Greetings from Clarksville, Tennessee
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From the travels and adventures of the
“World’s #1 Trackchaser”
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Clarksville Speedway
Dirt oval
Lifetime Track #736
Reprinted with permission from my July 14, 2004, Trackchaser Report. THE CLASSIC TRACKCHASER REPORT Editor’s note: This is a CLASSIC Trackchaser Report. What the heck does “Classic” mean? It’s simply a Trackchaser Report that comes from my trackchasing archives. For whatever reason (usually not enough time) it didn’t get posted to my website when I first made the track visit. Often times a classic TR will not have a video and/or photo album attached. I didn’t begin producing my YouTube videos until 2009 (YouTube channel: RANLAY). I didn’t begin writing a complete Trackchaser Report until I had seen about 430 tracks. Photo albums were sort of hit or miss during the early years of my trackchasing. Additionally, if you see a website link know that link worked when the TR was originally written. Will it work now? Your guess is as good as mine! Nevertheless, this CLASSIC Trackchaser Report has finally bubbled to the surface and is now available for everyone to see at www.randylewis.org. I hope you enjoy it. I AM A TRACKCHASER My name is Randy Lewis. I live in San Clemente, California. I am a “trackchaser”. I trackchase. Before you discovered my site had you ever heard of trackchasing? Maybe not? So….what the heck is trackchasing? Sit back, take a read and you’ll be an expert on my hobby of trackchasing when you’re finished. Here’s my best explanation. Trackchasing is a three-pronged hobby. I’m a racing fan. I love to travel. I love to analyze opportunities to get the most out of everything while saving time and money. Trackchasing fills the need for all of the above. The racing part of my trackchasing has me trying to see wheel to wheel auto racing at as many different racetracks as I can all over the world. Yes, all over the world. So far things are going pretty well. As this is written, I’ve seen racing in 85 countries at more than 2,500 tracks. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen racing at more tracks than anyone else in the world. Equally important to me are the things I get to see and experience over the “long and dusty trackchasing trail”. I call these adventures “Trackchasing Tourist Attractions”. You won’t want to miss my “Trackchasing Tourist Attractions” page. Here’s the link: Trackchasing Tourist Attractions or my “Sports Spectating Resume” page, Sports Spectating Resume on my website at www.randylewis.org. I live in southern California. That’s probably the most inconvenient location in the country for seeing tracks in the U.S. Most of the racetracks in the U.S. are located well over 1,000 miles from where I live. As a matter of fact, my average trip covers 5,000 miles and more. I take 35-40 of those trips each season. In any given year I will travel well over 200,000 miles, rent more than 50 cars, and stay in more than 150 hotel rooms. I get the chance to meet people all over the world. With trackchasing trips to 85 countries and counting just getting the chance to experience so many other cultures, spend time in their homes and meet their friends is a huge reward for being in this hobby. I am indebted to several of these folks for their help and friendship. It takes a good deal of planning to do the above and not spend my entire retirement portfolio. I enjoy the challenge, the travel and every other aspect of “trackchasing”. In reality, my trackchasing hobby is a lot like being with the carnival. I breeze into town, stay a little while and then head on down the road. Today’s adventure was one more of the 2,000 trips that have taken me up, down and around the proverbial 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. Or you can visit me on Facebook. Thanks! FOREWORD Wednesday, July 14, 2019. SPECIAL NOTES Nice to hear that Englishman, Colin Herridge (above center), is enjoying Steak N’ Shake restaurants during his trackchasing vacation in Florida. PEOPLE/TRAVEL NEWS Today I woke up in the Russellville, Arkansas Motel 6. I’ve got to give a shout out for Motel 6. These properties offer a very consistent quality and the most affordable price. If you’re just using the hotel for a bed and a shower, I recommend them. Today is also my longest driving day of the 11-day tour. It’s mapped at 467 miles from the motel to the Clarksville Speedway. It was all that and a bit more with stops and detours. Since the state of California has the third-highest gas tax rate, behind Hawaii and Nevada, doesn’t it make sense for a Californian to do most of his driving OUTSIDE of California? Now for the philosophical: Race fans know that NASCAR Nextel Cup races can be long events. The longest race of the season is 600 miles long. The racing tires wear out about every 100 miles or so. During these long races, the cars pit at different times. This