Greetings from Baltimore, Maryland
From the travels and adventures of the
“World’s #1 Trackchaser”
Grand Prix of Baltimore Paved road course Lifetime Track #1,798 Reprinted with permission from my Sunday, September 2, 2012 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. Typically these will be stories from tracks I visited five years or ten years or more ago. For whatever reason (usually not enough time) it didn’t get posted to my website when I first made the track visit. Often 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 425 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 (above – aboard the Diamond Princess in last 2019, made famous with the Coronavirus pandemic). I hail from the sleepy little village by the sea, San Clemente, California. I am a “trackchaser”. I trackchase. Have you ever in your life heard of “trackchasing”? I didn’t think so. 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 Sunday, September 2, 2012. WHEN IS RACING NOT REALLY RACING? WHEN THE EVENT IS HELD ON A STREET COURSE! SPECIAL NOTICE!! ‘THE ROAD TO 1800’ CONTEST (As a reminder) Just TWO more tracks to go before I hit the magic 1,800 number. Have you entered this contest yet? All you have to do is submit the city/country where you think track #1,800 will come from. Don’t be left out. You can win this! More details at the bottom of this Trackchaser Report. MORE PRIZES! Sponsors make all this happen. I couldn’t do what I do without sponsors. Just a few days ago, I received a message from Tim Frost (above right). He owns and publishes the National Speedway Directory. He also publishes the “Track Finder” smartphone app that I use all the time. It’s fantastic. Check out his stuff at www.speedwaysonline.com. Tim wanted to add some prizes to the biggest prize list I have ever offered at Randy Lewis Racing. Now if you can submit your guess and win this contest you will not only get an $18 (to commemorate my 1,800thtrack) Wal-Mart Gift Card plus a Randy Lewis racing t-shirt but you will also score one copy of the famous 2012 National Speedway Directory plus one copy of the History of America’s Speedways – 2003 Edition! Second and this place finishers get extra NSD prizes too (see below) Stop everything. Send in your guess right now! All you have to do is respond to this email RIGHT NOW with the city and country where you think track #1,800 will come from. You’re going to be kicking yourself or your dog when you see how easy of a win this could have been if you don’t enter. Respond right now to Ranlay@yahoo.com with your answer!! THE KEYS TO THE TRIP Once a salesman always a salesman…………….more in “The Trip”. Drive sober or get pulled over……………..more in “Observations”. I knew what I was getting into………..details in “Race Review”. THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED HAD YOU BEEN PAYING MORE ATTENTION IN SCHOOL THE BEST READERS IN RACING TAKE TIME TO CONTRIBUTE I don’t normally refer to politics in my Trackchaser Reports. However, this note is from a Midwestern staunch republican and it’s just too darned funny. “I read your recent trackchasing report. The demographics of your group mirror those of the Republican Party. Mostly old white men, save for the occasional female, Slowly fading into the sunset. I think you even have a tea party wing!” Then just as I was going to press with this report this feedback came in from Florida: “Randy, I thinks you hit all of the right buttons, but to me it’s pretty simple – any form of racing these days is just not very interesting. I live 60 miles from daytona speedway, and they would not only have to let me in free, but probably PAY me to sit through 4 hours or so of “racing”. I used to tape NASCAR races so I could speed through watching them in 20 minutes or so, but now I’m happy to just read the headlines monday morning in USA today. The last ticket I scalped there for the twin 150’s had a face value of $130. Really? I can fly to cancun and lay on the beach for that ( I’m lying on the beach in st Martin as I type this) I continue to browse through your race reports only because you’re a friend and I have an interest in YOU. I find the stuff about you and your travels somewhat interesting, the racing stuff, not so much. If Guy Smith got hit by a bus taking his trash out, why would I care? I’m pretty sure most of your readers would agree. In my opinion, you could just go on your own and separate yourself from any track-chasing group and none of your readers would care. Anyone who knows you and your competitive natures knows there isn’t the slightest possibility you’d ever let anyone catch you, that’s a given. I’m pretty sure the other track chasers have figured that out by now and have thrown in the towel. Now only did you ” take their ball”, you stomped on it, pissed on it, and drove over it a few times with Carol’s Lexus. Having said all that, hope you are well and enjoying what you do. Not for me, but glad it works for you.” Editor’s note: Although I wouldn’t mind having Guy Smith suffer several rainouts in the upcoming season I would never want him to get hit by a bus. Greetings from Baltimore, Maryland! WHO, WHAT, WHY AND WHERE The Plan Indy cars on a street course….yuk. My revised plan was to see a race at an airport in Pennsylvania today and then an evening race in Ohio. Alas, the promoter from the airport race called to say they didn’t expect any entrants that would count in trackchasing competition. Then the weather forecast