Jackson Speedway

 

 

My plans are only guidelines until a better plan comes about…………….more in “The Details”.

 

 

 

I sleep in the car; Carol sleeps in the Marriott…………….more in “The Details”.

 

 

 

This is a wonderful city to tour but not a very good place to park your car……………more in “Attractions”.

 

 

The walk back from the ballpark to the parking lot was dangerous but not for the reason I was thinking about…………..more in “Attractions”.

 

 

Tonight’s good time changed in a micro second………….more in “Attractions”.

 

 

We would have to seek immediate emergency medical attention………….more in “Attractions”.

 

 

With Carol’s injury we needed to modify our plan.………..details in “Race Review”.

 

 

I couldn’t believe my eyes……..details in “Race Review”.

 

 

My ‘century’ milestones……..details in “Race Review”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My plans are only guidelines until a better plan comes about.

This would be another two-day mini trip within my overall 28-day adventure.  On Thursday morning I woke up in my rental car at the Montreal airport.  That evening I went to bed in Washington, D.C.  Then on Friday morning I woke up (as you might expect) in D.C. and went to bed in Lakeville, Minnesota.  I like to move around.  This is what today looked like.

 

 

I never go anywhere without a plan.  That might make someone think that I am rigid in my planning.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I always have a plan but am willing to dump that plan the instant I believe there is a better plan.  That’s one of the best reasons about traveling solo.  It seems as if every time I hook up with someone else a better plan comes along and because of my commitment to that someone else I am forced to stick with the original plan, which is no longer the best plan.  That’s why Carol is such a good trackchasing travel partner.  She “goes with the flow” better than any spouse I have ever heard of.  I certainly can’t beat that.

 

 

We were not expecting this.

Despite having the best laid plans and with Carol joining up with me on today’s trip things did NOT go according to plan.  One plan change was great; sadly the other was not.  Details to follow!

 

 

I sleep in the car; Carol sleeps in the Marriott.

That headline is a bit misleading.  It makes it sound as if Carol was mad at me.  Here’s what really happened.  Yesterday I was in Ontario, Canada before overnighting in Quebec.  Carol began her day in San Clemente before finishing up the day in Washington, D.C.  Today we both met in Washington, D.C.  What would we do without jet airplanes?

 

 

We were meeting up to go to a race in Minnesota.  Whoa.  Before you think our GPS units are on the blink permit me to explain.  We were in Washington, D.C. to see a major league baseball game on Thursday.  I’ll tell you more about that behind the “Attractions” tab.  It is also behind the “Attractions” tab that I will tell you how Carol and I ended up in a local area Washington, D.C. hospital.  This was definitely not part of our original plan nor was it an attraction.

 

 

 

 

TRACKCHASING TOURIST ATTRACTION

I very much enjoy the racing when I go on trackchasing trips.  However, I am not the type of person who would feel the trip was complete if I simply left home, went to the race and came back home.

 

I do a good deal of traveling.  I want to do my best to see the local area when I come for a visit.  There are usually unusual attractions that one area is noted for more than any other locale.  I want to see those places.  I want to touch them and feel them.  When I leave an area, I want to have memories of these special places that I call Trackchasing Tourist Attractions.  I will remember those experiences long after the checkered flag has fallen on whatever race I have seen that day.

 

Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden – Washington, D.C.

 

This is a wonderful city to tour but not a very good place to park your car.

Our main touring mission in Washington, D.C. was to see the major league baseball game featuring the Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins.  However, before that night game would begin we headed over toward the Smithsonian Institute museums of D.C.  We have toured this area many times.

 

 

Parking anywhere near any of the museums is only for the certified mentally insane.  I have never seen a tougher place to park.  We finally found a metered spot where we could pay by credit card.  They even sent me a text showing how much time was left on the meter!

 

Very cool.

On this occasion we would visit the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden one of several Smithsonian museums.  Please don’t miss the photos of this most interesting and intriguing modern art.  It was wild and thought provoking.

 

 

Nationals Park – Washington, D.C. (Major league baseball – Nationals vs. the Miami Marlins)

 

 

The walk back from the ballpark to the parking lot was dangerous but not for the reason I was thinking about.

