Greetings from Seekonk, Massachusetts
From the travels and adventures of the
“World’s #1 Trackchaser”
Seekonk Speedway Asphalt oval – 1/3M Lifetime Track #526 . Seekonk Speedway Asphalt figure 8 Lifetime Track #1,436 . Seekonk Speedway Asphalt oval – 1/10M Lifetime Track #1,436 Reprinted with permission from my 2001 and 2009 Trackchaser Reports. 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) it 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. 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 two of my buddies from Bolivia – sons of Ana Maria and Monalo). 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. Well, you made it this far. You might as well pour yourself a cold one and take your Trackchasing 101 class. When you finish you’ll have your trackchasing diploma and can then teach your friends about the hobby. 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! Sunday, October 7, 2001. Greetings from Seekonk, Massachusetts The trip from Chepachet, Rhode Island to Seekonk, Massachusetts was just 20 miles. I got out of the Rhode Island track at about 2:30 p.m. and after a brief Duncan Donuts stop was in the Seekonk parking lot by 3:10 p.m. This allowed me to see the modifieds, sportsmen, mini stocks? and pro stock features. The trip concluded the following day with a nice lunch with fraternity brother and longtime friend, Mike Skonicki. It’s always nice to see Mike. Security at the Harrisburg airport was very tight. This trip was made less than one month following the horrific attacks of “9/11”. They told me the FAA is now limiting carryons to just one. That proved a problem as I had my briefcase that houses my laptop and a camera bag that carries my 35mm and video cameras. The gate agent let me slide on the carryon requirement. At the metal detector area, they scanned both my briefcase and computer separately for explosives. They also did a complete wand search and minor pat-down. In addition to this, they had three armed security police on hand. These were not rent-a-cops. One was dressed in fatigues with a black beret and the other two were Marine looking state police. They looked like they meant business. Once I boarded the plane and before we took off the pilot walked down the aisles making eye contact with each passenger and asking everyone if they were doing OK. I’ve never seen that one before! On my second flight from Chicago to Orange County, the tableware consisted of a metal fork and a plastic knife. This was a very successful racing trip. I feel I have done the proper due diligence in preparation for Carol’s Fall Colors trip. Carol has graciously agreed to allow for a 48-hour period of trackchasing during her trip. You’ve just got to love this girl. I certainly do! Seekonk features big-time short track racing. They have tons of seating which encircles the entire asphalt ova. Today the temps were in the low 50s with a crystal clear blue sky and white puffy clouds. Only about 40% of the stands were occupied. This was probably due to the weather and the “CNN effect” of the bombing of Afghanistan. Admission was $25. They also allowed me to charge the ticket to my Visa. The entrance fee was probably a little steep but this was the price for a two-day show that was featuring 8-9 divisions, each running a feature event of 25-75 laps. They run a very efficient operation and each wreck was cleaned up quickly. I passed along my trackchasing note to the announcers. During a caution period they discussed the trackchasing hobby in great detail. One of the announcers began to calculate over the air how long it would take to see 526 tracks. They also mistakenly referred to me as the #1 trackchaser in the world when the descriptor is much more limited as in “the #1 trackchaser living west of the Mississippi”. So if any professional trackchasers were at the track I wanted them to know I did not supply misleading info to these folks. The PA system was a little suspect but the announcers were professional. The scoreboard was not working on this day. There were several eating areas although the backstretch was not served well by concession stands. I’ve heard a lot about the Seekonk Speedway in the past. It was fun being here although I wish I had seen the race in the middle of a 70-degree summer evening. If you have the chance to make it to Seekonk I recommend it. Many of you know that Guy Smith is a self-confessed completest. A loose definition of a completest is someone who needs to complete things. In trackchasing that can mean seeing all the tracks available in one state before moving on to the next state. Today I became, possibly the only trackchaser in history, to complete all tracks (as defined by the National Speedway Directory) in two different states – Rhode Island and Massachusetts in one day. Rental Car update: The National Rental Car Racing 2001 Chevy Impala was returned to the Harrisburg airport panting. It had completed 1,563 miles without incident. Although I was raised in a Ford family I must admit the Chevy Impala is a much smoother riding and quieter car than the Ford Taurus. The four-day rental totaled $141.89. Fuel was an additional $70.10 for an overall total of $211.99. This amounted to a cost of 13.6 cents per mile. The Impala also gave its