looked bad for Ohio. This meant I would change plans, again, and head to Baltimore. I like certain types of racecars and certain types of tracks much more than others. I don’t really care much for Indy car racing. I REALLY dislike street course racing. What type of race were they having in Baltimore today? They were racing Indy cars on a street course! Well, I don’t like going to the dentist. Sometimes I don’t like going to yoga. However, for the betterment of life, I have to go to those places. That’s the way it is in trackchasing. Sometimes you don’t WANT to go but you HAVE to go. Today was one of those days. It would only be for a few hours. Then I would never have to go back. You won’t want to miss my observations about this event below. The Trip Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes he eats you. I woke up this morning in the Somerset rest area of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I went to bed in Stamford, Connecticut this evening. This is what today looked like. I think I have some of the most unusual overnight accommodations of anybody I know. Last night I slept in the front seat of my National Rental Car Racing Hyundai Tucson SUV. The front seat was much more comfortable than sleeping on the hard surface of the SUV’s rear storage area. Then after the race, I bedded down at the Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut. Back in the day, when I would visit our corporate offices in Wilton, CT I stayed in that Marriott a million times. It hasn’t changed much. I got the hotel on Priceline for a pittance. Once a salesman always a salesman. Of course, even when I get a Marriott hotel on Priceline I’m not above reminding them that I am a LIFETIME platinum member of their frequent stay program “just in case that might get me a better room”. Once a salesman always a salesman. For just $55 per night for this upscale property not only did I get a room but my room was on the concierge level. Along with that came free Hors d’oeuvres and drinks in the evening and a lavish breakfast the next morning from the hotel’s top floor with a commanding view of downtown Stamford. Oh, I can’t forget the “welcome gift”. More on that below. Yep! One night sleeping in my car and the next staying at one of the nation’s premier hotels, with all of the amenities one could want in one of the most expensive areas of the country. It’s nice to get advice from ‘boots on the ground’. Today’s race was being held in downtown Baltimore. This was the second year of this special event. Last year several eastern-based trackchasers attended the Baltimore Grand Prix. That was fine with me. I always figure I have the best chance of not running into many of them if I go during the second year of the event. Good buddy, Paul Weisel gave me the heads up on the best way to navigate the traffic of Baltimore on race day. He told me to take the light rail train from the suburb of Hunt Valley, Maryland into downtown Baltimore. That was great advice. For about three bucks (actually $3.20) I could ride the train, round-trip, into the city for the race and then back to my car when the race was finished. I could park for free at the train station. I was somewhat familiar with Hunt Valley. When Procter & Gamble bought out Hunt Valley’s Noxell Corporation I went there to check out their warehousing. I can’t remember for sure but I probably went there to check out their warehousing so I could tie in a trackchasing trip. Like I say, I can’t remember for sure but “I’m just sayin”. After the races…… Cheesesteak, cheesesteak. When I got off the train following this afternoon’s races I had a hangerin’ for a Philly cheesesteak. I figured during the next two-three hours of driving up toward Connecticut I would be able to find a good one. Off I went using Yelp! and Garth, my friendly GPS buddy. I was not going to stop at just any cheesesteak shop. It would have to have superior Yelp! ratings. It would be a challenge handling the east coast traffic in the rain with my iPhone Yelp! app in one hand and my eyes and ears watching and listening to Garth tell me where and when to go. The exit system is a little strange on I-95. It was difficult to determine if that cheesesteak I wanted was six miles AHEAD of me or behind me. I never did find exactly what I was looking. A bottle of wine and a pint of Haagen Dazs was my “welcome gift”. I would have to come up with a dinner alternative and make it free as well. Therefore I “built” dinner out of my own guile. What does that mean? When I checked into the Marriott my “welcoming gift” was a bottle of red wine and a pint of Hagen Dazs vanilla ice cream. I supplemented that with a couple of Diet Pepsis and a handful of lemon squares from the concierge lounge on the top floor of the Marriott Stamford. With all of the above “accouterments” I sat back in my oversized hotel room and watched the NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Atlanta. Is life good or not? Observations Drive sober or we’re going to kill you? This weekend’s catchphrase on all of the highway’s electric signs was “Drive sober or be pulled over”. I don’t have any sympathy for drunk drivers. I wouldn’t care all that much if they just killed themselves but they don’t. They oftentimes kill others. I say lock ‘em up and throw away the key. I have an acquaintance that was charged with driving under the influence. He must now use a breathalyzer to start his car. He has to have it for three