Following our cultural afternoon it was off to Nationals Park to see the National League’s Washington Nationals.  Nationals Park is located along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

 

 

This stadium is like so many other MLB ballparks it is nearly new having opened in 2008.  Seating capacity is 41,418.  From parts of the stadium the Capital building and the Washington monument can be seen.  Parking is limited and many fans ride the metro to the park.  We found a spot about six-eight blocks away located for the most part under a freeway bridge.  The parking charge was $10 U.S.  We parked in the daylight.  I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to walking back to the car in the dark.  Washington, D.C. is not the safest area in the country.

 

 

Just kicking back at the old ballpark.

It was an extremely hot and humid tonight.  The temperature at game time was 82 degrees with heavy humidity.  Once inside the park we dined on Carolina jerk chicken.  I didn’t know there was such a thing.

 

 

You might think attending these major league baseball games is expensive.  Not for me.  We paid $7.50 apiece for our tickets via StubHub.  Remember you don’t have to pay a lot for good stuff.  Our seats were located directly behind home plate about 10 rows up in the upper deck.  This is one of my favorite baseball seating locations.  Check out the pictures.

 

 

In your face!

I did find the ushers most annoying.  To me it all comes from that “in your face” Eastern mentality.  I saw a great cartoon the other day in the New Yorker magazine.  The tag line was “I’m not arguing I’m Jewish”.  No offense intended to my Jewish friends or anyone else.  It was in the New Yorker for gosh sakes.  It could just have easily read “I’m not arguing I’m from New York”.  Nevertheless, the ushers were like Russians invading Ukraine.  One elderly lady, between innings, stood up to take a picture of her equally elderly seated husband.  In a New York minute the usher was coming down the aisle asking her to take her seat.  I saw this happen several times tonight.  OMgosh.

 

 

We stayed for the last out even thought the Nationals beat the Marlins 9-0.  Following the games I attend with StubHub tickets StubHub sends me a text with a recap of the game’s stats.  That’s pretty cool.

 

 

Tonight’s good time changed in a microsecond.

It was on the way back to the car that our fun evening would turn on a dime to a much less than fun evening.  Carol and I were walking on a sidewalk at a good pace to beat the after game traffic.  She was about a stride behind me.  All of a sudden she stumbled as if she had been shot in the back.  At a fast walking pace she fell face first into the concrete.  At first I didn’t notice because by the time she began to fall I was then 2-3 paces ahead.  However, I saw the horror on folks looking on from nearby positions.

 

 

Carol had a history of running into things and not even noticing until she feels some part of her body bleeding?  To be honest she is one of the most unaware of what is around her people I have ever met.  She would agree.

 

 

When I did turn around to see the last part of her fall I saw her sliding forward in a fully prone position for some 1-2 feet.  I turned quickly to help her up.  When she did get back to her feet her longish hair was fully covering her face.  I braced for the shock that was bound to come when she used two hands to brush her hair from her face.  I was expecting the worst.  However, it wasn’t all that bad.  She’s a beautiful woman right? (sucking up)  The most significant damage was a cut under her chin.  In reality it was more like a gash but in the dark we didn’t know that.  We quickly found some napkins and continued on to our car.  The napkins were helping but the blood was still flowing.

 

 

I kept asking her how she was doing.  Carol always likes to put on a brave face.  I’m just the opposite!  We decided to drive back to our Marriott hotel to get her cleaned up and to apply a better bandage.  When we reached the hotel parking lot I dropped her off at the door so she could get to our room quicker.  I went to park the car.

 

 

We would have to seek immediate emergency medical attention.

However, before I could find a spot I received a call on my cellphone.  It was Carol.  The bleeding would not stop.  We would have to seek emergency medical attention.

 

 

 

You’ll all heard me tell you how valuable my iPhone is.  It was really a fantastic resource tonight.  First, while sitting in the car, I did several quick searches for nearby emergency care centers.  I was nearly midnight at this point.  I was amazed at home many “emergency” centers are only open from 9-5 p.m.  Folks, the American worker ain’t what he and she used to be!  Finally I found a place that could help us.  Then my iPhone’s GPS mapping got us there in about 15 minutes.

