Greetings from La Monte, Missouri
From the travels and adventures of the
“World’s #1 Trackchaser”
LA Raceway Dirt oval Lifetime track #1,209 Reprinted with permission from my Thursday, June 14, 2007, 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) this trackchasing adventure 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. This was during the 2000 trackchasing season. 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 with Ohio modified kart racer, Dallas Rose). 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. I live in southern California. That’s probably the most inconvenient location in the country for seeing tracks in the U.S. Most of the racetracks in the U.S. are located well over 1,000 miles from where I live. My average trip covers 5,000 miles and more. I take 35-40 of those trips each season. In any given year I will travel well over 200,000 miles, rent more than 50 cars, and stay in more than 150 hotel rooms. I get the chance to meet people from all over the world. With trackchasing trips to 85 countries and counting just getting the chance to experience so many unique cultures, spend time in the homes of my friends and meet so many people is a huge reward for being in this hobby. I am indebted to several of these folks for their help and friendship. Once you begin researching my trip itineraries from my website, yes you will want to do that, you will be surprised. One day I’ll be in Tucson, the next in maybe Tuscaloosa and the following day in Syracuse. I do that kind of thing all the time. Figuring out the logistics of a trip like that is as much fun for me as watching a figure 8 race. Now you know a little bit about my trackchasing addiction. When you receive one of my Trackchaser Reports or find one on my website at www.randylewis.org I hope you will take the time to imagine in your mind what it took to make this trip from SoCal and understand the fun I had doing it. There you have it. That’s trackchasing…the way I do it. Do others trackchase? Absolutely. Do they share their experiences? Sorry. They don’t. If you want to see the true “essence” of trackchasing you’ve come to the right place. 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 Thursday, June 14, 2007 TODAY’S HEADLINES Why is the Kansas City International Airport the most unusually designed airport in America? …….…….details in “The Trip.” I will never be able to retire from trackchasing. Find out why……………details in “The People.” Why couldn’t I go trackchasing this coming weekend?……………….details in “Upcoming Trackchasing Plans.” Coming up soon New car buying tips…….how to get the car you really want for as little money as possible. Greetings from La Monte, Missouri, I woke up in Blue Springs, Missouri this morning. I went to sleep in Blue Springs, Missouri and then flew home to San Clemente on Friday morning. This is what transpired today. People/Strategy/Travel News The Strategy This was the last day of my two-day mid-week trackchasing trip. I don’t take many of these but it supported two elements of my overall trackchasing strategy. First, it allowed me to keep seeing tracks even when I don’t have time for a longer trip. Seeing two tracks is better than nothing. Secondly, I was able to get home by Friday afternoon in time to see the U.S. Open (TIVO) and be home for Father’s Day weekend. My overall trackchasing strategy calls for me to be home for golf’s four major golf tournaments and significant family holidays. I had some very special Father’s Day activities. I’ll tell you about those in my next report. The Trip This was an unusual trip. I left on a Wednesday and returned home on a Friday. I was flying into the Kansas City International Airport. It was really strange coming back to San Clemente on a Friday. Normally, my trips are beginning on that day and not ending. The Kansas City airport (MCI) is not like any other airport I have ever visited. Most airports have a long and narrow terminal that’s normally shaped like a rectangle. You go through security at the narrow end of the rectangle and then approach a large number of airport departure gates. MCI is exactly the opposite. They have the same rectangular terminal shape, except at MCI, you enter along the long sides of the rectangle not at the narrow end of the rectangle. Every 2-3 gates have its own security entrance. Normally, a terminal might have one security entrance for some 15-30 gates. MCI has one security entrance for every 2-3 gates. In another aspect of what appears to be poor planning to me is the restroom situation at the airport. Once you clear security and enter your flight’s departure gate there are NO RESTROOMS! Have you ever heard of clearing airport security and then not having any restrooms? If you are about ready to board your flight and decide to make one final “pit stop,” you have to leave the secured area, go pee and then go through the entire