means that the current leader may have 90 miles on his tires and need to pit very soon. When he stops in the pit area, he will lose his lead. Another driver may be in 15th place, but is driving on brand new tires. That driver may end up in first place if all of the drivers ahead of him end up stopping for tires. Maybe this is where the story of the hare and the tortoise came from! Young Andy Ritter just saw his 200th racetrack. I’m going to guess Andy is about 30 years old. Below is a comment from Andy as he looks at the leader board and sees himself far behind the top 10 trackchasers. The top 10 have totals from 690 to more than 1,000 tracks. “Trackchaser Randy Lewis in an earlier post mentioned the handicap system of golf as a way to “level the playing field” in golf, comparing that to a race between myself and racing great Jeff Gordon with rules modifications being made to allow me to compete. In many ways I see trackchasing as a sport where it is difficult to compete as we are counting cumulative totals, not yearly averages, etc., therefore the older trackchaser has the advantage, just like Gordon has an advantage over my Trackchaser.com late model. I do not let the handicap or difficulty stop me. I continue to chase on, knowing that it is an uphill battle, but that someday I will have age on my side (although those most active in the hobby today may not be around). I see it much more likely that I can battle the giants of trackchasing than that I will have the equipment (or skill) that I see Andy Ritter as running on “fresh tires”. The older trackchasers are running on “old tires”. Let’s assume for a moment that all trackchasers all retire from the hobby at the same age. Let’s assume that age is 65. Yes, I know that not everyone will stop at that age. Some may not even continue at a strong pace until that age. To continue with the racing tire analogy, we’ll see trackchasers dropping into the pits as they age. Andy, as a young trackchaser, will be continuing. It’s just a question of whether or not he’ll be able to make up the deficit before he needs to go to the “big pit area in the sky”!! I’ve always said that Guy Smith is in the best position of any trackchaser because he has both a strong track total and a relatively young age. Although there are four trackchasers ahead of Guy, they are all older and will slow down before Guy does. Andy, as your elder, let me warn you about one thing. Girls! Yes, girls. You already have two girls in your life. Girls will take your time….and they should. I’m sure that both Guy and Gordy don’t have the track totals they would have had if they had not got hooked up with girls over the past few years. Allan may also attest that girls can divert your trackchasing attention. Can it be that Andy Sivi’s less than full focus on trackchasing this year has anything to do with girls? Remember, you heard it here first! I think everyone should be concerned about a backup plan for Will should some young Quaker girl, yes, that’s what they call girls from Quakertown, PA, divert his attention from trackchaser.com. I’ve been leaving business cards with Ed Esser’s name on them under the door of the women’s restroom at all major truck stops. Ed, have you been getting the calls? During the 12-year period when I was aged 33-45, I averaged less than 10 new tracks per year. During this time my kid’s ages were J.J. (9-21), Kristy 7-19) and Jim (5-17). Even though I was traveling all over the country on business, there just wasn’t time to spend my limited personal time on racing. Had I averaged just 30 tracks a year, during this time, which would have been easy, I would now be the #1 trackchaser worldwide and not just west of the Mississippi. I don’t regret my decision not to do much racing during this period at all. Now, that I don’t have little league games, school plays, and full family vacations on my agenda, trackchasing can be a more major hobby. I think having 200 tracks at this stage is great. Unfortunately, when Andy Ritter is 55 years old, I hate to think about how old the current top 10 trackchasers will be! I just hope that you’ll promise to come by the home and spend a little time with us old trackchasers and swap stories! CUMULATIVE DRIVING DISTANCES: Omaha, Nebraska Airport – trip begins Columbus, Nebraska – 111 miles Urbana, Missouri – 569 miles Bolivar, Missouri – 609 miles Adrian, Missouri – 811 miles Nevada, Missouri – 857 miles Topeka, Kansas – 1,127 miles Valley Center, Kansas – 1,287 miles Tulsa, Oklahoma – 1,466 miles Pocola, Oklahoma – 1,752 miles Clarksville, Tennessee – 2, 346 miles TRACK ADMISSION PRICES (U.S. DOLLARS): U.S. 30 Speedway – $0 Dallas County Speedway – $7 Bolivar Speedway – $10 (includes being able to park trackside and watch the races from inside my car. Adrian Speedway – $10 Nevada Speedway – $8 (maybe they were discounting the $10 advertised price since I arrived late) Heartland Park-Road Course – $15 Park City Raceway – $8 Tulsa Speedway – $15 