 

 

By now Carol was bleeding a good deal despite using a blood soaked hand towel from the hotel.  We didn’t have to wait long before Carol was admitted.  Ultimately she would require eight stitches to close her wound and a tetanus shot.

 

 

 

Every time I am in a hospital, or in a dentist’s chair for that matter, I think back on how good health is taken for granted.  When you have it it’s no big deal.  When you don’t it is.

 

 

This was a scary moment for us.  We had been enjoying a grand day of touring in our nation’s capital.  Then in the blink of an eye things changed.  We’re lucky it didn’t have a worse outcome.

 

 

 

 

The Bullring at Jackson Speedway AND the Jackson Speedway – Jackson, Minnesota

 

 

Good news was headed our way.

Carol’s mishap had slowed us down a bit in our enthusiasm for this trip.  I asked her if she would like to return home but being the trooper she is told me we must carryon.  That was good news.  Even more good news was headed our way.

 

 

I came to the Jackson Speedway having seen 1,898 different tracks.  I figured that tonight I would get #1,899 and move onto to Michigan tomorrow night for the big 1900.  It was great that Carol would be with me for that historic track.

 

 

Finally.

The Jackson Speedway has been on my radar screen for well over ten years.  I was surprised I had not been here in the past.  Jackson is one of the very best dirt tracks in the Middle West.  They often have mid-week racing.  A track like that doesn’t escape me for long.  However, logistics and weather had not shined on me until tonight.

 

 

With Carol’s injury we needed to modify our plan.

With Carol’s injury last night we did not get to bed until nearly 2 a.m.  In order to give her the rest she needed we ended up standing by for a later flight in the day.  This increased our risk of not making the flight.  Normally the best flights to standby for are flights leaving as the first flight of the day.

 

 

Our original plan of trackchasing in Virginia and Ohio was out the window because of weather issues.  If I didn’t have an airline sponsorship I wouldn’t  have the flexibility to make a change of plans like this work.

 

 

We would end up making our flight from Washington, D.C. to Minneapolis.  The flight time was less than three hours.  However, the driving time from the Twin Cities down to Jackson in southern Minnesota was the better part of three hours.

 

 

Welcome to Minnesota.

It was a beautiful weather night with clear skies, temps at 80 degrees with the thermometer still holding out at 70 degrees at 11 p.m.  We were here for the famous Jackson Nationals for winged sprint cars.  With it being a special program admission prices were jacked up to $25 per person.  If you want to dance you have to pay the fiddler.

 

 

We were treated to possibly the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen at a racetrack.  All winter long we have sunsets over the Pacific Ocean nearly EVERY DAY that were as good as this or better.  That’s how great living in San Clemente is.  We see plenty of beautiful sunsets.

 

 

Tonight was day one of a two-day program.  Twenty-five bucks is a little steep for the first night of a multi-day sprint car program not involving the World of Outlaws.  The biggest names in the field were Jeff Swindell and Danny Lasoski.  Those guys are in their 50s and have been racing for 30 years or more.

 

 

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

When we sat down in our seats I noticed an inner oval inside the big dirt oval track.  I wondered to Carol about what type of racing might take place on that.  There wasn’t much more said until later in the evening.

 

 

That was when I learned they would be racing on the smaller track TONIGHT!  Ca-ching!  The first heat of the night was on the “Bullring at Jackson Speedway”.  That would be track #1,899.  Just a bit later the sprinters hit the track on the big Jackson Speedway half-mile.  At the drop of the green flag track #1,900 was in the books.  Considering that no one else has seen more than about 1,500 tracks 1,900 is a pretty big number.  I’m happy Carol and I were able to share this significant accomplishment.  Somewhat unbelievably considering Carol’s low trackchasing numbers since she was banished from the trackchasing hobby, we still have seen more tracks as a couple than anyone else.

 

 

Maybe the best ever inner oval?

