THE EVENT

 

 

Editor’s note.

I have now been to the Rocky Mountain Raceways (formerly Bonneville Raceway Park) on three different occasions. During those trips I have seen racing on their “old” oval. In 1985 that oval track was located where the drag strip is now.  I didn’t begin writing my Trackchaser Reports until after I had seen about 430 lifetime tracks.  Therefore I have no formal notes from my ’85 visit. Then Carol and I returned to see racing on their “new” oval and figure 8 track in 2007. Now, in 2016, I was back to see racing on the RMR inner oval and road course. Three visits; five tracks.

 

 

2,000 and counting.

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.  Or you can visit me on Facebook.  Thanks!

 

 

Randy on Facebook

 

 

 

 

GREETINGS FROM VERNAL, UTAH AND THEN WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH

 

 

 

 

AND THE READERS RESPOND

 

I received this note from Rick Young in Ontario, Canada regarding my last Trackchaser Report.

 

“Shouldn’t that read ‘father of the bride’ in the opening section?”

 

Rick, the short answer is yes!

 

 

 

SPECIAL NOTICE #1

 

My new flying capabilities have drastically altered my trackchasing travel planning. I no longer plan trips 3-6 weeks in advance. The planning window is now more likely to be 3-6 DAYS. I call it “just in time trackchasing” or JITT. Because of my new situation, it no longer makes sense to look at racing dates very far in advance. Therefore, effective immediately, I will discontinue the “future track dates” tab on my website. I hope that over time this feature has been helpful to those trackchasers who chose to use it.

 

I will say that I have spent a good deal of time beginning to review the nearly 600 race sanction websites that I have accumulated over time. I am surprised to see the large number of groups that offer no new tracks for me during the 2007 season.

 

 

I WOKE UP IN TWIN FALLS, IDAHO THIS MORNING.  I PICKED UP CAROL AT THE SALT LAKE CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN THE LATE MORNING. THEN WE WENT TO SLEEP IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.

 

 

PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS

 

The Strategy                                                                                    

 

I like getting trackchasing doubles. As you might imagine, my track totals add up twice as fast that way! Today was my sixth day/night double of the year. It was my 11^th trackchasing double in 2007 out of thirty-five total trackchasing days. I am very pleased with this trackchasing production and efficiency.

 

Today’s new tracks propel me into the Utah trackchasing state lead. Sorry, Andy. We can still be friends off the track. Utah does not see much trackchasing activity. Through 2006, only 38 new track visits have been made by all of the worldwide listed trackchasers.

 

One more note about Utah trackchasing. There are only three states that been trackchased in less frequently than Utah. Can you name them? The answer to this trackchasing trivia question is at the very bottom of this report.

 

One final thing about Utah…..I was pleased that Carol joined my on this trip. It was most appropriate because this was Mother’s Day weekend and she is the outstanding mother to our three children. However, this was not the main reason I was pleased.

 

Her trackchasing work today helped my position in the National Geographic Diversity lifetime standings. When she started the weekend, she was tied for 10^th place in Utah with FIFTEEN people. That meant that every one of those 15 folks received a score of 10 NGD points for their Utah trackchasing results. Recall, if a chaser is 10^th in a state he/she gets 10 points, 9^th = 9 points, etc. Chasers outside the top 10 receive 15 points. That’s a five-point penalty for not being able to rank in the top ten in any given state.

 

Today Carol picked up three new Utah tracks. This brings her total to four and moves her from a 10^th place tie to a tie for second place. At the same time, her advance moves all of those people who have just one Utah track into a tie for 11^th place. Now, there are fourteen people tied for 11^th. Of course, all of those folks now get 15 state points, not just ten, in Utah. I just made a nice gain against some of my closest fellow competitors in the lifetime NGD results, not because of my efforts but because of Carol’s.

 

 

The Trip

 

I am really surprised that so many of the tracks I visit are located at just the maximum distances to make them work, considering the logistics needed to reach them.

 

Yesterday and today were perfect examples. The Eich’s and I left the Meridian Speedway at 10 p.m. on Friday with one feature event to go. We had been at the track for three hours and had an entertaining evening.

 

 

As they headed home, I looked forward to a two-hour drive over to Twin Falls, Idaho. My Super 8 motel room (pre-booked with favorable weather) was awaiting me at midnight. I had to be out of the room by 7 a.m. for a three-hour drive over to Salt Lake.  The scenery including the Snake River was beautiful.

 

 

With gas and food stops, I was on time to pick up Carol at 11 a.m. on Saturday. We would be celebrating Mother’s Day weekend in Utah. We had a three-hour drive over to the Diamond Mountain Speedway in Vernal, Utah for their 2 p.m. start. Finally, following two hours of dust and wind at the DMS, it was a three-hour drive back to Salt Lake for the balance of the racing program at the Rocky Mountain Raceways. Yes, we are active seniors.

 

 

In order to make renting a motel worthwhile, I need to be able to use it for at least six hours. This trip met that requirement, but barely. I then had just about the right driving distances so that I could see the lion’s share of each racing program while making sure my butt was not welded to a bleacher seat for longer than it should have been based upon the entertainment value.

 

 

Overall, this was an excellent trip from a logistical point of view. I left Friday morning, saw three tracks over two days and landed back at home by 12 noon on Sunday. It doesn’t get much better than that.