years. The state charges him $72 per month for the use of the breathalyzer! Geez! Could they possibly put any more curves in the Pennsylvania Turnpike? I don’t think so. I thought I was going to pass out from the “G” forces as I rounded each turn. Then I came across a sign that said “Warning – next three miles bad curves….they were kidding right? On the other hand, the rest areas on the Pennsylvania Turnpike might be the best in the U.S. In a way, they are like “mini-malls” with several different eateries, shopping, and large areas to relax and enjoy your meal. They measure up pretty well to what I consider to be the premier highway rest areas in the entire world. I’m talking about the “Welcome Breaks” that appear throughout the United Kingdom. I consider those the best in the entire world. I can’t wait to go back to England just for the Welcome Breaks! Tolls a not so subtle way to get other people to pay for YOUR roads. Tolls for the 200+ mile drive from Pittsburgh to Baltimore were about $17 U.S. To some that might seem high. Compared to the toll roads in France it was like the state of Pennsylvania was paying ME to drive on their roads. I also got a “free hotel room” on the toll road last night. Not a bad deal for seventeen dollars U.S. However, the toll roads after the race from Baltimore to Stamford, Connecticut (which took me through New York) were $39 U.S. That seemed like less of a good deal especially with the road conditions in and around New York and the nightmarish Sunday night traffic. I had to get ‘up’ for attending a street race. A person has to prepare themselves for attending a street race. First, you have to accept the fact that you will not really be able to see any of the racing. If you can’t accept that fact you shouldn’t go. It’s somewhat like going to a restaurant and peering through the window. You can see them cooking the food. You can see the restaurant’s patrons eating the food. You just know that is as close as you are going to get to eating the food! RACE REVIEW GRAND PRIX OF BALTIMORE – BALTIMORE, MARYLAND I knew what I was getting into. I knew that I would not really be able to see any of the racing at today’s street course circuit in downtown Baltimore. Why is that? Because when they build a track like this in a major city it winds in and out of streets dwarfed by high-rise buildings. At most I would be able to see 4-5 seconds of “racing” here and there. I’ve had this experience from Singapore to St. Petersburg to Long Beach and many places in between. As mentioned, last year several eastern-based trackchasers came to this event. I’m using the words “came to this event” loosely. They didn’t exactly buy a ticket and enter the spectator gates. “But Randy, what did they do then?” the aroused reader might be wanting to ask. They grabbed a seat on the highest point they could find OUTSIDE the track and watched what they could see from there. Now hold on just a minute. Now before you start calling these “race fans” cheap S.O.B.s hear me out. They knew and I knew that you would not be able to see any real racing whether you bought a ticket or not. It’s sort of like the lottery. Your chances of winning are the same whether you buy a ticket or not! However, I am not into buying “cheap things cheap”. Sitting on a hill and watching the race from there is what I would call buying “cheap things cheap”. Please understand I am not being critical. My mission in life is to buy “good things cheap”. I’ll tell you how I met that goal below. It’s not about the money; It’s about the MONEY. The cheapest ticket being sold at today’s ticket booth was selling for $57. Remember I DID NOT come to see the racing. “But Randy, if you didn’t come to see the racing exactly what DID you come to see?” the now befuddled reader would want to ask. I came for the “ambiance”. There was no racing to see but it would be fun to get inside the gates to see what there was to see from this street festival of sorts. Yes, I definitely wanted to experience the ambiance of this experience. However, there was this issue of spending $57 U.S. to do it. You don’t work for the IRS, do you? I guess you could call me a professional buyer and seller of sporting events tickets. If you were with the IRS I might state it differently….but you’re not…right? The value of any good or service is what a willing seller with sell it for and what a willing buyer would buy that good or service for. I was not willing to pay $57 for a ticket to today’s event. Therefore I sought out a “professional wholesaler” of tickets if you will. Let’s meet the typical professional wholesaler of sports tickets. In actuality I didn’t need to seek them out because they would seek me out. Professional wholesalers of tickets are normally black men. I know that some people might think stating this fact in this fashion is discriminatory in one fashion or another. However, it is true that professional wholesalers of sports tickets are nearly always men. So if they are almost all men is there a problem saying the scalpers….er professional wholesalers of tickets are men? Does that clear it up for you? Being an upscale (my words) white male makes me a minority with this group. When they approach me to sell me something I always put my hand on their shoulder, look them straight in the eye and say, “Sorry. Nothing against you personally but I don’t buy my tickets from professionals. You’re trying to make money and so am I”. They always take what I have to say as a compliment and then go right on trying to sell me one of their tickets! That’s why they are professionals. They don’t take “no” for an answer. I do the same thing with Carol. When she says “maybe” I take that as a “yes”. When she says “no” I take that as a “maybe”. Let’s get this negotiation started. Today’s scalper wanted $40 for his general admission ticket. That wasn’t bad considering the least expensive ticket sold by the track was $57. However, I am trained to offer about half price NO MATTER what he might have said. If he said “I’ve got a special deal price of just six dollars” I would instantly come back with “how about three?”