October 11, 2008 Power walking for prosperity. I started the morning off with a one-hour power walk around the hotel and golf course property. It’s amazing how much more can be seen when you’re walking than when you’re driving. Following the race, we stopped for Mongolian BBQ at lunch. We’re big fans of this stuff. Have you ever tried it? What to do in Hilo? We were in downtown Hilo and looking for something interesting to see. We stumbled across the Pacific Tsunami Museum. This place is dedicated to educating the public about the potential dangers of tsunami waves. We were lucky enough to get the museum’s director to give us an overview of the subject. Her input was supplemented with a 23-minute film. Hilo has been hit by major tsunamis in both 1946 and 1960. Significant numbers of dead were an outcome each time. I was surprised to learn that most tsunami waves are only 12-18” high and not these monster walls of water commonly featured in movies. Given the fact that we live just 100 yards from the Pacific Ocean at home, tsunamis create more of an interest than if I lived in the middle of the desert. I love the movies. We were nearly 100 miles from our hotel and didn’t have any need to get back soon. Following our museum tour, we walked across the street to catch a movie. We saw “Step Brothers” starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. If you like “raunchy funny” you might find this film hilarious. We did. Kicking back with your son. That’s a real good thing. Once back at the hotel, we found it easier to just sit back and relax in the Reef Bar than go out to dinner. We enjoyed mai tais, some more boiled soybeans and the relaxing Hawaiian music. Then it was off to bed. Sunday, October 12, 2008 Humidity sucks. I began the day with a brisk up and down the hills morning walk. This even included a walk past the famous Kona coffee plants (above). During daylight hours, it is always around 80 degrees or more in Hawaii. This made my one hour and ten minute walk around the Hapuna Beach Golf Course a steamy one. I really don’t care for heat and humidity and Hawaii has much too much of each. I followed my walk with a few minutes of chipping with my new 60-degree lob wedge. This club is designed to let me get the ball up in the air quickly and then have it land like a butterfly with sore feet. I don’t have this club down just yet……but when I do! Mauna Kea here we come. Following the breakfast buffet (probably about 2,000 calories) that Jim and I ate in the comfort of a shaded Hawaii morning, we were off for our final day’s activities. We would start with a drive up to Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano. The Mauna Kea summit is 13,796 feet tall, the highest point in the state of Hawaii. By the way, the “Big Island’s” name is Hawaii. Therefore, “Hawaii” is both an island and a state. Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world when measured from base to summit, since its base is located on the seafloor about 19,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, bringing its total height to about 33,000 feet. We drove up as far as we could go without a four-wheel drive. The air was noticeably thinner and the temperature had dropped to 56 degrees. After our mountain tour, it was time to head toward the airport for our return home. We had a couple of hours to waste, so we decided to hit a movie. Using my newest technology weapon (to be described in a future report), we decided on “Read Before Burning”. Carol and I had already seen this movie but it was good enough to see one more time with Jim. Racing inside the airport? We arrived in plenty of time for my 8:50 p.m. flight. The rental car was safely turned in. My golf bag was checked. Then it began to pour down rain. In a “normal” airport, passengers would be safely tucked away in a terminal in air-conditioned comfort. This is not the case at the Kona International Airport. There are no enclosed terminals. There is no air-conditioning. There are overhead shelters but most of the airport is “open-air”. This forced the 300 or so passengers to huddle together in the heat, humidity and pouring rain in a space that might normally accommodate 100 people. There were two lines operating for passengers to clear security. I chose the one that wasn’t going to pelt folks with rain! I was flying standby on a flight directly from Kona to Los Angeles. I was surprised to see there were ten open seats even after all standbys were put on the plane. That seemed most unusual when two factors were considered. First, this flight does not operate seven days a week. That