Hartford County Fairgrounds

 

 

 

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:

 

 

Randy’s Complete Track List

 

 

If you’ve got a question, comment or whatever please leave it at the bottom of this report.  It’s very easy to do.  I’ll try my best to respond.  Thanks!

 

 

 

ON THE WAY TO THE RACES

 

 

Still #1….as a couple.

Carol and I woke up this morning in the Savoie Suites Hotel in Washington, D.C. She was wrapping up her eighth day on the trackchasing trail.

 

 

During her time on the road she picked up five new tracks to solidify our dominant position as the World’s #1 Trackchasing couple. We are more than 100 tracks in front of our nearest competitors. In this particular category that’s a pretty big lead.

 

 

Luxury vacationing.

During her stay we were able to spend the day touring Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian museums as well as spend three days in New York City with Broadway plays and unique culinary experiences. I was also able to make sure that her overnight accommodations were first class. I love taking good care of Carol.

 

 

What did that t-shirt say?

The t-shirt makers are calling this trip “The Long and Arduous Mega Trackchasing Summer Tour of 2015″. Last year I did a 42-day trackchasing trip. This trip is planned to be a 56-day trip.

 

 

Today is day number 38 of the planned 56-day trip. You might be surprised to know that I am planning on extending the trip to 63 days. This plan is not in concrete yet but it’s getting there.

 

 

After checking out of the Savoy Suites Hotel we headed over to the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Carol would be heading to Los Angeles on a nonstop flight. I would depart about an hour later on a flight taking me to Columbus, Ohio.

 

 

Logistics building.

All of the airline logistics worked out very well. Also a brand-new part of my airline arsenal started today. What was that?

 

 

About a year and a half ago I joined the Alaska Airlines Board Room airport lounge program. This is a private club where airline travelers can stop in the airport to get away from the crowds. Food and drink is complimentary as well as a relaxing atmosphere along with free Wi-Fi. I don’t know if you’ve been in an airline club or not. For those who have I think you will agree it’s so much better than hanging around the hordes of travelers who may or may not be experienced in the travel game.

 

 

Alaskan Airlines has five Board Room locations. They’re located in Anchorage, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. Their program also allows me to use the clubs of several other airlines in about 40 locations.

 

 

This is huge.

However just recently Alaskan Airlines announced a fantastic enhancement to their program. Now Alaska Airlines Board Room members can use their membership to gain access to all of the American Airlines Admirals Club located around the world. American has 58 different clubs. They are all very upscale environments.

 

 

Years ago as a traveling businessman I had membership in the American Airlines Admirals Club. To this day I still maintain a lifelong American Airlines platinum frequent-flier status. This gives me lots of perks when I fly on American.

 

 

Today, for the first time, I used my American Airlines Admirals Club privileges at the Reagan National Airport. Getting my airline sponsorship program some eight or nine years ago was a huge benefit to Carol and me as well as my trackchasing program. Having access to the American Airlines Admirals Club will probably be the second most important travel program I’ve had over the past many years. This is going to make travel much more enjoyable.

 

 

Once I landed at the Columbus international airport it was time to pick up my national rental car. I will pick up the car in Columbus big be dropping it off within 24 hours at the Lambert international airport in St. Louis.

 

 

Re-positioning.

Flying from Washington to Columbus was re-positioning me for a trackchasing survey around the greater Midwest. Picking up my car in Columbus and dropping it in St. Louis was another repositioning tactic. All of these strategies allow my trips to go smoother and cost less.

 

 

Normally when I pick up my rental car they don’t ask me if I’m returning it to the point where I’m picking it up or returning it to some other remote location. However today’s agent did ask me if I was returning it to Columbus. When I told him I was not he directed me to a series of car choices that were far less valuable to me for the amount of driving I was going to do.

 

 

Tempted.

I was tempted to take a bright yellow VW beetle just to see what that driving experience would be like. However I had my golf clubs with me. They wouldn’t fit in that car. Additionally I was planning on doing eight hours of driving during the day I would have the car. The VW beetle probably wouldn’t work well for that.