 

 

The People

I find the people is less populated areas, in this case Idaho and Utah, to be a little more friendly than tracks located in the more urban areas or often in much of the northeast. How do I judge that? One way, is how the tracks handle my trackchaser press release information. In the small market areas, they seem a bit more impressed that someone would take the time to attend the races at their facility as well as make the effort to tell them about it. Foreign countries like England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand really go out of their way to recognize folks like me.

 

 

This weekend, I was given the royal treatment I’ve come to expect when I visit tracks in areas like these. Last night in Idaho, I received a very nice welcome as well as a prize pack that included all manner of goodies. This afternoon the announcer gave my trackchasing exploits two very good mentions.

 

 

Tonight at the Rocky Mountain Raceways was special. When the track announcer was walking up to the press box after interviewing drivers on the track, I motioned him over. I told him who I was and why I was there. I handed him my trackchaser press release. He looked at it briefly and began to walk away, while saying, “Thanks for giving me this, I’ll mention it tonight.”

 

 

As he got about 10 paces from me, he stopped and turned toward me. “Hey, let’s talk about this now, is that O.K.?” he asked. I assured him it was. He had a hand held remote microphone that was connected to a AAA sound system. His first words to the crowd were these, “I’ve just been handed some information from someone who has a very interesting hobby. I’m going to let this fellow tell you about it.”

 

 

With that, he thrust the microphone in my face. Of course, I am trained to manage situations like these with ease. I had been battle tested just last week while giving the “Father of the Bride” speech in front of all of my friends and family. I also take pleasure in doing this because I can introduce the hobby of trackchasing to so many people at one time. There were probably 3,000 plus folks in the stands tonight. I suspect that almost all of them had never heard of trackchasing in their lives. I like to think I have introduced this subject to more people via my at the track interviews, newspaper stories and radio and TV interviews than anyone else in the world. As the current “World’s #1 Ranked Trackchaser” it is my responsibility to share the word with my fellow racing fans.

 

 

After I gave my standard trackchasing stump speech, the announcer jumped in with some questions. “What’s your favorite track?” he wondered. “The Peoria Speedway in Peoria, Illinois. It’s a high-banked quarter mile dirt bullring,” was my response. “How do you pay for it all?” was his next question. I get this question in various forms frequently. My reply was short and to the point, “I earned it, then I saved it and now I’m spendin’ it.” The crowd seemed to think that was a fair way to put it.

 

 

Often my trackchaser interviews are recorded. This was a good one tonight and would have made a great recording. Unfortunately, Carol was off buying some popcorn and Churros at the time. Fortunately, with such a good sound system, she was able to hear it all.

 

 

Often tracks seem to have a “people personality.” If I’m in Kansas, it’s likely to be a farmer crowd. If I’m in New England, it’s going to be folks with a thick New England accent. What type of crowd would you expect in Salt Lake City? If you responded with the word, “Mormon” you would be in the majority but you would be way off base from what I observed.

 

 

Tonight’s “people personality” was “heavy metal!” I saw more people than would be statistically expected having more body piercings and tattoos than I see in six months worth of trackchasing. They were all well behaved, but it was just something I wasn’t expecting in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

 

 

RACE TRACK STATS:

 

RANDY’S NEW TRACKS – DIAMOND MOUNTAIN SPEEDWAY, VERNAL, UTAH – TRACK #1,183 AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN RACEWAYS – OVAL – TRACK #1,184 AND FIGURE 8 – TRACK #1,185 – WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH –

 

 

CAROL’S NEW TRACKS – DIAMOND MOUNTAIN SPEEDWAY, VERNAL, UTAH – TRACK #312. ROCKY MOUNTAIN RACEWAYS – OVAL AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN RACEWAYS – FIGURE 8, WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH – TRACKS #313 & #314

 

 

 

Today’s trackchasing took me to my fourth and fifth lifetime tracks in Utah. This moves me into sole possession of first place in Beehive state surpassing Andy Ritter’s four tracks. Of course, when Andy saw his last race in Utah it was very special. You see, Utah was the 50^th state where he had seen racing. I am now riding along in first place in five different states now. These include Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Utah. If all goes well, and I don’t change my plan, I will have another first place state ranking next weekend.

 

 

Salt Lake City, Utah is a “hub” for Delta Airlines. It is very easy for me to get from our home airport in Santa Ana, California to Salt Lake. For some reason, the flights on this route always have a large number of open seats. That part of the trackchasing travel equation is great.

 

 

However, after today, I no longer have any Utah tracks to see. Although I’ve only seen five tracks here, there are no more to see! I have only one other state, Rhode Island, where I currently have no more countable tracks to visit. Therefore, I will have to use the Delta Airlines hub of Salt Lake to get me to other nearby states like Montana and Idaho.

 

 

Today’s track supports my primary trackchasing strategy of trying to become the #1 ranked trackchaser is all 13 Western states by 2009 (except California). Now that I lead in Utah, I sit atop the standings in four Western states. At the bottom of this report, you can see where I rank in each of these states as of today.

 

 

 

RACE TRACK NEWS:

 

 

 

DIAMOND MOUNTAIN SPEEDWAY

 

Carol and I were the first trackchasing couple ever to visit the Diamond Mountain Raceway. This is only the second year of operation for this 1/3-mile, nearly circular, high-banked dirt oval.