means the passengers who want to take this route must all “bunch” in the four days the flight does operate. Secondly, and more importantly, the Ironman Triathlon was yesterday. This brought thousands of competitors and fans into Kona for this event. I figured many of those folks would want to fly back to SoCal on Sunday night to get back to work on Monday. Nevertheless, I made the flight. Could it get much more uncomfortable? I would be flying five hours overnight is somewhat rain-soaked humidity laden clothes. I would land at 5 a.m. local time. After I picked up my car I would be just in time to join Los Angeles’ Monday morning rush hour after having gotten little or no sleep. The only one. I hate to say it, but I must. If all of our trackchasers lived in Southern California, they would have much better tans and dramatically fewer racetracks to their credit. As it is, the Lewis clan is the only active trackchasing group pursuing their hobby from the sunny climes of the Golden State. THE RACING Big Island Oval Track – Hilo, Hawaii RACE REVIEW It would not rain us out would it? I was somewhat concerned about the weather for today’s race. I had already made a significant cash outlay to pull off this trip. I certainly did not want to have the race cancelled because of rain. However it looked as if dust might be a bigger problem than rain. Over time, I had developed a contact at the Big Island Oval Track. The track does not have a website. Actually, my contact does not even have an answering machine. In order to talk with him, I usually had to call several times and hope that I would finally find him at home. Which American city gets the most rainfall? He was fond of telling me that Hilo, the location of the track, received the most rainfall of any city in the United States. He would follow up that statement by saying the track had never been rained out. All of this made absolutely no sense to me at all considering he also told me they did not race in the rain. According to www.weather.com, Hilo DOES get a lot of rain. They average some 125 inches of moisture each year!! Each October they get about 9.6 inches of rain. In November, they get more than 15.5 inches of rain! In San Clemente we get about 10 inches of rain in an entire year. Editor’s note: Carol and I came to Hilo to see there racing in 2015. We were rained out! June is their “driest” month. They only get 7.4 inches of precipitation then. I was surprised to learn during my research that it’s never ever been 100 degrees in Hilo. The warmest temperature on record is 94. The lowest temperature ever was 53 degrees. Their average monthly high temperatures range from 79-83. Their average low temperatures run from 64-69 degrees. It’s easy to see why hotel lobbies don’t have any exterior wall or doors to the outside. Saturday morning? I don’t know of any other track in the United States that starts their regularly scheduled programs on a Saturday morning. The Big Island Oval Track begins racing at 10 a.m. Jim and I pulled into the facility several minutes past the official starting time. They were already racing. Under normal conditions, this would not be an easy track to find. However, I used Google Earth to find the track from satellite photos. From there I plugged the longitude and latitude numbers into a computer program that converts that data into a decimal number. Those numbers were then fed to “Tonto” my loyal and trusted GPS unit. Tonto didn’t fail us. He took us directly to the track with no delays or mistakes at all. An active motorsports park. There are several motorsports venues at today’s location. They have a drag strip, but it was not operating this morning. They also have a road course go-kart track. Several flat karters were racing there today. Boy, was I surprised to see several senior champ karts racing on the road course. I had not expected to get a second track in Hilo. One driver told me that the SCCA races on this road course. However, because it is so narrow, they only race one car at once for time runs. We spent a few minutes watching the go-karts run as well as the motocross riders do their thing at the property’s motocross track. By the way, I was just kidding about those champ karts. They only ran flat karts today. The motocrossers had about 25 riders doing some spectacular jumps. One young rider even had a small motorcycle with training wheels! He would get about 4 inches of “air” when he went over the jumps. Everyone has to start somewhere! Cheap. Spectator admission was just five dollars. For three dollars more, we could buy a pit pass. That’s what