Jefferson County Speedway

 

 

Wow! What a week!……………more in “The Details”.

 

 

My cup was overflowing with Trackchasing Tourist Attractions……………more in “The Details”.

 

 

My encounter with the Nebraska State Highway Patrol……………more in “The Details”.

 

 

It had to happen some day.………..details in “The Details”.

 

 

Trackchasing Tourist Attractions were everywhere………..details in “Attractions”.

 

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum – Cleveland, Ohio

 

 

Progressive Field (Indians vs. Kansas City Royals) – Cleveland, Ohio

 

 

Tropicana Field (Rays vs. Boston Red Sox) – St. Petersburg, Florida

 

 

Marlins Park (Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves) – Miami, Florida

 

 

Amana Colonies Golf Club (Randy vs. Brother Mike Skonicki) – Amana, Iowa

 

 

The Black Crow (Randy and Mike vs. Filet Mignon) – Beatrice, Nebraska

 

 

Memorial Stadium (Nebraska vs. UCLA football) – Omaha, Nebraska

 

 

John Wayne Birthplace – Winterset, Iowa

 

 

Noisy………..details in “Race Review”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! What a week!

Following my Monday night racing event in Logan, Ohio I woke up in Cleveland, Ohio. I stayed there Tuesday night as well before overnighting on Wednesday to Naples, Florida. Then on Thursday night my accommodations were hosted in Palatine, Illinois by fraternity brother Mike Skonicki. From there Mike and I headed to Omaha, Nebraska for a Friday night stay. Then we changed hotels in Omaha following our racing event on Saturday night at the Jefferson Speedway. Then it was back to Mike’s place in Illinois on Sunday night. On Monday I returned to my own bed in the little city by the sea, San Clemente. So what was up with all this travel on the way from a Monday night county fair visit all the way to a Saturday night trackchasing trip to a small Nebraska track? Lots! Sit down and I’ll tell you all about it.

 

 

Gaming the system.

On Tuesday morning I washed my clothes at the Holiday Inn in Cleveland. At breakfast I struck up a conversation with a railroad employee who was staying at the hotel on business. He told me he was three years away from retirement. When he retired he was planning to then declare himself disabled and collect $90,000 a year for the rest of his life. The man was 44 years old. He told me he had already lined up a doctor who had agreed to classify him as disabled with a neck injury. Just about everyone is willing to “game” the system. If you take advantage of the existing rules by being clever that’s one thing. However, if you have to resort to dishonesty you are a criminal in my opinion.

 

 

My cup was overflowing with Trackchasing Tourist Attractions.

I have probably never had another week in my entire trackchasing career that was more filled with Trackchasing Tourist Attractions. This week was jam-packed with ‘em. Right behind the “Attractions” tab you can read all about one of the best weeks on the road I’ve had in a very long time.

 

 

After the races………

 

 

My encounter with the Nebraska State Highway Patrol.

From Fairbury, Nebraska it was a two-hour drive back to our Sheraton Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska. The first half of this ride was on a two-lane road. It was nearly 11 p.m. I wasn’t sure what the speed limit was. Nevertheless, I drove 65-73 mph most of the time.

 

 

It was with some surprise and associated disappointment that the flashing lights of the Nebraska State Highway Patrol interrupted what had been a very good day so far. Mike and I can BS for hours. These long drives are made for that.

 

 

Not another speeding ticket!

Nevertheless, it looked as if I would be acquiring my first speeding ticket since 2003. I believe I’ve had nine in nearly 50 years of driving. I don’t think that’s too bad.  This is especially true since my PLAN is to drive 5-7 M.P.H. over the limit almost all the time.

 

 

The officer, like everyone we met in Nebraska, was most congenial and reminded me that the speed limit was 60. Heck, I thought it might have been 55 M.P.H.

 

 

I asked him how fast I had been driving.  I feared he was going to say 72-73 M.P.H. However he said, “You were traveling just under 70. I’m only going to give you a warning ticket. I’ll go back to my patrol car and write everything up”. That’s exactly what he did.  When he returned to our car a brief conversation ensued about the Nebraska-UCLA football game with the officer. At least he wasn’t going to hold it against me that the Bruins whipped the Huskers.

 

 

Soon Brother Skonicki and I were headed northward on Nebraska State Highway 77 again with a Nebraska State Highway Patrol warning ticket on the center counsel. My last three police stops have yielded only warnings and no tickets. I’m on a roll.