 

 

This track is located in one of the most remote parts of both the United States and the state of Utah. The surrounding scenery is high dessert mountains. This is a very beautiful location.

 

 

This show was the “day” portion of today’s day/night trackchasing double. The DMS normally runs at night but they do have a few early season efforts that run during the day.

 

 

With a temperature of about 90 degrees on a mainly blue sky and very windy day, it was more than a challenge to keep the track’s surface together. If today’s racing is any indication, this track will never be known for its efficiency.

 

 

One of the track’s workers told me that last Saturday’s show started at 2 p.m. and ended at almost 10 p.m. That was not the kind of show I was looking for. Today the track was very dusty early. At one point, it was nearly impossible to see any of the eight street stocks that were racing.

 

 

These dusty conditions were tolerable because the wind blew strongly AWAY from the grandstand. Had the wind been blowing into the stands, it would have been impossible to watch the races at all. They did water the track after every race or two. They had one of the slowest water trucks, I have ever seen. We timed one water truck lap. How does one minute and fifty-three seconds sound when covering a distance of one-third mile?

 

 

Carol and I sat in the middle of a seven-row wooden bleacher section. There was a good-sized crowd on hand for this type of event. We guessed there were about 300 people here today. In this geographical area, that’s not bad.

 

 

The racing left a lot to be desired. The flagman was too quick with the yellow flag. The drivers made no effort at all to get going after a spin, until the yellow flag was displayed. The cars would spread out quickly and there was very little passing for any position whatsoever.

 

 

The P.A. system was strong. I received a nice trackchaser mention. I was also able enter the edge of the pit area so I could take unobstructed view photos of the modifieds racing. I enjoyed my conversation with the pit entrance guard. He provided a good bit of detail regarding the track’s recent history.

 

 

There were four racing classes today. The pure stocks brought 11 cars, the street stocks had 8, the modifieds twelve and the dwarf cars had a dozen. Each class ran two heats (except the streets) and a feature event.

 

 

This track’s facilities are rustic. They go with porta-potties, a well used house trailer for their concession stand and a rutted crushed rock parking lot. Nevertheless, I was happy to see a new track being built. I was even more pleased to see an oval racing on a Saturday afternoon.

 

 

This track is located in such a remote location; I doubt that very many trackchasers if any will come for a visit in the future. The track does have some potential, but probably not during the day.

 

 

CAROL’S COMMENTS

I wasn’t sure which would be affected more by these dusty conditions, my lungs or my contacts. I don’t know how they can see to drive. After seeing racing in New Zealand, I don’t think I can stand all of these yellow flags.

 

 

 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN RACEWAYS – FIGURE 8

I first visited this facility back on July 24,1985 when the track was called the Bonneville Raceway Park. On that special evening I saw racing action on their oval track. Tonight, I am back. Some things are different this time around.

 

 

First, the track’s name is now the Rocky Mountain Raceways. Secondly, I have Trackchasing’s First Mother in tow. Finally, I am here to see the figure 8 track, while Carol will get a “same track” double, by seeing both the oval and figure 8 tracks.

 

 

I was most impressed with the RMR facilities. It’s one of the best oval track operations I’ve seen anywhere. What makes a great facility? Lot of things!

 

 

In no particular order, I will list this track’s plusses. First, there was ample close in parking on a paved parking lot. Often, track parking lots are so rutted it’s like a minefield when you park your car in the daylight and even worse when you go to retrieve the car in the dark following the races.

 

 

RMR accepts credit cards. I always like to conserve my cash when I’m traveling. Only the most progressive tracks (about 1-2%) offer the convenience of credit card purchasing. The track was well lit. It was easy to read the racecar’s numbers when they were on the backstretch.

 

 

The track had an excellent announcer and a stadium quality sound system. The announcer didn’t talk too much and he didn’t talk too little. When there was a break in the action, they went to music from the 50s and 60s. They even played the “chicken dance” song and the crowd broke into their best version of the chicken dance. The Perris Auto Speedway is another place where the crowd dances to the music at intermission periods.

 

 

This track had multiple concession stands. They had their menus and pricing that were easily accessible and readable BEFORE you got up to the window to place your order. Many tracks have their menu come into view only after you reach the window and even then you have to crane your neck to see what is being offered. There was little or no wait at the multiple concession windows. The food, drink and snack selections were varied.

 

 

There were a large number of track and security folks on hand. I counted maybe 15-20 or more folks working in this capacity. Often, tracks have absolutely no one in view working this type of job.

 

 

The track safety crew was outstanding. During the 40-lap non-winged sprint car feature there was a major crash. A sprinter spun into the turn three wall tail first. The impact of the crash broke the car’s fuel cell. From my vantage point, I could see the liquid (racing fuel) spreading across the track. The car slid down the steep banking into the infield. Just at that point the fuel ignited into flames up near the crash wall. In a second or two, the flames followed the spilled fuel down the track and into the infield. When the flames reached the disabled racecar, the sprinter’s fuel tank burst into a huge fireball some 25 feet in the air. In less than five seconds, two fire safety trucks were on hand to extinguish the fire. Both the fireball and the quick safety crew action were impressive!

 

 

We arrived at 8 p.m. We would have been there 30 minutes sooner, but I mishandled our GPS system while Carol did the driving. We saw the 20-lap dwarf car feature and then the 12-car non-winged sprint feature. In reviewing the track’s results on their website, I noticed we missed the 3-car Hornet feature and the 10-car Ford Focus midget final.