The mini-sprint class raced on the smaller oval.  There were about 28 of them.  They raced four heats and the “A” main feature event.  The racing was very competitive.  Quite frequently racing on an “inner oval” can be pretty lame.  However, the Bullring at the Jackson Speedway might have been the best inner oval racing I had ever seen.  I’m pretty sure it was.  The mini-sprints put on a fantastic show.  Don’t miss my racing action video of their main event.

 

 

I feel good about sharing the “Bullring” information at this point.

By the way the announcer told the fans that the “Bullring” had opened up late last fall.  They had only raced on this track a time or two.  Now that I have seen this track and it has passed my “entertainment” test I can heartily recommend it to my fellow trackchasers.  It would be a terrible thing, had I even known about this inner oval track before arriving tonight, if I had recommended the track without having seen it myself.  What if someone came on my recommendation and didn’t like it?  I couldn’t live with that.  I feel much more comfortable checking things out first before passing along a recommendation.  Make sense?

 

 

The announcers gave me a good deal of recognition tonight.  However, when we first made contact I figured I was only seeing one track tonight.  That’s why they focused on my seeing track #1,899.  In reality I was seeing BOTH track #1,899 and #1,900.  You can hear their comments in the video produced from tonight’s racing action.

 

 

 

Jeff Swindell ended up winning the sprint car “A” main event on the big oval.  Swindell may hold the record for me for the number of years between feature wins at races I have attended.  As per usual he got up on the top of his sprint car wing, did a little dance and waved the checkered flag.  Jeff has to be 55-60 years old.  Good on him.

 

 

Did I pick the best spouse or what?

That feature race wrapped up at 11:15 p.m.  There were still two stock car races to come and an invitational sprint car race.  I was just happy they ran the sprint car feature before those last three races.  Carol was feeling the pain of her stitches and we had to drive all the way back toward Minneapolis.  It was time to boogey.  By the time we got to bed it was 2:45 a.m.  Our wake-up call came at 4:45 a.m.  Shortly after that we were on our way to the airport for a flight to Michigan.  Did I tell you that Carol was a real trooper?  How many of you could take a spouse on a trip like that?

 

 

 

I was disappointed in one aspect of tonight’s racing.  The track was just too big for my tastes.  The straights were long and fast.  The turns were wide and sweeping.  This was a BIG half-miler.  For the most part the track surface held it’s moisture and remained dust free all night.  That was a huge advantage for the Lewis twosome.  Carol hates dusty tracks and it doesn’t take much dust to raise her ire.

 

 

The announcing was very professional.  As mentioned they gave me one of the best “trackchaser mentions” I have ever had and I’ve had a lot of them.  One of the two announcers even lamented that if he ever won the “Redneck retirement plan” a.k.a. the lottery he would love to do what I do.

 

 

Jackson Speedway young flagman might have been the best I have ever seen.  Unfortunately a track light blinded my camera from recording his antics and actions.

 

 

Refreshments were extremely cheap. We dined on barbecue sandwiches, hamburgers, popcorn, caramel corn, French fries, coffee and diet Mountain Dew.  It was like a smorgasbord of not so healthy but very tasty track food.

 

 

I love buying gifts.

At intermission we bought three miniature sprint cars for grandson Mitch. Whenever he comes to grandpa’s house he loves playing with my toy cars that are for the most part meant to be collectibles but have turned into a grandson’s play toy.  In reality it’s better he has fun with them than if I just kept them for thirty years to look at.

 

 

I spent some time talking to the man selling the track souvenirs. He had heard the announcement about my trackchasing hobby.  He was most interested in what racing in Australia and New Zealand would be like. He had several questions, which I was glad to answer.

 

 

My ‘century’ milestones.

As noted above this evening I saw my 1,900^th lifetime racetrack.  No one else has ever seen that many.  Below is a list of when and where I saw other “Century” mark tracks.

 

 

 

 

 

On the occasion of my 900^th track (that was 1,000 tracks ago!), I wrote the following.  I don’t think I can add much to those words.

 

“Today is a special day – #900.  I am happy about that.  I would like to thank everyone who has supported me or shown an interest in my trackchasing hobby.   Special thanks go to Carol for being so tolerant of my obsession.  She is a smart woman and recognizes that it is a good idea to let me pursue my hobbies from time to time.  Also, thank you to all of the trackchasers who have provided me information and support along the way (you know who you are) and to those trackchasers who have motivated me through other methods (you know who you are).”