Tri-State Speedway – $12 Clarksville Speedway – $18 RACING NEWS: Before you read further regarding my evaluation of the racetrack, you should know that the track’s management gave me a beautiful Dale Earnhardt/Budweiser t-shirt for being a trackchaser and coming to their track. I will always try to publish any potential conflicts of interest that some think may influence my comments about the track. The Clarksville Speedway is my 736th-lifetime track. It is the 11th track of the planned 18 for this trip. This track is exactly what you would expect from an old-time southern quarter-mile dirt track. The track has red dirt. The dirt will stain your clothes or shoes. You know you are in the south when you see the red clay tracks. This track is located just one mile south of the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The racing on this track is excellent. There is lots of two-groove racing through the highly banked turns. The track’s surface and configuration remind me of Peoria Speedway, which is my all-time favorite track. Right now, there’s a special trackchaser promotion for all listed trackchasers. RANDY’S FREE, YES IT’S FREE, PRODUCT OFFERING will provide two free tickets for any trackchaser who attends Peoria Speedway for the first time ever between now and the end of the 2005 season. Simply submit your ticket stubs for reimbursement. The track’s amenities leave a lot to be desired. The announcer’s booth (shack) must be 50 years old and looks like it’s older. The wooden grandstands are 10 rows high and run from the first turn all the way around to turn three. I just about lost my fried mushrooms when I stepped on the footboard and its “shock travel” was about 8 inches. I made it a point not to step on the board for the rest of the night. The lights are marginal, but there was no dust. This is a very racy little track ala Macon, Kokomo or LaSalle Speedway. Tonight was “NASCAR” night. Kenny Schrader and Kenny Wallace were guest drivers. Schrader raced in both the modified and late model divisions and Wallace ran only the modifieds. Schrader started in the front row of both of his features. He got second in the modified feature and won the late model feature after running over the local driver who was leading. You don’t see that kind of thing from Schrader often. Wallace started 14th in the mod feature and finished about 10th. General admission was an overpriced $20, $18 for seniors over age 55, which included me. The track offered a nice touch by providing a one-page handout of the schedule of events. Why don’t more tracks do this? Allan, on behalf of all trackchasers worldwide, would you offer up this idea at the next promoter’s meeting you attend? The actual racing program started at 7:30 p.m. The mods and late models had heats. The mini-mods, street stocks and pro streets ran features only. The track put on a nice fireworks show at intermission. The entire affair was over at 10:10 p.m. The stands were packed and about half of the crowd went into the pits after the races for an autograph signing session with the NASCAR boys. Even though this was a long drive, I didn’t really mind it. With both the air conditioning and the country music both cranked up the miles flew by. I’ve driven more than 2,300 miles and the schedule calls for about 1,100 more. Although the weather has been hot, there has been no rain. Tonight’s weather was ideal with temps at about 75 degrees. RACE TRACK FOOD: The track has concession stands near both turns one and four. I went with the cheeseburger and, a very special treat, fried mushrooms. It seems like years ago, when I lived in the Midwest; fried mushrooms were often on the menu. These eight mushrooms were a bit overpriced at $2.50. RENTAL CAR UPDATE: The National Rental Car Racing Buick Century is dirty but doing its job. I wouldn’t buy one for a personal car because of reliability problems and excess depreciation. Since neither one of those items are issues with a brand new rental car, I’m enjoying the ride. By the way, state and federal tax rate data noted below comes from the 2002 American Petroleum Institute survey. Per Barb Wiper’s and P.J. Hollebrand’s request cost per gallon numbers are included below. ED ESSER UPDATE: More news on Ed Esser soon. The following section of this track report will focus on budgeting and taxation as experienced on a typical racing trip. We are all liable for paying federal and state income tax if we earn enough money. I thought it would be interesting to see how many and how much other taxes I would pay on an 11-day racing trip. I’m going to keep a spending diary during this trip. I’ll show you the kinds of things that a trackchaser might spend money on and the taxes associated with each purchase. The first number will be the amount spent in total on a particular expense and the second number will be the amount of tax paid. Current cumulative totals through July 13 – $759.63/$90.26 THURSDAY, July 15, 2004 Food – McDonalds – $5.15/$0.43 