 

 

There was a delay in airlifting the sprint car driver to the hospital while safety personnel attended to the stunned driver. The track management ended up shortening the event from forty laps to thirty because of this delay. The oval track gave Carol her third lifetime Utah track.

 

 

The final events of the evening would add my fifth lifetime Utah track to the tally. I’m talking about the track’s figure 8 track. The first countable event on this track was a seven-car traditional figure 8 race. With such a small field there really wasn’t much action in this 15-lap affair.

 

 

Nevertheless, we were going to see some more figure 8 racing action. The final event of the night was the “train” race. How do you race trains on a figure 8 track? It’s easy! First, a “train” is made up of three stock car type racecars chained together. The first car’s driver provides the power and the steering. The middle car has no one aboard. It’s simply there as a “spacer” between cars one and three. The third and final car is occupied by an individual who has no steering or engine power. What DOES that third car control? The brakes!

 

 

There were TEN train teams of three cars each. That’s a total of 30 cars racing around the asphalt figure 8 track. You might have played “crack the whip” as a child. If you did, you know that the person on the outside of the whip can really get some centrifugal force going. That’s the way it works in train figure 8 racing as well.

 

 

This race was wild. At one point, the middle car from one train team flipped over and was being dragged along on its top while the power car and brake car were unaffected. Another three-car train team was sponsored by Budweiser. Budweiser was spelled out on the three cars like this, “Bud,” “Weis,” “Er.” Yep, just like the frogs use to say it. The “brake” car in this train had some of the most violent twists and turns from the “crack the whip” phenomenon, you could possibly imagine. It was a fun novelty race to watch.

 

 

What’s the final ingredient that a top-notch track should provide? They finished the show at a reasonable hour. Tonight’s final checkered flag flew at just before 10 p.m. Then the announcer invited all of the fans down to the pit area where “for no extra pit fee you can see all of the cars and drivers close up.” Yes, the Rocky Mountain Raceways know what they’re doing to entertain the large crowd they had tonight.

 

 

 

CAROL’S COMMENTS

The facility was very professional, much nicer than I expected. It looked like NASCAR should be running there. The announcer was great and the P.A. was outstanding. I could hear it clearly everywhere I went all night. The train figure 8 race was super. I loved it!

 

 

WEATHER CONDITIONS

It was nearly 90 degrees this afternoon in Vernal. By the way Vernal, Utah was bigger than we expected. Their main drag was several blocks long and featured the leading chain restaurants and retailers.

 

The temperature was a most pleasant 75 degrees or so during the evening at RMS. I was bitten a time or two by bugs (mosquitoes.) I’m still itching today.

 

 

 

RENTAL CAR UPDATE:

On Saturday morning, I dropped off the rental car that I had picked up in Boise at the Salt Lake City airport. I was hoping to simply close out the contract on this car and then re-rent it for just one day in Salt Lake. This way I could minimize my total rental car charges and not have to transfer my luggage from the Boise car to another one in Salt Lake.

 

Alas, National’s policies prevented me from doing this. At least my new rental was parked right next to the car I was returning. The Salt Lake City National Rental Car outlet is a franchise location. They aren’t very friendly and seem limited in their flexibility compared to company owned locations.

 

 

Friday total driving miles – 151

 

Saturday total driving miles – 228 – (BOI-SLC rental car)

 

Saturday total driving miles – 420 – (SLC only rental car)

 

Sunday total driving miles – 5

 

I traveled 425 miles with this rental car.  I paid an average fuel price of $3.18 giving me a 11.2 cent per mile fuel charge.  The Pontiac Grand Prix provided fuel mileage of 28.4 M.P.G.  The car cost 6.1 cents per mile to rent, all taxes included. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE:

 

These worldwide trackchasers are within 100 tracks (plus or minus) of my current trackchaser total.

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,184

 

2. Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan – 1,106 (-78)*

 

3. Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,091 (-93)*

 

7. Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 1,005 (-179)**

 

* Warning, you are within 50 tracks of being removed from this list. 

 

** Special exemption.

 

 

 

 

LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS

 

2007 (current thru 5/14/07)**

 

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 6.82
2. Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 7.12
3. Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan – 7.55

 

 

**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. 

 

 

 

Other notables

 

These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus) of Carol’s current trackchaser total.

 

31. Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 314

 

There are no trackchasers within 10 tracks (either above or below) of Carol’s current total. 

 

 

 

 

2007 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 46

 

2. Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 40

 

3. Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 21

 

4. Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania – 17

 

4. Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 17

 

6. Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 14

 

7. Roger Ferrell, Majenica, Indiana – 10

 

7. Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 10

 

7. Rick Young, Maxville, Ontario, Canada – 10

 

10. Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 9

 

Tracks have been reported by 34 different worldwide trackchasers this season.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

 

Randy Lewis

Utah’s #1 Trackchaser

That’s all the news that’s fit to print from San Clemente where the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and all of the children are above average.