security procedure again. Unbelievable! On this trip, I was able to stay in the same hotel for two consecutive nights near Kansas City. I rarely get to do that. Since I had so little driving, just 299 miles round-trip, I had the entire day to relax at the hotel. This hardly ever happens. I spent the day watching golf’s U.S. Open on TV. I get a real kick out of watching golf tournaments where Tiger Woods is playing. I also spent the time doing retirement financial planning and household budgeting. Most people either hate to do that type of thing and/or don’t know how to do it. Financial planning has been a hobby of mine since I graduated from college. On the way to the track tonight, I discovered an excellent country BBQ eatery. I’m talking about Biffle’s Smoke House Bar-B-Que. Biffle’s is located in Concordia, Missouri at exit #58 along Interstate 70. This place was great. Editor’s note: Sadly my research tells me Biffle’s closed on December 31, 2013, after 30 years of operation. I had the BBQ ham dinner. I was served a slice of ham that covered one entire 12” plate. Of course, it came with Texas toast, baked beans and Cajun fries. Outstanding! Biffle’s earns a RANLAY Racing Money Back Guarantee. I hope you can make it here sometime soon. I’ll be back as quickly as I can. The People Most of you know that I go at my trackchasing hobby pretty hard. There are certain trackchasing categories that are important to me. These include the lifetime all tracks rankings, the season all tracks rankings and the season and lifetime National Geographic Diversity standings. Someday I would like to cut back on my trackchasing, but I don’t want to lose the leads I’ve built up in some of these categories. If only my fellow trackchasing competitors would back off a little then I could back off some myself. I’d like to enjoy my ocean view and all of the comforts of home just like you do. You might say, “But, Randy, what proof do you have that your fellow trackchasers are chasing after you with so much ferocity?” I would offer these two examples. This past week trackchaser Ed Esser drove down to Sturgis, Kentucky from his home in Madison, Wisconsin for just one day of trackchasing. That’s right, for just one day of trackchasing. Do you know how far that drive is? According to my Rand McNally mapping software, it’s 596 miles one-way! That’s right; Mr. Esser drove nearly 1,200 miles to add just one track. Was the track running something special to justify such a long drive? It was a county fair figure 8 show that drew five cars! Heck, with only five cars in attendance, they very well could have canceled the entire show. Here’s another example. Pennsylvania trackchaser Gordon Killian is trying to defend his lifetime National Geographic Diversity #1 position. During the early part of 2007, I have overtaken Mr. Killian in this important trackchasing competition. He needed to see a track in Kentucky so he could move into that state’s top ten. Earlier in the day, Gordon attended a West Virginia track with a 3 p.m. start. Following that event, he drove 180 miles along some of the more treacherous roads in America so he could get a Saturday night program in at the Mudlick Valley Raceway in Tollesboro, Kentucky. That’s a good deal of late in the day driving for the main purpose of getting more NGD points. Here’s the point. If these guys are willing to go to such great lengths to advance in the standings, what chance do I have? I will never be able to retire from trackchasing. I won’t even be able to cut back. I will have to continue to trackchase at the rate I have been or even more, to keep from being passed by these overzealous trackchasers! State Rankings Today I was at my 37th-lifetime track where I’ve seen racing in the Show Me state. I moved up one position into a tie with Andy Sivi for 5th place. Ed Esser leads here with 52 tracks. I was able to gain two valuable lifetime NGD points for this two-day trip. Missouri marks the 29th different state where I have a fifth-place state ranking or better. No one else can match that. Race Review It was a most enjoyable night of racing at this 3/8 mile Midwestern dirt oval. The United States Modified Touring Series was the star attraction. Tonight there were 47 modifieds representing ten different states. They needed two 18-car “B” mains to figure out who would make the feature event. You won’t see that very often in today’s short track racing world. I received a very nice trackchaser mention from the LA Raceway announcer. During the announcement, a fellow sitting next to me asked, “Is that you?” I asked him how he knew. He pointed to the notebook sitting at my side. “We don’t have too many folks who take notes at our track,” he smiled. The USMTS modifieds were joined by the hobby stocks (16). These hobbies were more like mini-stocks than anything else. They also had eight street stocks racing. My newfound friend