 

 

It took some time to get to this point. 

It took me nearly 11 years just to see my 200^th lifetime track after I saw my 100^th.  Heck, it took me nearly 52 ½ years to see my first 500 tracks.  At that point, I told the boys at the golf club that I would be cutting back on my trackchasing.  I can even remember the table I was sitting at in the club’s dining room when I made that assertion.  I missed that one by a bunch!  In the following 11 years, I have added another 1,400 tracks.  Most people would never have expected that, including me.

 

 

Please accept my apologies.  

I offer up my apologies to readers who signed up to receive my RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Reports some 600 or 800 tracks ago or more.  Maybe you thought these emails would cease, or at least become less frequent, as time went on.  I hope you received some entertainment value and they’ve occasionally brought a smile to your face and/or the face of a loved one.  If you have, then it’s all been worth it for me.

 

 

 

STATE COMPARISONS

Minnesota

 

The Gopher State

This evening I saw my 69th lifetime track in the Gopher state, yes the Gopher state.  I’m not too far from taking over the lead in Minnesota.  Stay tuned.

 

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

Minnesota sayings:  One day it’s warm the rest of the year it’s cold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUICK FACTS

 

 

AIRPLANE

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

Chicago, IL (ORD) – Detroit, MI (DTW) – 234 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #1

Detroit Metro Airport – trip begins

Belleville, MI

Butler, PA

Urbana, OH

Union, KY

East Moline, IL

Marshall, MI

Armada, MI

West Branch, MI

Midland, MI

Detroit Metro Airport – 2,378 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #2

Detroit Metro Airport – trip begins

Greenland, MI

Escanaba, MI

Escanaba, MI (again!)

Hudsonville, MI

Greensburg, PA

Abingdon, IL

Brooklyn, MI

Onekama, MI

Detroit Metro Airport – 3,429 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #3

LaGuardia (New York) International Airport – trip begins

Oreville, PA

LaGuardia (New York) International Airport – trip ends – 314 miles

 

 

AIRPLANE

Detroit, MI (DTW) – New York, NY (LGA)– 500 miles

New York, NY (LGA) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada (YUL) – 324 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #4

Dorval (Montreal) International Airport – trip begins

Essex Junction, VT

Brockville, Ontario, Canada

Dorval (Montreal) International Airport – trip ends – 482 miles

 

 

AIRPLANE

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (YUL) – Washington, D.C. (IAD) – 489 miles

 

 

 

RENTAL CAR #5

Dulles (Washington, D.C.) International Airport – trip begins

Reagan (Washington, D.C.) National Airport – trip ends – 110 miles

 

 

AIRPLANE

Reagan (Washington, D.C.) National Airport (DCA) – Minneapolis, MN (MSP) – 929 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #6

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – trip begins

Jackson, MN

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – trip ends – 366 miles

 

 

 

TRACK ADMISSION PRICES:

Wayne County Fairgrounds – $10

Butler Farm Show – $12 (not trackchasing expense)

Champaign County Fairgrounds – $12

Florence Speedway – Complimentary admission

Quad Cities Speedway – $8 ($2 senior discount – not trackchasing expense)

Calhoun County Fairgrounds – $10

Armada County Fairgrounds – $8

Ogemaw County Fairgrounds – $8

Midland County Fairgrounds – $10

Adventure Mountain Raceway – $8

Upper Peninsula International Raceway – $8

Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds – $5

Hudsonville County Fairgrounds – $9

Westmoreland County Fairgrounds – $8

Abingdon Fairgrounds – $10

Michigan International Speedway – $20

Manistee County Fairgrounds – 13

Oreville Kart Club – No charge

Champlain Valley Expo – $16

Brockville Ontario Speedway – $5 Canadian

Jackson Speedway – $25

 

 

 

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 350 tracks of my lifetime total.  Don’t blame me.

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,900

 

 

 

Total Trackchasing Countries

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

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 65

 

 

 

Current lifetime National Geographic Diversity results

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 5.10

 

 

 

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