 

 

Once back at the Sheraton we headed up to the room after a very full day of touring. We had seen a fantastic football game, had a 4-star steak dinner and a good trackchasing evening. We’re looking forward to tomorrow but the weather forecast was dour.

 

 

It had to happen some day.

After 835 days and 254 tracks I was finally rained out. This is a record that will never be broken in trackchasing. It is probably the most significant achievement I’ve ever had in the hobby and I’ve had some big ones.

 

 

We were trying to go to Barnes City, Iowa for a race on Sunday afternoon. It had rained off and on all Saturday night and all Sunday morning. First I thought we would make it and then I thought we wouldn’t.

 

 

I had an option to avoid Barnes City and continue my streak. I could have driven to Ohio to get a track on this day. However, I was traveling with my college fraternity brother Mike Skonicki. He’s a good friend. He had come with me on this trip for the golf and the football game. He was just “humoring me” by going to the races last night in Nebraska.

 

 

It wouldn’t be fair to disrupt Mike’s trip so that I could extend my rain free streak. I fully understood that. In a way it was nice to get the streak over. Now the pressure is off to keep the 835-day and 254-track rainout free streak alive. I’ll start another one!

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum – Cleveland, Ohio

 

 

Wow! That was fun. I wanna go back.

This being Tuesday I had two main Trackchasing Tourist Attractions on my day’s agenda. They were located within just blocks of each other in Cleveland. In the afternoon I went to the Rock and Roll HoF.

 

 

I have never been much of a music aficionado. I like country and western music the best but hardly ever listen to it. However, I had just discovered a television program called “Backstory” that gives the autobiographies of several C&W performers. I learned that good buddy Russ Ingram reminds me a lot of performer Blake Shelton.

 

 

It is true that I would be hard pressed to tell you the names of five Beatles’ songs. Heck, I’m not sure I could tell you the song title of just one Rolling Stones song. When I listen to the radio I listen to news, finance and sports programs. I’m not talking about Sports Center and I’m not talking conservative talk radio. I look for educational programs that I can apply to every day life. No political shows or music for me.

 

 

This was the BEST time.

However, with that being said, I had the BEST time at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum that anyone could have. I will definitely be back there and hopefully with Carol.

 

 

I spent three and one-half hours there. It was fun to see the displays of all the people inducted into the HoF. However, the films were the best for me. Who knew Keith Richards was a member of the Rolling Stones! The film I liked best was being played on the top floor of this beautiful building. This movie showed a brief clip of every person performing who has ever been inducted to the HoF. Fantastic! I don’t know much about music but I will be back.

 

 

Progressive Field – Cleveland, Ohio

 

Following my visit to the Rock and Roll HoF I made my walk over for an evening of Major League Baseball. Cleveland was having record heat today. The day’s all-time high temperature for this date had been 93 degrees. The thermometer was 97 today. Can you spell “Global Warming”? At game time my iPhone weather app read 98 degrees.

 

 

Tonight the Cleveland Indians were hosting the Kansas City Royals. Lots of folks seem to think that “big league” entertainment costs a lot of money. I bought my ticket to the game from StubHub for just six bucks. Heck, I went to a minor league game in Michigan a few weeks ago and had to pay ten dollars. From 1995 to 2001 Cleveland established a major league record by selling out 455 straight games.

 

 

A beautiful baseball stadium.

Progressive Field opened for play in 1994. However, it looked much never than that to me. President Bill Clinton threw out the first pitch on opening day. It’s a beautiful place with a great view of the city lights beyond center field. As I mentioned it was a warm night and never seemed to cool off much. Beyond the game a highlight for me was seeing the Indians Hall of Fame area right next to the bullpen and beyond the outfield fences. It was fun standing above the bullpen and hearing the phone ring in the pen. From there a young rookie pitcher was summoned to get warmed up. Rocky Colavito, Bob Feller and Early Wynn were three of my all-time favorite Indian players.

 

 

At the park it was Sugardale dollar dog night at the park. Hot dogs were going for one dollar. I had to begin the game with a couple of dogs. Then just past midway in the game they announced that two hotdogs could be purchased for one dollar. How could I pass that up?

 

I was most impressed with downtown Cleveland.  Not only do they have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Progressive Field for the Indians but the Cleveland Browns football stadium is located there too.  I was very impressed with downtown Cleveland.  I had not spent any time there in the past.  They’ve done a beautiful job with everything.  I might feel differently if I decided to attend a Browns game in the winter!