 

 

I waited for a full-size vehicle to be “brought up” from the wash area. The car would be a Dodge charger. To my positive surprise the all black Charger had XM satellite radio.

 

 

I’ll drive this car about 600 miles before I take it into the St. Louis airport tomorrow morning at about 8 a.m. I’ll see what kind of mileage it gets. If I can get somewhere close to 30 miles per gallon I may just keep the car when I get to St. Louis. Then I would renegotiate my contract and drive it for three more days.

 

 

Columbus? What could I do there?

I picked up my car at about 1 p.m. I only had a 20-mile drive from the airport to the Hartford County Fairgrounds. I checked Trip Advisor to see what the top attractions in Columbus were.

 

 

There didn’t seem to be all that much in town of historical and/or entertainment value. Believe it or not the Easton Town Center, “a sprawling outdoor mall” in Columbus was listed as the number one touring attraction. I don’t know what that says about your town when an unknown (to me) shopping mall is your #1 attraction.

 

 

I checked the schedule of the Columbus Clippers minor-league baseball team on the off chance they might have a day game. They did not. I didn’t think they would.

 

 

 

 

THE RACING

 

 

Hartford County Fairgrounds – Croton, Ohio

 

 

Let’s just go to the fairgrounds.

I decided to drive over to the fairgrounds. Tonight’s figure 8 truck racing would not begin until 7:30 p.m. I pulled into the fair parking lot and a bit past 2 p.m.

 

 

My plan was to simply tie up a few loose ends with my laptop, watch an iTunes movie on my computer and then take an hour and a half nap to help me with tonight’s overnight drive to St. Louis. If one doesn’t pace one’s self you’ll never make it in trackchasing.

 

 

That’s pretty much how it worked out. At about 6:45 p.m. I headed into the 157th edition of the Hartford County Fair. Can you imagine what this fair looked like 157 years ago?

 

 

Fair food.

The fair had a lot of food choices. Earlier in the trip, in both Iowa and Illinois, I had a huge county fair pork chop steak. That’s what I was looking for tonight but I couldn’t find it.

 

 

I settled for a five-dollar bag of kettle corn and a five-dollar steak on a stick. Frankly, neither was “best ever”. However I wasn’t going to starve at the fair.

 

 

Where should I watch the race from?

I was faced with a difficult choice when it came time to decide where to watch tonight’s racing from. Initially I walked into the old beautiful cover grandstand.

 

 

The advantage to sitting in the covered grandstand was the sun would be at my back. It was a warm day with the temperature in the high 80s and lots of blue sky. The sun will be setting soon. It would be better if it sat behind me.

 

 

However spectators in the covered grandstand were positioned a long way from the “racing ring”. I’m guessing the distance was a good 50-75 yards. I didn’t like that idea.

 

On the other side of the track there was a long set of bleachers nearly 100 yards long and maybe 10 rows high. These seats were situated within 30-40 feet of the racing action. However, there was one significant problem. Those bleachers faced directly into the setting sun.

 

 

I had a choice to make. Should I have the sun at my back but be 75 yards from the racing? Or should I be 40 feet or less from the racing and stare directly into blinding sun? Neither one of these choices was what I was really looking for. That’s how life goes sometimes doesn’t it?

 

 

Personally I could deal with looking into the sun. I had a baseball hat and a good pair of Nike sunglasses. However my iPhone does not take quality video and photos facing into the sun. I think you’ll see the dilemma I was faced with. I chose to face the sun.

 

 

Glad they started on time.

I was glad to see the program starting on time at 7:30 p.m. Tonight the racing would consist of three classes of vehicles racing on a temporary dirt figure 8 track. After they were all down there would be a small demolition derby.

 

 

There were two “small” heat races for pick up trucks. Then a larger V-8 powered truck class had three heats. The truck figure 8 racing was followed by a single car figure 8 feature.