 

 

 

 

 

CUMULATIVE TRAVEL DISTANCES:

 

AIRPLANE

 

Santa Ana, CA – Salt Lake City, UT – 588 miles

Salt Lake City, UT – Boise, ID – 290 miles

 

 

 

RENTAL CAR – BOISE, IDAHO

 

Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field – trip begins

Meridian, ID – 21 miles

Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field – 379 miles – trip ends

 

 

RENTAL CAR – SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

 

Salt Lake City International Airport – trip begins

Vernal, UT – 201 miles

Salt Lake City, UT – 404 miles

Salt Lake City International Airport – 425 miles – trip ends

 

AIRPLANE

 

Salt Lake City, UT – Santa Ana, CA – 588 miles

 

 

Total Air miles – 1,466 miles

 

 

Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 2,270 miles

 

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

Meridian Speedway – $7

 

Diamond Mountain Speedway – $8

 

Rocky Mountain Raceways – $15

 

 

Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $30

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS

 

I’ve having some good luck chasing tracks out west. Therefore, I will stay out here just a little bit longer. I like not having to deal with major time zone changes.

 

 

 

 

 

RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2007 (** not the first time to visit this track)

 

 

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

 

*** Rocky Mountain Raceways (oval), Salt Lake City, Utah – May 12 This track was new for Carol only.

 

1,184. Rocky Mountain Raceways (figure 8), Salt Lake City, Utah – May 12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the business world, the U.S. is often divided up into geographic areas that are referred to as East, Central and the “eleven Western states plus Alaska and Hawaii.” No, I don’t know why they don’t just say the “thirteen western states.” Those states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming and, of course, Alaska and Hawaii.

 

The far west probably has the most beautiful scenery per square mile anywhere in the United States. This got me to thinking. Over the next 2-3 years, I’d like to put a “full-court” press on these far west states for trackchasing purposes. I want to establish a goal of becoming the number one trackchaser in each of these states except California by the end of 2009. Becoming #1 in California is not a realistic goal at this time.

 

Below is a listing of these thirteen Far Western states. The state’s name is followed by my current rank and how many tracks I need to see to gain at least a tie for 1^st place. As an example, I’m currently in ninth place in Alaska and trail first place by three tracks. I’m looking forward to spending more time than usual is the Far West, a great part of our country.

 

Alaska – 9^th by 3

 

Arizona – 1^st

 

California – 2^nd by 48

 

Colorado – 2nd by 1

 

Hawaii – 3^rd by 1

 

Idaho – 2nd by 1

 

Montana – 2^nd by 1

 

Nevada – 2^nd by 2

 

New Mexico – 1st

 

Oregon – 1^st

 

Utah – 1st

 

Washington – 2^nd by 2

 

Wyoming – 2^nd by 2

As you can see I don’t have far to go in most states. However, if I have to get most of these tracks on a one track per trip basis, it could take some time. Each time I see a Far Western U.S. track, I will keep you posted on my progress. We’ll see how it goes.

 

 

 

Alaska, Hawaii and Rhode Island have all received less trackchasing attention than Utah has.

 

 

 

 

ON THE WAY TO THE RACES

 

 

Lavish travel? Maybe. Maybe not.

My trackchasing travel definitely has its ups and downs. No one in the hobby has really ever traveled the way I do. My methods are different. My frequency is much different. I use these unusual methods about 40 weekends every year and have for well over a decade. Some think it’s a lavish travel lifestyle. Sometimes it is. After you read today’s report you can decide for yourself how this one went.

 

 

Do you know anybody else who does this?

This morning I woke up at 4:25 a.m. in the reclined front seat of a National Car Rental Racing Chrysler 300. I had pulled into the Oakland International Airport National Rental Car return lot at 12:30 a.m. last “evening”.

 

 

I knew the rental car lot was closed from 12 midnight until 5:30 a.m. I suspected I could arrive after they closed, sleep in my car for a few hours, and be gone before they came in for work. If you can work later than most people work and get up and begin your day again before most people come to work you’re likely to get ahead in life.

 

 

Heading to Salt Lake City.

I would be flying standby on a 6:05 a.m. departure from Oakland to Salt Lake City. Would you be willing to get up at 4:30 a.m. for an airplane ride that you weren’t even sure you could get on? Are you sure?  At such an early hour I was surprised the rental car bus was so crowded.

 

 

Even though I was twelfth on the list of 12 standby passengers I wasn’t too concerned about getting on the plane. There were plenty of seats available for folks willing to get up this early on a Saturday morning.

 

 

Rain, rain go away.

There was a minor problem with the weather in Salt Lake City. What was the problem? It was raining! However, the rain was expected to leave the area by about 10 a.m. I sure hoped it would.

 

 

With just four hours of sleep in a rental car last night I slept through most of the flight. When we landed the weather was exactly as promised. It was raining.

 

 

Double trouble.

The rain was truly “doubly” vexing. I rarely get rained out. Today I was planning to see two different track configurations at the Rocky Mountain Raceways in Salt Lake City, Utah. If I was rained out today it would be like suffering a rainout on two consecutive days when I’m just seeing one track a day.

 

 

Information is power.

When I landed in Salt Lake, which is on Mountain Daily Time right now, I used the airport’s complementary Wi-Fi to gather my thoughts. I checked the weather forecast for today’s track location. Then I considered what my plan would be if I was rained out. If I were rained out it would likely affect my plan for tomorrow’s (Sunday) racing.

 

 

Tomorrow California….maybe.

I had a track tentatively scheduled back in California for tomorrow. I just didn’t know if they were going to have the kinds of cars that would meet the sometimes stringent trackchasing rules. I would contact that track later to confirm. However, I didn’t even think they knew what kinds of cars were going to show up.