rider a more than respectable 30.1 miles per gallon. I was very surprised throughout the entire trip at the number of dead deer lying by the side of the road. I would guess I saw more than 20. How is it the deer always seem to be on the side of the road? I can’t believe people drag them off the highway to the side. I also see lots of big red spots (deer blood!) in the road. I’ve only run into one deer in my life and that was just a couple of blocks from my home in Ridgefield, CT. The deer glanced off the side of my car. It didn’t do any damage to the car but I picked deer hair out of the body side molding from the front fender back to the rear fender. I don’t look forward to the day when I hit one of these things head-on. 482 Savannah Speedway, Savannah, MO (no web site) 492 Painesville Speedway – (oval track), Painesville, OH (http://members.tripod.com/pspeedway/) 493 Painesville Speedway – (figure 8 track), Painesville, OH (http://members.tripod.com/pspeedway/) Official end of RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report “CAROL DESERVES A RIGHT TO VOTE” TRACKCHASING TOUR SPECIAL NOTICE I am a bit behind on posting my Trackchaser Reports. Today is June 9 and today’s track was seen on May 25. As you know, I have a policy of never sending out more than one Trackchaser Report per day. I have also been traveling a good deal. It is impossible to publish a report (with photos) in a timely fashion when I am in an airport or driving a rental car all day. Nevertheless, I will strive to get caught up as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience. Greetings from Seekonk, Massachusetts TODAY’S HEADLINES Don’t miss the 2009 lifetime NGD update. This will be an ongoing feature of each Trackchaser Report …………..details in “Lifetime National Geographic Diversity Standings”. What must “Trackchasing Assassins” do……………..more in “The People”. What were the bright spots at Seekonk today?…………..details in “Race Review”. We had a fun day, for the most part, with beautiful Memorial Day weather. Carol and I had been gone for five days and four nights. We finished up the trip with a nice flight home from New York’s JFK airport. THE OBJECTIVE, THE TRIP AND THE PEOPLE…AND A WHOLE LOT MORE The Objective She’s just about the best trackchasing buddy a guy could have. This was a very fruitful trackchasing trip. Beyond the #1 trackchasing objective of having fun the second most important objective is to see as many new tracks as possible. Over the four-day Memorial Day weekend Carol picked up seven new tracks and I saw six new ones. Given where I’m at with my total tracks number this was an excellent result. The Trip Our day started in a diner and moved over to the “Barnyard”. We started the day eating in an East Coast diner. I don’t see these anywhere else in the country. I like ‘em. We had a reasonably healthy breakfast and were on our way for the day. Our first stop would take us to the Barnyard Raceway in Chepachet, Rhode Island. We would not be seeing any races here today. This is where most veteran trackchasers saw their first ever race in Rhode Island. For the longest time, this was the ONLY track in the Ocean state. The “racetrack” sits out behind the owner’s house in a barnyard of sorts. They don’t race very often. Sometimes they don’t race at all during a given year. I visited the Barnyard in 2001. I had attempted to go earlier but it was difficult to find out when they were racing. One time the owner told me his wife was pregnant and he didn’t expect to have any races for at least a year after the baby’s birth! And so it goes in the world of rural short-track auto racing. Carol wasn’t too impressed with the Barnyard. The Barnyard Raceway is located in, well, a barnyard. From the Barnyard Raceway, it was time for a RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Tourist Attraction (TTA). You can check out over visit to Newport, Rhode Island in the TTA section of this report. My investment in flight lessons has paid off handsomely. Most of you know that Carol and I secured airline sponsorship for our trackchasing efforts back in September 2006. We had our son J.J. to thank for this sponsorship. Actually, I guess I should thank myself for paying thousands for him to get his different pilot’s licenses when he was about 21 years of age. At the time, I had no idea that money would ever show a return. J.J. didn’t take up commercial flying for almost ten years after he took those lessons. When this trip wrapped up Carol and I went over the 400-flight segment threshold since we started this program. Yes, we’ve flown on more than 400 flights in our sponsorship program in about 32 months. During that time, we have covered 604,000 miles. I must be honest with you. When J.J. first told me he was going to become a commercial pilot and that I would benefit, I was less than impressed. He told me we would be able to fly anywhere but on a standby basis. I had flown nearly every week during my entire 30-year business career. I was used to having a ticket in hand and getting on the plane first. Getting on last didn’t sound like a benefit to me. However, I am not always right when I analyze something the first time. I was wrong on this one. During more than 400 flights, we have missed our