 

 

 

 

Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, Florida

 

On Wednesday morning it was time to fly on down to Florida from Cleveland for a visit to Tropicana Field home to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays would be hosting the Boston Red Sox.

 

 

I missed my the first non-stop standby flight from Cleveland to Tampa. However, I soon grabbed a connection through Charlotte and was in Tampa with plenty of time before the game.

 

 

At the Cleveland airport at exactly 8:46 a.m. a woman came over the public address system to ask for a moment of silence for the 911 terrorist attacks. That was 12 years ago.

 

 

Who’s going to Cuba?

Once in Tampa I heard something that I didn’t think I had ever heard before in a U.S. airport or any airport for that matter. The PA was asking passengers to board a scheduled flight Havana, Cuba. With any good luck I will board one of those flights to see a race in Cuba some day. If not a race then just a fun tour of the place. Son J.J. has already visited Cuba.

 

 

Construction for the Tropicana Field began in 1986. When it was finished in 1990 they still didn’t have a team to occupy the place. They tried getting other teams that were having stadium problems of one sort or another to come to Florida. No luck. It took until 1998 for Major League Baseball to finally award an expansion franchise to Tampa. The stadium is domed due to the oppressive heat and humidity from Florida summers. It is the only major league domed stadium that is not retractable.

 

 

I have mapped out all of the remaining major-league parks that I have not seen. Knocking off the two Florida Parks will certainly narrow my geographical boundaries for future trips. This will be most helpful with my airline sponsorship changes.

 

 

Once in Tampa airport I spent a couple of hours in the terminal having a bite to eat and working on future travel plans. Planning takes some time the way I do it. However, I’ve never seen someone do the planning I do more efficiently or effectively. I was dragging my feet so as not to pick up my rental car until about 5:30 p.m. That way I could make my rental car agreement a “one-way” one-day situation. More about that later.

 

 

I had already purchased my ticket to the game tonight. I paid a higher than normal price of $22 because of the demand and importance of this late-season game.

 

 

They keep the temperature a constant 72°. I’ve seen several domed major league stadiums. Stadia in Phoenix, Seattle and Toronto immediately come to mind.

 

 

It surprises me that so few of the stadiums I’ve been visiting have on-site parking. I’m used to Angel Stadium, Dodger Stadium and Padres Park all in Southern California with huge on-site stadium parking lots. It’s much more convenient and safe that way.

 

 

For this trip I would have a 25-mile drive from the Tampa airport to Tropicana Field. After the game I would travel to Naples, Florida for my overnight stay. There I had secured a Fairfield Inn for $45 with their best online rate being $89 plus tax. Tomorrow morning I will finish my Florida trip with a visit to Miami for a 12:40 p.m. Miami Marlins game. Strategically knocking off the two Florida teams now while I have a better airlines sponsorship program will make it easier to visit the remaining parks I have not seen next year.

 

 

At 5:30 p.m. in Tampa it was 94°. However I’ll be enjoying tonight’s baseball game at room temperatures. The Tampa Bay fans bring cowbells, lots of cowbells. That’s obnoxious but not as obnoxious as the old lady sitting next to me. After every strikeout by a Tampa Bay pitcher she would yell, “Left right, left right, sit down!” I wanted to slug her. I enjoy going to a game and speaking quietly with whomever I am with. I played baseball through high school and know the game very well. I find it a cerebral activity to observe and anticipate baseball strategy. I don’t need to YELL at every pitch during the game.

 

 

This wasn’t NASCAR. Beer was $9 U.S. per. Parking at the stadium was $20. At Angels Stadium we pay $3-5 dollars. I parked a block away tonight for $15. Of course NASCAR parking is free at the track and you won’t have to pay nine bucks for a beer either. You can bring in your own cooler if you want at NASCAR tracks.

 

 

It was actually very cold inside the stadium. It was a slow game. I left after nine innings with the score tied at three apiece. By that time the game was nearly 4 hours old. The game ended in the 10th with the Red Sox scoring four runs on a grand slam homer.

 

 

Most newer stadiums are very similar in today’s world. However Tropicana Field is now an aging indoor stadium that reminds me of the Kingdome in Seattle. Their signage and scoreboards are smaller and hard to read. It’s not that easy to navigate the stadium itself. I came away rather disappointed in Tropicana Field.