 

 

Tiny.

The figure 8 track itself was very small. Two tractor tires were used as markers for the track. They were probably only 20-25 yards apart. It was one of the smallest figure 8 tracks I’ve seen in sometime.

 

 

Initially the track surface was so slippery the trucks could barely turn the corner or get any traction when it was time to speed down the straight. It took a heat race or two to get the track in raceable shape.

 

 

Oh my.

I must tell you at times like this I wonder why a “track” like this “counts” when more reputable racing involving off-road vehicles or karts does not? However, no one ever tried to convince me there was much logic involved in the subject of “counting”.

 

 

No, not great by any means.

As the track got ironed out the racing got better. I wouldn’t call it great by any means. However when they first started it was one of the more lame figure 8 tracks I had seen. By nights end it was much better.

 

 

A first timer.

I sat next to a woman who, along with her family, was visiting the fair for the first time. They were from nearby Columbus, Ohio. This was her first ever figure 8 racing experience. She had a lot of questions.

 

 

She wanted to know what the racing purse was? Then she was concerned about the rules considering the announcer said there were “no rules”. “How safe was everything? ” she asked.

 

 

It was interesting to note that this woman, who seemed to be a novice with regard to figure 8 racing, actually had a racing pedigree herself. Her ex-husband had worked as a team manager for Bobby Rahal Indy car racing. Therefore she had been to Road America, Mid-Ohio and places like that.

 

 

A little surprised.

She was a little surprised to learn about my hobby and the extent with which it moves me around the country and the world. Actually most people are pretty surprised by that. At the end of the evening we parted as friends. That’s exactly the way it’s been with hundreds of people I’ve met at the tracks. Many still read these words today

 

 

12-7=5.

I didn’t stay for the demo derby. I needed to get going. I had 12 hours to get to St. Louis and the drive was seven hours long. That meant that I could get five hours of sleep between here and there before arriving into the St. Louis airport at 8 a.m.

 

 

Tonight I had seen my first race in Ohio in 2015. That gives me racing visits in 23 individual states and four Canadian provinces so far this year. I’m kind of laying low on the international front for the year. I want to catch my breath after adding so many new country visits over the past several years.

 

 

 

 

 

AFTER THE RACES

 

 

Managing the drive.

I would gain an hour driving from Columbus to St. Louis. That benefit was built into my planned five hours of slumber. I had to be careful and not take all five hours at once. If I did that and then got sleepy later in the drive I wouldn’t have any “sleep tine” left.

 

 

Just a nice guy I guess.

As I always do when I’m on the road and Carol isn’t with me I checked in with her via phone. She had made it back from Washington, D.C. to the Los Angeles International Airport without any trouble. When she got home she was surprised that three different Postagram postcards had arrived in her absence sent from me to her.

 

 

Tonight I need to take it easy and drive as conservatively as possible. I certainly didn’t want to get any speeding tickets. Those are easy to get especially in construction zones when the speed limit drops precipitously. Getting five hours of sleep would be enough to get me to St. Louis.

 

 

The plan for tomorrow.

Once I changed cars in St. Louis, or at a minimum changed rental car contracts, I would then be heading to Stockton, Kansas. Stockton is in the western half of the Jayhawk state.

 

 

I would have 11 1/2 hours to make that 7-8 hour drive to the Stockton track. Under normal conditions that would certainly be doable. However after driving overnight and sleeping in my car tonight driving seven or eight hours in 11 ½ hours tomorrow would be just a bit more challenging.

 

 

Alternatively.

I could have simply driven from tonight’s track in Ohio over to Michigan to catch a race there tomorrow night. However my long-range plan is to take over the number one trackchasing position in Kansas. Currently I’ve seen 33 tracks there. Ed Esser leads with 40. That’s a significant lead especially in a place like Kansas. However, the #1 spot there is possible. I just need to take it one track at a time.

 

 

Additionally.