 

 

Greetings from Tim.

About the time I was checking my email I received a message from National Speedway Directory operator Tim Frost. Tim was reminding me of a Red Bull rallycross race in Phoenix, Arizona. They were racing there today and tomorrow.

 

 

Tim’s message got me to thinking. Yes, I would like to see a race in California tomorrow. However that’s not as important as it used to be now that I have moved into a number one trackchasing position in California. No other trackchaser is even in the same zip code possibly not even on the same continent as I am with California tracks.

 

 

Maybe it would be a good idea to go to Phoenix tomorrow rather than risk going to California and having a “no count” track. Either way I would probably end up driving a long distance to make it happen.

 

 

Being “golden” is a good thing.

If I could get an early morning flight from Salt Lake City to Phoenix I would be “golden” as the boys back in the Caterpillar factories where I worked in the 70s used to say. I checked things out. Lo and behold the flight from Salt Lake City to Phoenix leaving early in the morning was wide open.

 

 

Where was my car? I had to have a plan to get me back to my car when this was all over.

I quickly booked that flight. Then I considered my options of getting from Phoenix back to Los Angeles International Airport on late Sunday night. My car was parked at LAX.

 

 

I want to be in control of my own destiny.

I could attempt to fly home from Phoenix. However on Sunday nights lots of folks are returning from their leisure weekends and getting ready to work. The drive from Phoenix to LAX is only 5 1/2 hours. I would eat up a major portion of 5 1/2 hours just getting to the Phoenix airport waiting for my flight and taking the flight. If I drove I would be 100% in control of my own destiny.

 

 

I made my decision. I would rent a car on a one-way basis from Phoenix to LAX. My long time trackchasing sponsor, National Car Rental, gave me a deal I couldn’t pass up.

 

 

My trackchasing methods can be hard on sleep.

I had trackchased in California last night. The best plan I could develop had me sleeping in my car and catching a 6:05 a.m. flight. If I trackchased in California tomorrow I would have to sleep in my car for a SECOND straight night and then catch a 6:30 .m. flight. Alternatively, a trip to Phoenix would allow me to “sleep in”. The flight to Phoenix didn’t leave until 8:30 a.m. Wow! I could get a hotel tonight!

 

 

I selected a local Motel 6 for this evening’s stay. Why choose them? I had called the hotel from the airport. They would allow me to check in early today. That meant a mid-afternoon nap and then 5-6 hours of sleep after the races tonight. I was getting “two hotel stays” for the price of one….sort of.

 

 

The demographics of SLC.

There are certain demographics that pop out whenever I am in one area or another. I might go somewhere where folks are old. I might go to a location where certain ethnicities dominate. Lots of places have unusual demographics. Salt Lake City, at the airport, has a most unique demographic. What is it?

 

 

When I’m in the Salt Lake City airport the most noteworthy demographic is the number of children I see. Small children in the Salt Lake City airport outnumber small children in virtually any other airport by five or 10 to 1. It’s definitely a family atmosphere.

 

 

Can I be honest with you?

I will be renting a car from the Salt Lake City airport. I must be honest. The Salt Lake City franchise for National Car Rental is about the worst in the country. Why would I say that?

 

 

First of all for Emerald Isle customers and Executive Elite customers (that would be me) they don’t have a program where I can select any car on the lot. I have to first go to their office. There they give me a very limited selection of only two or three cars to choose from.

 

 

Additionally the staff there is less than cooperative. I’m in Mormon country. Virtually everybody is friendly, good looking and smiling in Salt Lake City. However the people recruited for the National Car Rental SLC office seem to have missed that particular opportunity.

 

 

Additionally the National Car Rental franchise in the Salt Lake City airport is owned by Chevrolet dealer. For the most part they only stock Chevy’s. I am not a Chevy fan. I am not a Ford van. I used to be a major Ford fan. I am not a domestic car supporter. I haven’t purchased a domestic car since about 1990 or so. I don’t intend to any time soon.

 

 

Check out this analogy.

I somewhat equate domestic cars and foreign cars to Windows PC machines and Apple products. Foreign cars and Apple products cost a little bit more to begin with but there’s a reason they’re worth more. After they’ve been used for two or three years the resale value on what seemed to be the more expensive product now makes it the less expensive product. Just saying.

 

 

I was able to get into my hotel room at a little past noon today. That way I could take a long afternoon nap. My alarm woke me from a dead sleep after 2 1/2 hours of napping. I guess that proves sleeping in the car last night wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be.

 

 

The weather had dramatically improved as well. When I landed in Salt Lake this morning it was pouring down rain. Now we had lots of blue sky with clouds as well. It was going to be cold and windy tonight at the races. The temperature will drop down into the mid 50s with 15 mile an hour winds. Those are chilly and somewhat uncomfortable conditions to be sitting outside for two or three hours.

 

 

I try to observe my fellow competitors.

I first became aware of the two unique track configurations that I was seeking at the Rocky Mountain Raceways about this time last year. Fellow competitor Guy Smith had gone to one of their events and identified these new tracks.

 

 

I would benefit from the fact that he is one of the few trackchasers that takes the time to share information about his trackchasing exploits. Granted his reports are essentially bare bones i.e., which classes raced, what time the show began and ended, etc. His information was certainly better than nothing.

 

 

So what’s the answer to this question.