. With that in mind, I countered with twenty dollars. He acted as if he was offended (which is exactly how he is SUPPOSED to act) and walked off. While I took some more pictures of my surroundings I kept an eye on him out of the corner of my eye. He was doing the same thing with me. Soon we were BACK to the negotiating table. It wasn’t long before we were back in “discussions”. He was now offering the ticket for thirty dollars and then twenty-five. We settled on $22 U.S. That seemed like a pretty good discount of more than 50% from the track’s offering of fifty-seven dollars. Since we’re talking tickets I will finish up this discussion before I get into the racing. I had shown my ticket to get inside the grounds. I watched the Indy Lites race such as it was. I couldn’t see a thing on the track. O.K., I could see them breeze by at speed for about five seconds. To me, that means “I couldn’t see a thing”. Was there any real reason to stay for the main Indy car race? I didn’t think so. I looked at my ticket. It was in exactly the same condition as when I had entered the track. They had not torn it in any way. They had not scanned it in any way. The ticket was in EXACTLY the same condition as when I took it from the scalper. First I was a buyer; Then I was a seller. This got me to thinking. I was a professional buyer and seller of sport tickets wasn’t I? I had already done some buying today. Maybe it was time to do some SELLING! Yes, it was. What would someone be willing to pay for my ticket with the last race, but the main race, still coming up. I left the track to “test the waters”. I kept a close eye on the official ticket booth. Was there anyone over there getting ready to buy a really last-minute ticket? Then I looked around at the crowd. I wondered how many undercover police were just waiting to pounce on me if I pounced on a prospective patron of the tracks. I didn’t like that feeling. I went a little further away from the main attraction. Some fans turn up their noses at someone trying to sell a ticket at an event like this. Those are the same fans that bought their ticket a year ago for full price! I just ignore them….because that’s my job. Bingo. Soon I found another “professional wholesaler”. This fellow, from Nigeria, was in the market for a ticket. We soon settled on a price of $15. He figured he could sell it for more. It’s time to recap. Let’s recap here. The track wanted $57 for the cheapest ticket they were selling. The scalper I ran into wanted $40. We settled on $22 U.S. Then I resold THAT ticket for $15. What was my net cost? SEVEN BUCKS. Folks, if you get nothing else out of these reports please remember to buy “good stuff cheap”. These are pearls being cast about. All you have to do is bend over and pick them up. By the way, I did take a picture of my ticket, which I will keep as my souvenir. The ambiance. The Baltimore Ravens play here. Today’s track was a couple of miles long give or take a few meters. Inside the track’s layout was the Camden Yards baseball park home to the Baltimore Orioles. I could also see the M&T Bank Stadium home to football’s Baltimore Ravens. I had a ‘history’ with Camden Yards. Years ago, son J.J. (he was about sixteen at the time) and I tried to establish a father/son tradition of attending major league baseball all-star games. The first year we did this was in Anaheim. On that occasion I was able to give J.J. a crash course in scalping, er “promotional wholesaling” of sports tickets. I figured as a father I had a responsibility to be a role model right. The next year we tried to do the same thing at Camden Yards in Baltimore. There were a couple of things holding us back. First, this was the first year for the park in Baltimore. The interest was beyond high and the local fans were rabid. Then, of course, we were dealing with east coast people. They are much more aggressive in these matters than westerners. The best we could do, even by the third inning, was score a ticket for $300 apiece far down toward the foul line. We declined and listened to the game on radio as we drove back to Philly. However, I think J.J. learned more during that 24-hour period after we talked to literally hundreds of people, from all walks of life about tickets. I think he looks back on that trip fondly. And now the racing. Back to the “racing”. I was walking near the track when the racecars came zooming past. I heard a wife ask her husband, “Are they racing?” That pretty well sums up my point doesn’t it? However, the cars were very loud. I had a wonderful time exploring Camden Yards. Some day I will see a baseball game there. There were all kinds of food vendors. I settled on a “shrimp po’boy” sandwich. It was good but messy. Corporate hospitality. Lots of deal-making going on in there. I looked longingly at the