we did. I don’t remember any tracks that I’ve visited this year with only a three-dollar incremental fee to get into the pits. Normally it costs an extra ten or fifteen dollars to get a pit pass. Deferred maintenance. The Big Island Oval Track is a rural dirt oval race track with a significant amount of deferred maintenance. There were about 25 cars in the pit area spread over 5-6 classes. There were some low level small car demo-type cares. There were also four-cylinder stock cars, 8-cylinder stock cars, old-time modifieds and sprint cars. Each class had 4-5 competitors. We watched several races from the pit area. The only protection for fans watching from here was the four foot high outer retaining wall along with some chicken wire attached to several telephone poles. I didn’t feel too comfortable standing behind the chicken wire but I felt an obligation to get some close up photos for your review. Dusty. The track is a small quarter-mile with somewhat uneven surfaces. It didn’t take long under the hot sun to develop a good deal of dust. Once the modifieds hit the track, drivers could not see 10 feet in front of them as they raced down the backstretch. Before the sprint cars (5) came out to run they watered the track. It took them some 15 minutes to actually put the water down. Most tracks could have done it in less than five minutes. Then it took them more than 15 minutes to get the track race ready. Their main track drying strategy seemed to be “let the sun do it”. Finally, they got the sprint car race started after a more than 30-minute delay. With no shelter and a very warm sun, this wasn’t a good thing. I may have seen more lame sprint car racing somewhere but if so, I have forgotten where. These sprinters were slow. The track conditions were not very good. They were also all over the track. The cars seemed much too big for this track. I suspect most of the drivers did not have much sprint car racing experience. It was nice to hear a good announcer. The track does have a P.A. system and announcer. He did a nice job of keeping the crowd informed and entertained. We spent the last several minutes on the spectator side of the track. The wind blew dust from the track in this direction. Maybe that’s why the pit area had about 100 people and the spectator side had about twenty. The five-row high bleachers had the famous Hawaii “red dirt” coating on each board. Once you get red dirt on your clothes it won’t come out. We stood. Finally made it. I’ve been trying to get this track for several years. I had also wanted to see racing here when we were already in Hawaii for our timeshare or other vacation visits. The timing never worked out. Finally, I just decided to bite the bullet and make a trip out here for the express purpose of seeing the Big Island Oval Track. I’m glad seeing this track wrapped up the final leg of my “Far West – Chase to be #1” trackchasing goal. This was also the last and final track for me to see in Hawaii. I’ve only seen four Aloha tracks but, at this point, that’s all there are to see. STATE RANKINGS Hawaii This morning I saw my fourth lifetime track in the Aloha state. This moves me into a tie for first place with Guy and Pam Smith (who are related by marriage) from Effort, Pennsylvania. An incredibly low 16 trackchasers have come all the way out to the islands to pursue their hobby. Only six of those people have seen more than one track. Seeing the Big Island Oval Track gives me two more state NGD points (moving me up from third to first in the state rankings). RENTAL CAR UPDATE Kona, HI – Thursday/Sunday I’ve rented my share of cars over time. I will be driving the National Rental Car Racing Chevy Impala. I picked it because it had a leather interior. The car also has XM satellite radio. However, since XM’s satellite signal does not reach Hawaii there is not satellite radio reception in this part of the world! I drove the National Rental Car Racing Chevy 416 miles in the three days and four hours that I had it. I paid an average price of $4.11 per gallon. Hawaii has the most expensive gas prices in the United States. The Chevy gave me a paltry 21.7 miles per gallon fuel mileage at a cost of 18.9 cents per mile. The car cost 44.2 cents per mile to rent, all taxes included. Mahalo for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser All we’re trying to do is get food. TRAVEL DETAILS AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA, – Kahului, HI – 2,485 miles Kahului, HI – Honolulu, HI – 101 miles Honolulu, HI – Kona, HI – 90 miles RENTAL CAR Keahole-Kona International Airport – trip begins Hilo, HI – 192 miles Keahole-Kona International Airport – 416 miles AIRPLANE Kona, HI – Los Angeles, CA – 2,504 miles Total Air miles – 5,180 miles (4 flights) Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 5,596 miles TRACK ADMSSION PRICES: Big Island Oval Track – $8 (included pit pass) Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $8 RANKINGS LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE: There are no trackchasers currently within 200 tracks of my lifetime total. Other notables These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus or more) of Carol’s current trackchaser total. 