You’re probably asking this question, “Randy, you are now trusting Guy Smith for your new track information?” Wait! I wouldn’t go that far. Not that I didn’t trust Mr. Smith, often times I don’t, but I did take the time to contact the track promoter to get confirmation. I was seeking information about the double-decker race group as well as the Jr. stingers.

 

 

 

 

THE RACING

 

 

Rocky Mountain Raceways – Salt Lake City, Utah

 

 

2+3 = 5.

In the past I have seen racing on three different track configurations at Rocky Mountain. All the way back in 1985 I saw racing on their original oval track. It was located where the drag strip is today. Then in 2007 I returned with Carol to check out the racing on their 3/8-mile banked asphalt oval as well as their figure 8 track. You can see my report elsewhere for that trackchasing visit.

 

 

Tonight’s new track configurations were unique. The double-decker group races on a road course. The junior stinger group races on an inner oval.

 

 

Where do all of these tracks come from?

There is one funny thing about all four tracks that I will see this weekend. Up until one year ago, and in some cases up until one week ago, I had never heard of any of them. That leads me to wonder how many tracks are out there that I’ve never heard of? I suspect a good number.

 

 

Go to the top young man.

The track’s oval track manager, Dan Breach, was a great source of information. When I called him we talked for several minutes about my trackchasing and his track operating. Toward the end of the conversation Dan offered me the opportunity to be the guest of the track at tonight’s racing. That was nice of him to do and I gladly accepted.

 

 

The Rocky Mountain Raceways runs a race program with an unusual time schedule relative to most other short tracks. They start their heat races at 6 p.m. and their future events at 8 p.m. That way if fans don’t want to sit through heat races and only want to see features they know when that’s going to happen. I think that’s a great idea.

 

 

An unusual but effective logistical setup.

The logistical setup at RMR is unusual as well. They essentially have a huge hill separating their drag strip and oval track operations. The top of the hill is flat. Spectators can walk back-and-forth. On the slope of each side of the hill is the spectator seating for each track type. That’s a fantastic design. I don’t know if they ever run events simultaneously at both of these venues.

 

 

Would you like to be rich?

In America it seems as if lots of people would love to be rich. Nevertheless, people often resent the “rich guy”. They are resenting the guy who is exactly the person they are trying to be like? How does that work?

 

 

In racing it often seems as if the fastest driver and race team have the best equipment, have the most sponsors and are generally the “rich” team. So which came first? Was it because they were a good team that got them all of the top-notch resources? Or did they have all the top-notch resources first and that made them a great team?

 

 

The same questions can be asked about the Rocky Mountain Raceways facility. Tonight at 8 o’clock it was 55° with a strong wind. Nevertheless, the much larger than usual grandstand was filled nicely with adults paying a $20 admission fee.  How can the Rocky Mountain Raceways achieve something like that when so many other short tracks that I visit are struggling to get 200 people in the stands at half the price?

 

 

These folks “get it”.

The Rocky Mount Raceways group “gets it”. There’s an annual meeting for racetrack promoters every year where all the best ideas about racetrack promotion are shared. I suspect the meeting attendance is skewed with the better race promoters across the country. They always say the best students sit in the front row. I suspect the best race promoters go to the annual race promoter’s workshops. Again, just saying.

 

 

Tonight the folks at RMR employed lots of ideas that I’m sure are discussed at the annual promoter’s workshops. I’ll try to cover a few but I’m sure I’ll miss several.

 

 

First of all the facility is top notch. They have a quality announcer who speaks over a loud easy to be heard PA system. Those might sound like simple things but I would say the majority of short tracks can’t even reach that bar.

 

 

They started the program on time at 6 p.m. with heat races. They provided an advance schedule of events (how many tracks provide an advance schedule of events?).

 

 

The track has a mascot. He goes through the stands and even rides a special three-wheeled vehicle around the track. They have vendors going through the stands selling novelties. How many tracks do that in today’s world?

 

 

At intermission they had a chili cheese fries eating contest amongst several fans. Each contestant represented a particular section of grandstand. They also had a spectator option where up to five spectators could drive their personal cars around the track as fast as they could for four laps. At intermission they shot t-shirts into the grandstands. They also had a couple of racecars that took special fans around the track for a couple of fast laps.

 

 

This is the 20th year that this version of RMR has been operating. At twenty minutes past the hour they had drawings for prizes for fans in attendance.

 

 

There was a wide selection of refreshments. However, prices seemed steep to me. The food offerings ranged from traditional hamburgers, hotdogs etc. to a Mexican specialty food truck and a candy/ice cream truck. There was also a complete souvenir booth.

 

 

Ask yourself this question.

As I go through the list above, and it is not complete by any means, ask yourself this question. How many of these promotional ideas and product offerings is your short track offering? I’m going to guess in most cases RMR out distances other tracks by a long ways.

 

 

The racing.

There were several divisions racing tonight. Each week RMR has different divisions of racing from one week to the next. Tonight I think there were six classes racing. There must be 10-12 divisions in total that race at one time or another during the year at RMR.

 

 

Tonight there were a couple of stock car groups and a truck division racing on the 3/8- mile paved “super oval”. The double-decker class raced on an improvised road course. The junior stinger group raced on an inner oval.