corporate hospitality tents. The corporate boys and girls were entertaining their guests with prime rib and shrimp cocktails. I’d bet a dollar to a donut that less than 10% of those guests could name just two drivers in today’s race. Although I worked in the corporate atmosphere I hated the corporate hospitality idea. The LAST thing I wanted to do was share an afternoon at one of my favorite sporting events with my customers. No offense to them but my favorite sporting events are and always were special activities to me. I didn’t want to have to be “working” when I was trying to have fun. Overall, take a look at the pictures from this event. You’ll see in pictorial form just about everything I’ve told you about and maybe a few more things. Now’s your chance. Remember, track #1,800 is almost here. I want you to win that treasure chest of prizes. You deserve it right. STATE COMPARISONS Maryland The Old Line State This afternoon I saw only my fourth-lifetime track in the Old Line state, yes the Old Line State. First of all, I had no idea the state nickname for Maryland was the Old Line State. Nevertheless, I still have a couple of tracks yet to see here. I’ll be back. 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 Maryland sayings: If you can dream it we can tax it. TRAVEL DETAILS AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) – 2,151 miles RENTAL CAR #1 Pittsburgh International Airport – trip begins Middlebourne, WV – 100 miles Seven Stars, PA – 416 miles Mackeyville, PA – 478 miles Columbus, PA – 689 miles Martinsburg, PA – 883 miles Pittsburgh International Airport – 1,143 miles – trip ends RENTAL CAR #2 Pittsburgh International Airport – trip begins Baltimore, MD – 264 miles TRACK ADMISSION PRICES: Tyler County Speedway – $20 Greenwood Raceway – No charge Clinton County Speedway – No charge Baker Hill Motorsports – $20 Cove Valley Speedway – $7 Baltimore Grand Prix – Bought my ticket for $22, watched the race, and then sold my ticket for $15! Net cost $7 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 300 tracks of my lifetime total. Don’t blame me. Total Trackchasing Countries There are no trackchasers currently within 10 countries of my lifetime total. Current lifetime National Geographic Diversity results ‘THE ROAD TO 1800’ CONTEST I certainly appreciate everyone who takes the time to read about my trackchasing adventures. I hope you have nearly as much fun reading about these experiences as I do just doing them! Most long-time readers know that I offer contests from time to time for my readers. That being the case, I’ve got a new contest coming your way. You can win! I hope you do. You may have noticed that with today’s track report I am just TWO tracks short of the somewhat unheard of number of 1,800 tracks. “But Randy, exactly how BIG of a deal is 1,800 tracks. Has anybody else seen that many or more?” the most interested reader might ask. Nope! Nobody has seen more than 1,800 tracks. As far as I know, the next leading trackchasers have totaled in the 1,400s. How does the contest work? So how is this contest going to work? It’s pretty simple really. All you need to do is guess where my 1,800th-lifetime track visit will be. You don’t have to guess EXACTLY where the track will be. You just have to be CLOSE. Who can enter the contest? Who is eligible to win the contest? Everyone who receives my reports via email distribution lists is eligible. This includes everyone but Carol, “Trackchasing’s First Mother”. Yes, it includes all of my international readers as well. That’s why folks on my international distribution list are receiving this report today. The deadline to enter is anytime before I report on my 1,800th track (or possibly sooner if I run out of application blanks). How many times can each reader enter the contest? Once. Who’s the final judge on any contest questions? Me. Your entry should include the “City/Country” nearest where you think track #1,800 is located. You don’t have to pick the location exactly you just have to be better than the next guy/gal. If the “City/Country” combination you submit is the most accurate to where I did see this milestone track compared to all other entries you win. Google Maps will be used to determine the distance between your guess and track #1,800’s location. Contest prizes! So what will the prizes for this contest be? How many people will win? First of all, there will be three prizewinners. Grand Prizewinner: $18 (to commemorate my 1,800th track) Wal-Mart Gift Card plus a Randy Lewis racing t-shirt plus one copy of the famous 2012 National Speedway Directory plus one copy of the History of America’s Speedways – 2003 Edition! Second and third runner-up winners: Randy Lewis Racing t-shirt plus one copy of the famous 2012 National Speedway Directory. Good luck! Good luck. Get your guesses in. If two people pick the same “City/Country” location the first submission gets priority. If you don’t enter you can’t win. Heck, even if you do enter you might not win! That’s all folks! Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report Official end of RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report Click on the link below to see the video production from the racing action today. Street course racing from downtown Baltimore A day in the life of coming and going to the Grand Prix of Baltimore 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 Grand Prix of Baltimore…one and done for me 
THE ROAD TO 1,800!