told me they had such a small street stock count because the local drivers didn’t want to wreck their cars in a non-points event. My! The local racers treat their points just as NASCAR Nextel Cuppers do. My friend was nice enough to give me a 2007 L A Raceway program that was part of the local Sedalia paper. This 28-page insert had individual profiles on nearly all of the local drivers. It was one of the best such pieces that I’ve seen. One of the young drivers listed in the program was 13 year old, John “Bub” Simpson II. Bub was sitting next to me. He races a Jr. Hobby Stock numbered “96B.” I asked him how he got his number. “My dad likes Carl Edwards (above) #99 and my uncle likes Greg Biffle #16. Therefore, I took the “9” and the “6!” Bub told me his car could reach speeds of 70-80 M.P.H. Imagine a 13-year old driving at those speeds. He won’t get his driver’s license for another three years! The 24-car feature event went 40-laps with only one caution. Late model star Terry Phillips, a local legend in this part of the country was scheduled to start on the front row. On the parade lap, he discovered he had a flat tire. This prompted a last-minute trip to the pits and then a last row starting spot. It was fun to watch him race all the way from 24th spot up to 10th place. The U.S.M.T.S. modifieds put on a very good show. Race Track Stats LA SPEEDWAY – TRACK #1,209 Track details Website: http://www.laraceway.com/ Weather: It was 81 degrees when I arrived at the track and 73 when I left at 10:15 p.m. Track type: oval Surface: Very smooth clay, although it was dusty. Length: 3/8- mile Grandstands: 12-row aluminum bleacher grandstand, P.A.: Very loud. Announcer: Enthusiastic and knowledgeable. On-time: Started on time at 7:30 p.m. and went to intermission by 8:10 p.m. The entire three-class show was finished by 10:15 p.m. This is how a racing program should be run. Pit area: Located behind the front stretch grandstand Classes: Hobby stocks – 18 (looked more like mini-stocks), Street stocks – 8, USMTS Modifieds – 47. Radio Frequency: 469.500 – this is the USMTS frequency Concessions: Budweiser 12 oz. – $2.25, Diet Coke 32 oz – $2.00 Scoreboard: No Extras: The restrooms were in above average condition. The announcer gave me a complete trackchaser mention. Lifetime trackchasing standings update There is only trackchaser within 100 tracks of my lifetime total. Other notables These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus) of Carol’s current trackchaser total. 2007 Trackchaser standings Tracks have been reported by 37 different worldwide trackchasers this season. Rental car update Kansas City – Wednesday/Thursday/Friday I drove the National Rental Car Racing Pontiac Grand Prix 299 miles. I paid an average price of $2.96 per gallon. The Grand Prix gave me 27.9 M.P.G. in fuel mileage at a cost of 10.6 cents per mile. The car cost 37.4 cents per mile to rent, all taxes included. Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser If you’re lucky enough to live at the beach, you’re lucky enough. Cumulative travel distances AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA – Kansas City, MO – 1,361 miles RENTAL CAR – KANSAS CITY Kansas City International Airport – trip begins Odessa, MO – 72 miles La Monte, MO – 183 miles Kansas City International Airport – 299 miles – trip ends AIRPLANE Kansas City, MO – Los Angeles, CA – 1,361 miles Total Air miles – 2,722 Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 3,022 miles Track Admission prices I-70 Speedway – $15 L A Raceway – $15 Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $30 Lifetime National Geographic Diversity standings 2007 (current thru 6/11/07)** **Until the end of the year, NGD rankings are unofficial. Rankings are affected not only by the leader’s activities but also by other trackchasers impact on the leader’s position in each state. Upcoming trackchasing plans I can’t go trackchasing next weekend. It’s Father’s Day AND the U.S. Open is being played. However, if I don’t go trackchasing because of these more than noble reasons, my fellow competitors might gain an advantage. What should I do? 1,139. Meremere Dirt Track Club, Meremere, New Zealand – January 1 1,140. Meeanee Speedway, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand – January 1 1,141. Top of the South Speedway, Richmond, New Zealand – January 2 1,142. Woodford Glen Speedway, Christchurch, New Zealand – January 3 1,143. Robertson Holden International Speedway, Palmerston North, New Zealand – January 5 1,144. Taupo Motorsports Park, Taupo, North, New Zealand – January 6 1,145. Waikaraka Park International Speedway, Auckland, New Zealand – January 6 1,146. Angels Stadium of Anaheim (inner oval), Anaheim, California – January 13 1,147. Angels Stadium of Anaheim (outer oval), Anaheim, California – January 13 1,148. West Valley Speedway, Surprise, Arizona – January 14 1,149. Sandia