destination (same day arrival) just three times. That is simply outstanding. We have also flown 34% of our total miles in business or first class. I could tell you what all of this cost us, but then what could you possibly do with that information. Carol says I’m “abusing” the system. I say it is there to be used. The real benefit is not cost savings. With my pre-sponsor trackchasing, I was paying for all of my own flights for years before this support came along 30 months ago. The real benefit is flexibility. I can walk into nearly any airport in the world and be on a flight in a matter of minutes. There is no advance purchase required. There is no penalty for changing at the last minute. For a trackchaser, this was the perfect gift. Thank you, J.J. The People “Trackchasing Assassins” need to keep a low profile. We didn’t have any major people encounters on this trackchasing day. Often “trackchasing assassins” must keep a low profile until it is time to strike. With Carol getting seven new tracks and me six, we had struck and were gone before they knew what hit them. TRACKCHASING TOURIST ATTRACTION I very much enjoy 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. Newport, Rhode Island – Mansion Tour Newport, Rhode Island is about 30 miles south of Providence. It’s a New England summer resort city and known for its famous Newport Mansions. Of note is that Mr. and Mrs. John Fitzgerald Kennedy were married in Newport on September 12, 1953. Newport has one of the highest concentrations of colonial homes in America. Bellevue Avenue is a National Historic Landmark District and is home to a number of mansions dating back to the gilded age including The Breakers, Belcourt Castle, The Elms and Marble Castle to name a few. We want to go back here when we have more time to tour each castle. A single fee allows tourists to visit five of these mansions. RACE REVIEW SEEKONK SPEEDWAY (FIGURE 8), SEEKONK, MASSACHUSETTS It was nice to finally get this one. I had visited the Seekonk Speedway back in 2001. I saw racing on the facility’s 3/8-mile asphalt oval. Back then, I called it “big-time short track auto racing”. Today we would see a different kind of “racing” program. The Seekonk Speedway offers four opportunities each year for the “demo-derby” type fan. Normally I wouldn’t be overly interested in that. However, it is during these four programs, only, that they have figure 8 races at Seekonk. Today (Monday) was one day later than this was originally scheduled to come off. However, Sunday’s rainy weather and forecast forced them to cancel and run the race on Monday. I was disappointed in Seekonk today. Overall, I would have to say I was very disappointed in today’s program. Some parts were very good but most of it was not. They had spectator drags. Do you know what that is? It’s actually very crazy. Spectators are encouraged to take their personal streetcar out onto the track. Once there they race a “one on one” drag race with another spectator for one lap around the track. The loser goes home and the winner hangs around to compete in the next round. I’ve seen some good spectator drag racing. The crowd loves it because they want to see someone wreck their personal car. Once, at the Rockford Speedway in Loves Park, Illinois I saw a driver flip his relatively new Chevy Camaro. The car was totaled. However, today they had WAY too many spectator one on one drag competitors. There were almost one hundred! It takes a long time to get down to the final two drivers when only one car is eliminated at a time. Math pop quiz. Here’s a special math pop quiz. If there were 89 spectator one on one drag competitors and they raced two at a time, with the loser being eliminated, how many races would need to be run to determine the champion? The answer is at the bottom of this report. Here’s what Seekonk offered us today. They did have a feature event on the oval for their pure stock division. This was good enough for Carol to add the Seekonk oval to her list. The race wasn’t bad and ran for about 25 laps. Following the spectator drags (which took a full hour), they came out with some enduro car one on one drags. Why didn’t they just offer the fans some cyanide for their Diet Cokes? There were more than sixty of these cars. Fortunately (I’m being charitable here), they ran from 3-6 competitors at a time. The last half of the field was eliminated in each race. Then, as God is my witness, they followed up the enduro drags with truck drags!!!! How many drag races could one person stand in a single day? We were more than lucky that there were only six of these machines. The next events up were very entertaining. There were two 30-40 car enduro races. These were for the same cars that raced in the junk car one on one drags. There was a good deal of crashing and banging in these events. For the most part, they just left the carnage on the track. What are the most famous four words in auto racing? Some people think that would be “Gentlemen, start your engines”. It’s actually, “Put your helmets on”. At the start of one race, there was a major accident at the start/finish line. One driver, a young woman, lost her helmet in the crash impact. Here she was sitting in a disabled racecar without a helmet on as the cars whizzed