 

 

 

Marlins Park – Miami, Florida

 

Today was Thursday. That meant I was in Miami for the afternoon game between the Miami Marlins and the Atlanta Braves. This would make it three Major League Baseball parks in three days.

 

 

I would be seeing a matinee game starting at 12:40 p.m. I bought my ticket from StubHub before the game for just six dollars. Parking was an additional $10 at a nearby Shell station. From there it was a two-block walk to the stadium.

 

 

Marlins Park sits on the site of the former Orange Bowl. The park opened for baseball business in 2012. It’s the sixth MLB stadium to have a retractable roof. It’s actual seating capacity is just over 37,000 the smallest in the major leagues. Soccer matches are played there during the winter.

 

 

In contrast to my visit in St. Petersburg yesterday I was most impressed with Marlins Park. It’s modern with lots of food choices. There’s even a swimming pool and nightclub in the Clevelander Bar and Swimming Pool.

 

 

I dined at the Latin Café on a dish of rice and beans topped with pork and fried plantains (bananas). Later, to stick with the baseball theme, I had a box of cracker jacks.

 

 

 

Today they had a very small crowd as you might expect from a losing team playing during the week for an afternoon game. The entire upper deck was closed off. There could not have been more than 100 people in the second deck. The crowd was “announced” as 15,274. There couldn’t have been as many as 5,000 fans at the game today!

 

 

I could sit anywhere I wanted. I first grabbed a seat in the center field stands in first row just in case there would be an early home run in my area. There wasn’t. Later I migrated over to the third-base side of the field, which is a good place for foul balls.

 

 

Just as I was dictating some details of the trip into my iPhone one of the Atlanta Braves hit a home run to centerfield not 10 seats to the left of where I had been sitting. Oh well!

 

 

A couple of high fly balls came very close to hitting the top of the stadium’s roof. I’m sure that’s happened before. The Jumbotron in center field was one of the better I had seen during any of my MLB visits. There was a dramatically younger crowd at the Miami game compared to Tampa. I saw almost no young people at the Tampa game.

 

 

It’s surprising ( I guess not really) how many fans are more concerned with their cell phone at a ballgame than the ball game itself. I’m seeing this more and more at spectator sports. I fall into that habit as well.

 

 

Following the game I again connected through Charlotte on my way to Chicago. There I bunked up at my fraternity brother’s house.

 

 

 

Amana Colonies Golf Club – Amana, Iowa

 

Friday morning we woke up in Palatine, Illinois. We quickly headed out to Amana, Iowa for a round of golf at the famous Amana Colonies Golf Club. On the way we used Yelp! for a nice breakfast at Mother’s Pancake House in Aurora, Illinois. Sometimes I feel that technology makes my life and experiences so easy and worthwhile I can’t believe it!

 

From the car I made a phone call to secure our tee time. Golf was preceded by lunch at one of the Amana colonies German family-style restaurants. I’ve been eating at these places in Amana since 1972 when my first ever sales territory included the eastern half of Iowa. Mike Skonicki and I always enjoy playing golf together. He’s getting a little better (lessons) and I’m getting a little worse (lack of focus and enthusiasm for golf). Now we’re not too far apart, although he still asks me for strokes!

 

 

 

Memorial Stadium – Omaha, Nebraska

 

On Saturday morning we woke up in the Marriott Omaha, Nebraska. We were treated to my Marriott platinum sponsored and made to order buffet breakfast. I got this benefit even though I had reserved the hotel online via Priceline.

 

 

Today was game day. We were planning on going to Lincoln, Nebraska an hour’s drive from Omaha for the UCLA at Nebraska football game. Nearly everyone in the Marriott lobby was wearing brightly colored red shirts for Nebraska and Bruin blue shirts for UCLA.

 

 

When we were about 20 miles outside of Lincoln we encountered a severe traffic jam. I couldn’t believe that a football game even one in such high demand as UCLA-Nebraska could generate a traffic jam this far out of town. While we were in this heavy traffic it dawned on me that I had not gotten any gas since we left Chicago. My trip odometer told me we had covered 551 miles. With the orange fuel light now on panic began to set in. What if we ran out of gas in the middle of this traffic jam? We would miss the game!

 

 

 

Later we came to find out the traffic jam was caused by road construction reducing the driving lanes from three to two. I KNEW that regardless of how popular Nebraska football was there couldn’t be a 20-mile long interstate traffic jam getting to the stadium.