Golf – Hermitage Golf Course – $52.44/$0.00 Food – Hermitage Golf Course – $6.00/$0.00 Steak N’ Shake – $9.05/$0.60 Race tickets – Music City Motorplex Lodging – Red Roof Inn, Nashville, Tennessee – TBD WEDNESDAY, July 14, 2004 Food – Subway – $5.86/$0.47 Food – McDonalds – $5.45/$0.46 Food – Dairy Queen – $3.28/$0.29 Gas – Jackson, TN – $27.95/$5.85 ($1.89 per gallon) Food – Texaco – $1.52/$0.12 Race tickets – Clarksville Speedway – $18.00/$0.00 Food – Clarksville Speedway – $6.25/$0.00 Lodging – Red Roof Inn, Nashville, Tennessee – TBD TUESDAY, July 13, 2004 Food – Waffle House – $10.34/$0.71 Food – Citgo – $1.52/$0.13 Tolls – Muskogee Turnpike – $4.05/$4.05 Movie ticket – The Terminal – $5.00/$0.39 Gas – Ft. Smith, Arkansas – $25.82/$5.75 (state & federal gas taxes = $0.405 per gallon) – $1.79 per gallon Race tickets – Tri-State Speedway – $12.00/$0.00 Food – Tri-State Speedway – $3.50/0.00 Food – China City – $10.20/$0.21 Lodging – Motel 6, Russellville, Arkansas $35.35/$3.36 MONDAY, July 12, 2004 All-Star Driving Range, Wichita – $6.00/$0.00 Tolls – Kansas Turnpike – $1.60/$1.60 Food – Braum’s Ice Cream – $2.80/$0.21 Race tickets – Tulsa Speedway – $15.00/$0.00 Food – Tulsa Speedway – $9.00/$0.00 Food – Victorian Inn vending – $1.50/$0.00 Miscellaneous – Tulsa Speedway contribution – $3.00/$0.00 Lodging – Victorian Inn, Tulsa, OK – $30.15/$4.16 SUNDAY, July 11, 2004 Food – Subway – $6.64/$0.45 Race tickets – Heartland Park – $15.00/$0.00 Food – Heartland Park drink – $4.00/$0.00 Tolls – Kansas Turnpike – $6.85/$6.85 Food – Kicks 66 – $4.19/$0.21 Food – Spangles, Wichita – $6.78/$0.40 Race tickets – Park City Raceway – $8.00/$0.50 Lodging – Motel 6, Wichita, KS – $40.42/$4.43 Gas – Wichita, KS – $28.98/$6.47 – $1.89 per gallon Food – Quick trip drink – $1.37/$0.08 SATURDAY, July 10, 2004 Food – Hardee’s – $5.10/$0.41 Golf – Millwood Golf & Country Club – $53.25/$3.30 Food – Steak N’ Shake – $7.10/$0.44 Race tickets – Adrian Speedway – $10.00/$0.00 Food – Adrian track – $3.75/$0.00 Race tickets — Nevada Speedway – $8.00/$0.00 Food – Nevada, MO track – $4.50/$0.00 Hotel -Super 8, Nevada, MO – $50.47/$4.68 (state and bed taxes) Gas – Nevada, MO – $26.37/$5.02 – $1.85 per gallon FRIDAY, July 9, 2004 Food – Subway – $6.09/$0.40 Golf – Shoal Creek driving range – $11.03/$0.73 Food – Steak N’ Shake – $9.41/$0.44 Gas-Kansas City, MO – $25.50/$5.04 – $1.78 per gallon Food – McDonalds – $1.08/$0.08 Race tickets – Bolivar Speedway – $10.00/$0.00 Lodging – Motel 6, Springfield, MO – $44.86/$4.87 THURSDAY, July 8, 2004 Original airfare ticket – $0.00/$0.00 (earned by spending $15,000 on my Visa card) Airfare – United Airlines – $75.00/0.00 – (Ticket re-issue, destination changed from Tulsa to Omaha, when my friends at Junior Raceway Park in Tulsa decided to stop racing on Thursdays) Airfare – United Airlines – $19.00/$19.00 – Airport security tax Miscellaneous – Skycaps – $3.00/$0.00 – (I’ll leave it up to them to declare this money on their income taxes.) Miscellaneous – L.A. Times – $0.50/$0.00 – (The airport used to collect sales tax on this type of purchase but no longer do) Miscellaneous – Delivery fee for Columbus Telegram – $2.00/$0.00 Food – Steak Escape – $8.49/$0.61 – (sales tax on food in Denver Airport) Food – McDonalds – $2.14/$0.14 – (food to go tax) Food – Ranchers Choice Café – $20.38/$0.93 Food – U.S. 30 Speedway – $3.75/$0.00 Food – Super 8 Motel vending machine – $1.50/$0.00 Lodging – Super 8 Motel-Columbus, NE – $48.30/$4.20 (sales and lodging tax) Randy Lewis That’s all the news that’s fit to print from San Clemente where the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and all of the children are above average. Since we’re in an election year, remember, when there’s not enough government someone will steal your strawberries, when there’s too much government, the government will steal your strawberries. Racetracks visited in 2004 (** not the first time to visit this track) **Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, Ohio, June 12 **Charleston Speedway, Charleston, Illinois, May 22 **Sunshine Speedway (oval), Pinellas Park, Florida, April 3 **Central Arizona Raceway, Casa Grande, Arizona, January 20 Planned new racetracks (on the last day of each racing trip I will post my tentative plans for my next trip) 15-Jul Thunderin’ Thursdays Music City Motorplex Nashville, TN 16-Jul Regular program Clay County Speedway Flora, IL 16-Jul Natl Modified Midgets Wayne County Speedway Wayne City, IL 17-Jul MAORA Off Road Soggy Bottom Raceway Greenup, IL 17-Jul Regular program Montgomery County Speedway New Florence, MO 18-Jul SCCA Regional Heartland Mtrspts Park Topeka, KS 18-Jul Regular program Thayer County Speedway Deshler, NE 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. Check out the Clarksville Speedway from back in 2004 
Gordon has. Thanks for rooting for me Randy! I do this because it
is fun, and am glad to have a forum such as this to share track and
travel stories.”