Additionally the Rooks County Speedway races just two days a year during the Rooks County Fair. It wasn’t a convenient choice but I figured that sooner or later I had to get to Stockton, Kansas. Their weather forecast was good so I figured “Why not?”.

 

 

Good night.

 

 

 

 

Ohio

 

 

The Buckeye state

This evening I saw my 75th lifetime track in the Buckeye state, yes the Buckeye state. I have seen racing at 75 or more tracks in nine different states. I’ve been to the Eldora Speedway some 36 times since first going there in 1980. Most of the trips were when I lived nearly 2,000 miles from the track. That’s what I would call being a race fan. Eldora is one of my all-time most favorite racetracks. Have you ever checked out my “Favorite Tracks” list posted on my website? Here’s the link:

 

 

Randy’s favorite tracks

 

 

 

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

Ohio sayings: Yes, going to Cedar Point or Kings Island is a “vacation.”

 

 

 

 

QUICK FACTS

 

 

AIRPLANE

Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Chicago, IL (ORD) – 1,745 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #1

O’Hare International Airport – trip begins

London, KY

Indianapolis International Airport – trip ends – 766 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #2

Indianapolis International Airport – trip begins

Bedford, KY

Indianapolis International Airport – trip ends – 603 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #3

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – trip begins

Aitken, MN

Morten, Manitoba, Canada

LaGrange, IN

Manchester, IA

Oskaloosa, IA

Bowling Green, IN

Buncombe, IL

Ionia, MI

Osgood, IN

Hemlock, NY

Taylorville, IL

Cambridge, MN

Mora, MN

Urbana, IL

Bedford, KY

Owenton, KY

LeMars, IA

Belleville, KS

Grayslake, IL

Brazil, IN

La Grange, KY

Grayslake, IL

Sturgis, SD

Martinsburg, WV

Tazewell, VA

Henry, VA

Belmar, NJ

Berryville, VA

Croton, OH

 

 

 

TRACK ADMISSION PRICES:

Laurel County Fairgrounds – $10 (not a trackchasing expense)

Trimble County Recreational Facility – $10

Aitken County Fairgrounds (oval) – complimentary admission

Aitken County Fairgrounds (RC) – $8

ALH Motor Speedway – complimentary admission

LaGrange County Fairgrounds – $10

Delaware County Fairgrounds – $10

Mahaska County Fairgrounds – $5

Sandstone – $15 (include pits)

HBR Raceway – $10 (included pits)

Ionia Free Fair – $13

Ripley County Fairgrounds – complimentary admission

Hemlock County Fairgrounds – complimentary admission

Christian County Fairgrounds – $8

Isanti County Fairgrounds – $12

Kanabec County Fairgrounds – $10

Champaign County Fairgrounds – $6

Dirty Turtle Off-Road Park – complimentary admission

Owenton County Fairgrounds – $10

Plymouth County Fairgrounds – complimentary admission

Belleville High Banks – $20

Lake County Fairgrounds – $8

Staunton MX – $15

Oldham County Fairgrounds – $10

Lake County Fairgrounds – $10

Buffalo Chip – $20

Berkeley County Youth Fairgrounds – $10

Tazewell County Fair Speedway – $10

Providence Raceway – $10

Wall Stadium Speedway – no charge

Clarke County Fairgrounds – $7

Hartford County Fairgrounds – $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 500 tracks of my lifetime total. Don’t blame me.

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 2,148

 

 

Total Trackchasing Countries

There are no trackchasers currently within 10 countries of my lifetime total.

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 70

 

 

 

Current lifetime National Geographic Diversity results

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 4.88

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the link below to see the one-minute “Video Lite” production from the Hartford County Fairgrounds.

 

 

 

 

 

Important.

Try my new photo sharing software. Click on the link below for a photo album from today’s trackchasing day.  Double click on a photo to begin the slide show or watch the photos at your own pace.  Hover over a photo to read the caption.

.

 

 

 

A night at the Hartford County Fairgrounds