 

 

 

We took the first exit in Lincoln and gassed up. At the gas station I asked whether or not the nearby shuttle to the game was worthwhile and was told that it was. We paid $10 per person to ride the shuttle to and from the game. The shuttle ride was about 10 minutes in length.

 

 

 

The good thing about this trip was I could take my buddy Mike out of his comfort zone. Left to his own devices he might dine on tuna fish and apple sauce with a coffee and two Sweet’n Lows on the side. With me we ran the gas tank down to the bottom and we bought our tickets to one of the biggest games of the year on the street. We were risk takers and Mike was in the game! Mike would be able to observe a professional operating in the “street smart” amphitheater of personal guile….or something like that.

 

 

The University of Nebraska as well as the state of Nebraska has some of the most avid and rabid football fans that you’ll find anywhere in America. They take their game seriously as evidenced by their 91,000 seat Memorial Stadium football palace. Today’s crowd would be the largest in the history of University of Nebraska football. It would also mark their 328th straight sellout. They play 5 to 6 games each year. That meant that their streak of sold out football games dates back more than 50 years!

 

 

It was time to talk turkey as in getting tickets to the game. You need to know that I never buy a ticket in advance. It doesn’t matter how big the game is or how high the demand for tickets. There’s always somebody with an “extra” in their pocket and it’s got my name on it. Today there seemed to be quite a few sellers and not all that many buyers.

 

 

 

We interviewed a few candidates and found two tickets nearly on the 50-yard line for $50 for the pair. That meant only $25 per ticket and the face value of these tickets was $56.

 

 

More than 90% of what I would call professional tickets scalpers are black. That’s just a fact. However in Nebraska they don’t really have many black people. In a first in all of my ticket buying adventures I did not see a single black person scalping any tickets. I mention the unusual and this was most unusual. I missed my brothers. They are always fun to talk too. I try never to buy from professional ticket sellers. That’s because I am a professional ticket BUYER.

 

 

 

Virtually every Nebraska fan was dressed in one shade of red or another. Some had Spiderman red costumes and some looked liked the Harlem Globetrotters in red and white striped shorts. It was Nebraska red everywhere. There were very few UCLA fans in attendance. UCLA does not travel well. There is so much going on in Los Angeles that nobody gets fanatic about virtually anything. UCLA did have a couple of small sections in the corner of the stadium. Those fans were all decked in Bruin blue. I never buy my tickets to UCLA road games from UCLA itself. The seating location they get from the home team is always terrible.

 

 

 

The Cornhuskers jumped out to a 21-3 over UCLA. The cornhusker fans could hardly contain themselves. I carried on a conversation with 15 to 20 fans around our seating area. They could see we were rooting for UCLA when we didn’t have an epileptic fit each time something good happened for Nebraska. I assured them that they were on the verge of ruining Mike’s and my vacation by beating us so badly.

 

 

I will say this. Although the Nebraska fans are as rabid for their team as any place I’ve been they are also friendly and just about the nicest folks I’ve ever run into. Last year Nebraska came to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA. UCLA came away the winner 36-30. I had Nebraska fans coming up and telling me how well UCLA played! You won’t get that from Alabama or usc. Nevertheless, it didn’t seem as if UCLA was going to win today.

 

 

However as the football gods are put in the sky to make sure that good prevails over evil UCLA began to come back from the dead. After getting pushed around to a deficit of 21-3, UCLA outscored the huskers 28-0 in the third quarter alone. The Bruins ended up winning 41-21. Now permit me to ask you one simple question. How many teams have come into Lincoln, Nebraska and scored 38 straight points to win the game? Answer: Just one – UCLA.

 

 

 

Then it was time to go trackchasing….more behind the “Race Review” tab. Then AFTER the races there was more time for touring.

 

 

 

John Wayne Birthplace – Winterset, Iowa

 

Following our rainout on Sunday Mike and I stopped off at John Wayne’s birthplace. We took the private tour (just the two of us) of his boyhood home. It was fun to check out this small Iowa town. Mike is a Chicago “city boy” and doesn’t get out this way very often.

 

 

I think he likes the small town life. However, it’s very unusual to him. That’s O.K. I’ll keep taking him to these county fair locations. It grows on you.