2008 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS Tracks have been reported by 35 different worldwide trackchasers this season. LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS After the most recent updates (September 21, 2008), my lifetime NGD lead sits at 15 state position points. That’s not bad but I will have to focus on this for the remainder of the year. With the “Far West – Chase to be #1” goal finally achieved, it’s time to head East. I’m talking about “way out” East. I may stop at a domestic track on the way to what I hope will be my 19th trackchasing country. 1,299. Barnes Lake Ice Track, Ashcroft (road course), British Columbia, Canada – January 13 1,300. Bira Circuit, Pattaya (road course), Thailand – January 19 1,301. Cameron Lake Ice Track (oval), Erskine, Minnesota – January 26 1,302. Birch Lake Ice Track (oval), Hackensack, Minnesota – January 27 1,303. Mille Lacs Lake Ice Track (road course), Garrison, Minnesota – January 27 1,304. Mille Lacs Lake Ice Track (oval), Garrison, Minnesota – January 27 1,305. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds (oval), Springfield, Missouri – February 1 1,306. Atlanta Motor Speedway (road course), Hampton, Georgia – February 2 1,307. Brainerd International Raceway Ice Track (road course), Brainerd, Minnesota – February 3 1,308. Bay of Green Bay Ice Track (road course), Marinette, Wisconsin – February 9 1,309. Lake Speed Ice Track (oval), Tilleda, Wisconsin – February 9 1,310. Shawano Lake Ice Track – North Shore (oval), Shawano, Wisconsin – February 10 1,311. Cecil Bay Iceway (oval) – Cecil, Wisconsin – February 10 1,312. Mototown USA (oval) – Windsor, Connecticut – February 15 1,313. Moosehead Lake Ice Track (oval) – Greenville Junction, Maine – February 16 1,314. Clarence Creek Ice Track (oval) – Clarence Creek, Ontario, Canada – February 17 1,315. Durban Grand Prix (road course), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa – February 24 1,316. Lake La Biche Ice Track (road course), Lake La Biche, Alberta, Canada – March 1 1,317. Rice Lake Ice Track (oval), Rice Lake, Wisconsin – March 8 1,318. Ashland Ice Track (oval), Ashland, Wisconsin – March 9 1,319. Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez (road course), Mexico City, Mexico – March 16 1,320. Hartwell Motor Speedway (oval), Hartwell, Georgia – March 22 1,321. Lavonia Speedway, Lavonia (oval), Georgia – March 22 1,322. Dover Raceway (road course), Brown’s Town, St. Ann, Jamaica – March 24 1,323. Lake Country Speedway (oval), Ardmore, Oklahoma – March 29 1,324. Swainsboro Raceway (oval), Swainsboro, Georgia – April 3 1,325. Screven Motor (oval), Sylvania, Georgia – April 4 1,326. Centerville Super Speedway (oval), Centerville, Arkansas – April 5 1,327. Central Arkansas Speedway (oval), Plumerville, Arkansas – April 5 1,328. Clinton Country Speedway (oval), Alpha, Kentucky – April 6 1,329. Pleasant Valley Raceway (oval), Boise, Idaho – April 20 1,330. Bremerton Raceway (road course), Bremerton, Washington – April 26 1,331. Port Angeles Speedway (oval), Port Angeles, Washington – April 26 1,332. Evergreen Speedway (1/5-mile oval), Monroe, Washington – April 27 1,333. Virginia Motor Speedway (oval), Jamaica, Virginia – May 1 1,334. Natural Bridge Speedway (oval), Natural Bridge, Virginia – May 2 1,335. Sturup Raceway, Malmo (road course), Sweden – May 10 1,336. Ring Djursland, Tirstrup (road course), Denmark – May 11 1,337. Nisseringen, Naestved (road course), Denmark – May 12 1,338. Valentine Speedway (oval), Glenrock, Wyoming – May 17 1,339. Gillette Thunder Speedway (oval), Gillette, Wyoming – May 17 1,340. Phillips County Speedway (oval), Holyoke, Colorado – May 18 1,341. North Pole Speedway (oval), North Pole, Alaska, – May 22 1,342. Tanacross Airport (road course), Tok, Alaska, – May 24 1,343. Mitchell Raceway (oval), Fairbanks, Alaska, – May 24 1,344. North Star Speedway (oval), Wasilla, Alaska, – May 25 1,345. Capitol Speedway (oval), Willow, Alaska, – May 25 1,346. Elk City Speedway (inner oval), Elk City, Oklahoma, – May 30 1,347. Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex (oval), Sweet Springs, Missouri – May 31 1,348. Central Missouri Speedway (oval), Warrensburg, Missouri – May 31 1,349. Lucas Oil Speedway (road course), Wheatland, Missouri – June 1 1,350. Ark-La-Tex Speedway (oval), Vivian, Louisiana – June 5 1,351. Monticello Speedway (oval), Monticello, Arkansas – June 6 1,352. Paris Motor Speedway (oval), Paris, Texas – June 7 1,353. Grayson County Speedway (oval), Bells, Texas – June 7 1,354. Prowers County Motorsports Park (oval), Lamar, Colorado – June 13 1,355. Moler Raceway Park (oval), Williamsburg, Ohio – June 20 1,356. La Junta Raceway (road course), La Junta, Colorado – June 21 1,357. El Paso County Speedway (oval), Calhan, Colorado – June 21 1,358. York County Fairgrounds (figure 8), York, Nebraska – June 22 1,359. Black Hills Speedway (oval), Rapid City, South Dakota – June 27 1,360. Heartland Speedway (oval), Rapid City, South Dakota – June 27 1,361. Newcastle Speedway (oval), Newcastle, Wyoming – June 28 1,362. Jackson County Sports Park (oval), White City, Oregon – July 11 1,363. Great Basin Raceway (oval), Ely, Nevada – July 12 1,364. Lovelock Speedway (oval), Lovelock, Nevada – July 13 1,365. Saratoga Speedway (oval), Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada – July 19 1,366. Saratoga Speedway (figure 8), Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada – July 19 1,367. Alberni Motorsports Park (road course), Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada – July 20 1,368. Scotia Speedworld, Halifax (oval), Nova Scotia, Canada – August 1 1,369. Centre for Speed (oval), Grand Barachois, New Brunswick, Canada – August 3 1,370. Penticton Speedway (oval), Penticton, British Columbia, Canada – August 9 1,371. Penticton Speedway (road course), Penticton, British Columbia, Canada – August 9 1,372. Tri-Oval Speedway (inner oval), Fountain City, Wisconsin – August 22 1,373. Tri-Oval Speedway (outer oval), Fountain City, Wisconsin – August 22 1,374. Genesee Speedway (oval), Batavia, New York – August 23 1,375. Limerock Speedway (oval), Caledonia, New York – August 23 1,376. Wyalusing Valley Motorsports Park (oval), Wysox, Pennsylvania – August 24 1,377. Utica-Rome Speedway (inner oval), Vernon, New York – August 24 1,378. Hebron Fair (figure 8), Hebron, Connecticut – September 5 1,379. Shadybowl Speedway (oval), Degraff, Ohio – September 6 1,380. Beamsville Fair (figure 8), Beamsville, Ontario, Canada – September 7 1,381. Automotodrom BRNO (road course), Brno, Czech Republic – September 13 1,382. Lambrechten Stock Car Track (road course), Lambrechten, Austria – September 14 1,383. Sherman County Speedway (oval), Goodland, Kansas – September 26 1,384. Thirty-Five Raceway (oval), Frankfort, Ohio – September 27 1,385. Oakshade Speedway (oval), Wauseon, Ohio – September 28 1,386. Big Island Oval Track (oval), Hilo, Hawaii – October 11 Far West “Chase to be #1” In the business world, the U.S. is often divided up into geographic areas that are referred to as East, Central and the “eleven Western states plus Alaska and Hawaii.” No, I don’t know why they don’t just say the “thirteen western states.” Those states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming and, of course, Alaska and Hawaii. The far west probably has the most beautiful scenery per square mile anywhere in the United States. This got me to thinking. Over the next 1-2 years, I’d like to put a “full-court” press on these far west states for trackchasing purposes. I want to establish a goal of becoming the number one trackchaser in each of these states except California by the end of 2009. Becoming #1 in California is not a realistic goal at this time. Below is a listing of these thirteen Far Western states. The state’s name is followed by my current rank and how many tracks I need to see to gain at least a tie for 1st place. I’m looking forward to spending more time than usual in the Far West, a great part of our country. Alaska – 1st by 2 Arizona – 1st by 8 California – 2nd – trail by 46 Colorado – 1st by 3 Hawaii – 1st** by 1 Idaho – 1st by 3 Montana – 1st by 1 Nevada – 1st by 1 New Mexico – 1st by 4 Oregon – 1st by 1 Utah – 1st by 2 Washington – 1st by 3 Wyoming – 1st by 3 ** Tie 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. The big trip to the Big Island Oval Track…sit back and imagine what this was like 
UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS
RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2008 (** not the first time to visit this track)