Motorsports Park (road course), Albuquerque, New Mexico – January 28 1,150. Grand Prix De Lanaudiere, Lavaltrie, Quebec, Canada – February 3 1,151. Ste-Eulalie Ice Track, Eulalie, Quebec, Canada – February 4 1,152. St Guillaume, St Guillaume, Quebec, Canada – February 4 1,153. Caldwell Rodeo Arena, Caldwell, Idaho – February 10 1,154. Balsam Lake Ice Track, Balsam Lake, Wisconsin – February 18 1,155. Northeast Pond Ice Track, Milton, New Hampshire – February 24 1,156. Lee Pond Ice Track, Moultonborough, New Hampshire – February 25 1,157. New Hendry Country Speedway, Clewiston, Florida – March 3 1,158. Florida Sports Park, Naples, Florida – March 4 1,159. Honeoye Lake Ice Track – Road Course, Honeoye, New York – March 10 1,160. Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas – March 16 1,161. Houston Motorsports Park, Houston, Texas – March 16 1,162. Dawgwood Speedway, Chatsworth, Georgia – March 17 1,163. Toccoa Speedway, Toccoa, Georgia – March 17 1,164. Tazewell Speedway, Tazewell, Tennessee – March 18 1,165. Malden Speedway, Malden, Missouri, Tennessee – March 23 1,166. Dacosa Speedway, Byhalia, Mississippi – March 24 1,167. Swinging Bridge Raceway, Byram, Mississippi – March 24 1,168. Florence Motor Speedway, Florence, South Carolina – March 25 1,169. Foothills Raceway, Easley, South Carolina – March 30 1,170. Mileback Speedway, Gray Court, South Carolina – March 30 1,171. Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida – April 1 1,172. Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas, Nevada – April 8 1,173. Huntsville Speedway, Huntsville, Alabama – April 13 1,174. Low Country Kartway, Aynor, South Carolina – April 14 1,175. Dillon Motor Speedway, Dillon, South Carolina – April 14 1,176. Valley Dirt Riders, Berthoud, Colorado – April 15 1,177. Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Lancaster, California – April 22 1,178. Sertoma Speedway, Tularosa, New Mexico – April 27 1,179. Sandia Motorsports Park (outer oval), Albuquerque, New Mexico – April 28 1,180. Sandia Motorsports Park (inner oval), Albuquerque, New Mexico – April 28 1,181. Hollywood Hills Speedway, San Felipe Pueblo, New Mexico – April 29 1,182. Meridian Speedway, Meridian, Idaho – May 11 1,183. Diamond Mountain Speedway, Vernal, Utah, Idaho – May 12 1,184. Rocky Mountain Raceways (oval), Salt Lake City, Utah – May 12 1,185. Rocky Mountain Raceways (figure 8), Salt Lake City, Utah – May 12 1,186. Modoc Speedway, Modoc, South Carolina – May 18 1,187. Possum Kingdom Super Speedway, Belton, South Carolina – May 19 1,188. Laurens County Speedway, Laurens, South Carolina – May 19 1,189. Fairplex at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, Pomona, California – May 20 1,190. Lowes Motor Speedway (inner oval), Concord, North Carolina – May 24 1,191. Lowes Motor Speedway (road course), Concord, North Carolina – May 24 1,192. Madison International Speedway (inner oval), Oregon, Wisconsin – May 25 ** Madison International Speedway (outer oval), Oregon, Wisconsin – May 25 1,193. Thunderbird Stadium (figure 8), Bremerton, Washington – May 26 1,194. Thunderbird Stadium (oval), Bremerton, Washington – May 26 1,195. Whispering Pines Motorsports Park, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada – May 27 1,196. Magic Valley Speedway, Twin Falls, Idaho – May 28 1,197. Owyhee Motorcycle Raceway Park, Boise, Idaho – June 1 1,198. Race City Motorsports Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada – June 2 1,199. Edmonton International Raceway, Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada – June 2 1,200. Castrol Raceway, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – June 2 1,201. Hidden Valley Motorsports Park, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada – June 2 1,202. Boyd’s Speedway, Ringgold, Georgia – June 8 1,203. Fayette County Fairgrounds, Washington Courthouse, Ohio – June 9 1,204. Brush Creek Motorsports Park, Pebbles, Ohio – June 9 1,205. Brown County Speedway, Russellville, Ohio – June 9 1,206. Vinton Speedway, Vinton, Ohio – June 10 1,207. Hilltop Speedway, Millersburg, Ohio – June 10 1,208. I-70 Speedway – dirt (outer oval), Odessa, Missouri – June 13 1,209. L A Raceway, La Monte, Missouri – June 14 You might have remembrances about this track. If so, please feel free to share your memories in the comments section below. If you have any photos from back in the day, send them to me at Ranlay@yahoo.com. I’ll try to include them here. 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 That’s all folks! Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report Click on the link below to see the video production from the racing action today. This isn’t my video but it will give you an idea of what racing looks like at the LA Raceway. These are the World of Outlaws sprints racing back in 2014. 
Racetracks visited in 2007
(** not the first time to visit this track)