 

 

 

 

ONE CANNOT LIVE WELL OR SLEEP WELL IF ONE HAS NOT DINED WELL

 

The Black Crow – Beatrice, Nebraska

 

 

Following the game we were off to Fairbury, Nebraska to watch open wheel racing at the Jefferson County Speedway. Before we got there we would need dinner. Yelp! came to our rescue. Yelp! helped us select a great mom and pop steak restaurant in Beatrice Nebraska.

 

 

 

Mike and I dined on filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes, Caesar salad and barbecue shrimp as an appetizer. The entire meal was delicious. The restaurant was packed. We couldn’t have asked for anything better especially in a small town like Beatrice that didn’t seem to have virtually any other kind of non-chain restaurant. I highly recommend the Black Crow.

 

 

 

Davis Bros. Pizza – East Peoria, Illinois

 

I’ve taken another ‘victim’ er dinner guest to my boyhood hometown pizza place. Brother Mike said he liked it. Carol orders the pizzas frozen from Davis Bros. and has them shipped to California. That’s almost as good as being there.

 

 

Who has their favorite pizza place almost 2,000 miles from their house….and still goes there 2-3 times each year? I do!

 

 

 

The Race. 

 

 

 

Jefferson County Speedway – Fairbury, Nebraska

 

 

At the races we paid the $10 admission and sat in the modern covered grandstand with aluminum backed seating. The noise from the racing was amplified by the grandstand roof. This made our seating arrangement minorly uncomfortable.

 

 

The track featured a good announcer, solid lighting and an efficient program with four classes of racers. It looked as if the first two classes might be limited to youngsters driving. Trackchasing’s founding fathers apparently had a terrible feeling toward children. They banished them from the sport before they could ever gain any traction in the trackchasing world.

 

 

Those two “questionable” classes were an open wheeled non-winged caged mini sprint race class and a legends modified body type race group. However those two groups were followed by the 35-year and older open wheeled non-winged group and then a winged group of Mini sprints 600s. Your best bet to see and hear more about the racing is to check out my YouTube video from the track.

 

 

 

 

 

 

STATE COMPARISONS

 

Nebraska

 

The Cornhusker State

This evening I saw my 39th lifetime track in the Cornhusker state, yes the Cornhusker state.  It might not be too long until I become the #1 trackchaser in Nebraska.

 

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

Nebraska sayings: Making the Plains Great since 1867.

 

 

 

What did it take to get there?

 

AIRPLANE

Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Austin, TX (AUS) – 1,241 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #1

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – trip begins

San Antonio, TX

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – trip ends – 237 miles

 

 

AIRPLANE

Austin, TX (AUS) – Newark, NJ (EWR) – 1,504 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #2

Newark Liberty International Airport – trip begins

Saylorsburg, PA

Newberrytown, PA

Monticello, NY

Newark Liberty International Airport – trip ends – 545 miles

 

 

AIRPLANE

Newark, NJ (EWR) – Cleveland, OH (CLE) – 403 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #3

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport – trip begins

Logan, OH

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport – trip ends – 389 miles

 

 

AIRPLANE

Cleveland, OH (CLE) – Charlotte, NC (CLT) – 427 miles

Charlotte, NC (CLT) – Tampa, FL (TPA) – 533 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #4

Tampa International Airport – trip begins

Miami International Airport – trip ends – 293 miles

 

 

AIRPLANE

Miami, FL (MIA) – Charlotte, NC (CLT) – 670 miles

Charlotte, NC (CLT) – Chicago, IL – 576 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR #5

O’Hare (Chicago) International Airport – trip begins

Jefferson, NE

O’Hare (Chicago) International Airport – trip ends – 1,400 miles

 

 

AIRPLANE

Chicago, IL (ORD) – Detroit, MI (DTW) – 226 miles

Detroit, MI (DTW) – Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – 1,962 miles

 

 

Total air miles – 7,532 (9 flights)

Total rental car miles – 2,864 (5 cars)

 

 

Total miles traveled on this trip – 10,396 miles 

 

 

 

 

TRACK ADMISSION PRICES:

San Antonio Speedway – $15

Borger’s Speedway – $5 ($5 senior savings)

Susquehanna Speedway Park – $10 ($2 senior savings)

Monticello Motor Club – No charge!

Hocking County Fairgrounds – $10 (estimated)

Jefferson County Fairgrounds – $10

 

Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $50 U.S.

 

 

 

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 – 1,911

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Jefferson County Speedway and more….playing below.

 

 

 

Marlins Park, Miami, Florida….playing below.

 

 

 

 

Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida…..playing below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio….playing below.