 

 

 

The special event of the night was seeing a Canadian-based “super truck” 18-wheeler type racing event. I’ve seen these over the road trucks race in both Brazil and England. Tonight ten of those trucks showed up. They put on a good program racing around the oval with their diesel stacks spewing black smoke. The crowd loved it.

 

 

This is why I was here.

As part of my trackchasing hobby I was here to see racing on the inner oval and the road course. By 7 p.m., when the heat races were completed, I had added lifetime tracks #2,217 and #2,218.

 

 

As you know the trackchasing rules allow for counting various configurations of an oval, road course and figure 8 track at one individual facility. Remember, I did NOT make the rules.

 

 

Previously I had seen racing on their oval track, a permanent facility, which was replaced by there drag strip. Then the new permanent oval was built in its current location at RMR. I had also seen the figure 8 racing here at RMR. On that night they had their famous “train” races over the figure a track.

 

 

A true statement but maybe not a complete statement.

The first new track for me tonight was the inner oval where nine “junior stingers” raced. The announcer told the crowd this class had “12-16-year-old drivers. That may have been perfectly true.

 

 

However the RMR rules clearly indicate that drivers as old as 18 years of age or even as old as 19 if they turn that age during the season are eligible to drive a “Junior stinger”. This was confirmed by oval track manager Dan Breach to me as well.

 

 

How to trackchasing’s rules read?

Here’s the way trackchasing’s rules work. In the above example an 18-year-old does not have to race in a race for it to be countable as an adult race. What? Now hold on. The class only has to be open to drivers who are at least 18 years old. I explain this so observers of the trackchasing hobby can understand how the rules are written. I never ask anyone to accept the rules. I just ask folks to try to understand them. I also point out that I did not establish these rules. The originators of trackchasing, sometimes called trackchasing’s founding fathers, made the rules.

 

 

Did you know this?

Not many people remember this but I am the reason that the numerical age requirement is 18 years in specific. Before I pushed the issue the trackchasing rules said that races had to be open to “adults”. Of course you can get one million definitions as to what an adult is. I had to “pressure/cajole/motivate” then trackchasing commissioner Will White to commit to specifying that an adult was an individual who was at least 18 years of age. Now you know the rest of the story.

 

 

Track cars.

It sounded as if each of the junior stinger cars was owned by the speedway. The announcer told the crowd that “for $1,000” they could have their own stinger racer. All of the stingers were painted yellow with accompanying colors. The yellow comes from the bumblebee family.

 

 

First time ever!

My second countable track for the evening was the RMR road course. The double decker class raced on the road course.

 

 

The road course configuration included two major chicanes that took the racers off of the oval into the pit area. You’ll see what I’m talking about if you take a look at the video I produced.

 

 

The double-deckers were quite unusual “race” cars. They were essentially two car bodies stacked on top of each other. I have seen these cars in England but I never saw them actually racing.

 

 

Here’s the way double-decker car works. They are sort of like the “cruiser division” often used in the Midwest. With the cruisers the person on the passenger side of the car operates the brake and gas while the person holding the steering wheel on the left side of the car steers the automobile.

 

 

In double-decker racing the person in the car on the bottom has control of the gas and the brake. The person sitting in the top car, about 12 feet off the ground, does the steering.

 

 

As you can imagine these racing “machines” are quite top-heavy. Several went up on two wheels while negotiating the turns. One actually flipped.

 

 

Lots of action in very cool weather.

There was definitely a lot of action at RMR. I arrived at 5:45 p.m. and left at a little past 9 p.m. I was at the track for more than 3 1/2 hours. I feel most comfortable being at a racetrack for 2-3 hours. That’s the amount of time that most of my other favorite sports take to complete their shows.

 

 

 

 

AFTER THE RACES

 

 

Not Eldora but I didn’t really care.

I was happy to add two tracks to my lifetime Utah track list. The two tracks I saw tonight will never rival the Eldora Speedway for true racing. This is novelty racing. We can’t forget that. Nevertheless, trackchasing is really not about going to Eldora every night.

 

 

What it is about is going to Eldora one night and to a novelty show the next. As long as a person is comfortable with that and can wrap their arms around this trackchasing concept they will have a good time following the trackchasing hobby.

 

 

Tim likes everyone but he loves me.

Tomorrow I will be following an idea given to me by National Speedway Directory owner Tim Frost. It was really a reminder. However it was a reminder that came just at the right time. Is there really any question about which Tim’s favorite trackchaser really is? No, I didn’t think so either. Thank you Tim.

 

 

Good night from Utah.

 

 

 

Utah

 

 

The Bee Hive state

This evening I saw my 14^th and 15th lifetime tracks in the Bee Hive state, yes the Bee Hive state. Utah is one of 20 different states where I hold a #1 ranking. I have seen 15 or more tracks in 30 different states.

 

 

 

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

Utah sayings: “Stake house” – Sounds mouth-watering when you say it…but it’s really just a larger Mormon church where several smaller congregations gather. Sadly, there’s not a ribeye or T-bone to be found.

 

 

 

 

QUICK FACTS

 

 

 

TRACK ADMISSION PRICES:

Chowchilla Barn Burner – $10

Rocky Mountain Raceways – Complimentary admission

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 2,218

 

 

 

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 – 4.47

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the link below for a photo album from today’s trackchasing day.  You can view the album slide by slide or click on the “slide show” icon for a self-guided tour of today’s trackchasing adventure.

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Rocky Mountain Raceways – The photo album