by and the race was not being stopped. Her car was at nearly a 90-degree angle to oncoming traffic. The driver’s helmet was being bounced around through turns one and two by the race traffic. It took the officials several laps to discover this young woman’s plight. What about the figure 8 race? During all of this, there was no mention of the figure 8 race. That made me nervous. However, some four hours after the program began four trucks came out for a figure 8 race. What good can four trucks do on a large figure 8 course? Not much! I had sat through four hours of mostly meaningless one on one drags to watch four trucks run a figure 8 race? Although the announcer did not say so, I suspected there would be a car figure 8 race after the trucks. I was tired of the sitting. I didn’t like paying 18 bucks for this show. I had heard from other trackchasers that they really pack them in for this type of show. Today, the stands were about half full. I suspect postponing the race by a day probably hurt the crowd although the weather was perfect today. We were looking for an unusual food item. A bright spot. A bright spot for Seekonk was the Chowder and Clamcake concession. We didn’t have the chowder but did have the fried clam cakes. They resembled corn fritters that I have been known to overdose at Midwestern buffets during my youth. I don’t eat a lot of fried stuff anymore but this was a special occasion. I felt I had to reward myself for sitting through such a dull program. The clam cakes price point was six for $3 or twelve for $5. We went with the larger size although we lost three of them when a strong wind came up. I took that as God’s message to me not to eat fried foods! The seat back rental concession was an active one today. We rented them at $3 each. They made sitting for so long much more bearable. What do I recommend about the Seekonk Speedway? You can’t go wrong with the clam cakes and rental seat backs! We had considered trying to catch the special event at the Thompson Speedway after today’s “action” at Seekonk. However, the racing didn’t finish up here until after 8 p.m. making Thompson impossible to reach in time for their event. STATE COMPARISONS Massachusetts Late this afternoon I saw my 8th-lifetime track in the state of Massachusetts. Carol saw her second and third. This moves me into a tie for 11th place with Bruce Eckel and Pam Smith. Pappy Hough and Paul Weidman lead in Massachusetts with 18 tracks each. RENTAL CAR UPDATE New York, New York – Thursday/Tuesday We really liked our Hyundai Sonata. Coming soon! Why I fear Ed Esser (coming, hopefully by June 30, 2009). How do fellow P&G retirees really think? Who offers the best auto racing in the world right now? (Coming in Trackchaser Report #1,440) Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser I’m still trackchasing out of a tiny three-car garage in the faraway but sunny seaside village of San Clemente, California. TRAVEL DETAILS AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA – New York, NY – 2,467 miles RENTAL CAR John F. Kennedy International Airport – trip begins Canaan, NH – 284 miles Loudon, NH – 405 miles Bradford, VT – 480 miles Groveton, NH – 556 miles Tiverton, RI – 842 miles Seekonk, MA – 877 miles John F. Kennedy International Airport – 1,231 miles – trip ends AIRPLANE New York, NY – Los Angeles, CA – 2,467 miles Total Air miles – 4,934 (2 flights) Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 6,165 miles TRACK ADMISSION PRICES: Canaan Dirt Speedway – $5 Sr. rate (regular admission $10) New Hampshire International Speedway – $25 (pit pass) – rip-off of the year! Bear Ridge Speedway – Free (spectator gave me free pass) Riverside Speedway – $8 Sr. Rate (regular admission $10) Quic Raceway – $5 pit pass Seekonk Speedway – $20 Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $63 COMPARISONS LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS Past Champions 2003 – Allan Brown 2004 – Gordon Killian 2005 – Gordon Killian 2006 – Gordon Killian 2007 – Randy Lewis 2008 – Gordon Killian Top 10 – Final 2008 lifetime National Geographic Diversity standings. Current 2009 lifetime NGD leader board Note: When a trackchaser improves his or her state ranking that reduces the NGD score. The objective is to get a low score. As an example, by improving from sixth to fourth in a particular state the NGD score goes from six to four. That equates to a net score of -2. Conversely, when a trackchaser falls in the state rankings from seventh to tenth, the NGD score goes from 7 to 10, a net change of +3. As an example, when you see “Alabama -6” that means the trackchaser has improved his state ranking in Alabama by six positions. If the scorecard reads “Alabama +4”, the chaser has fallen by four positions in that state. An individual trackchaser’s ranking is affected by any other trackchaser that moves ahead of him/her. Randy Lewis – current score = 5.76 (tracks posted thru May 25) 2009 changes Connecticut -6 Rhode Island – 8 Texas +1 Net changes -13 Gordon Killian – current score = 5.84 (tracks posted thru May 15) 2009 changes Georgia -6 New Jersey +1 Ohio -1 Rhode Island -1 South Carolina +2 Net changes -5 LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS UPDATE: There are no trackchasers currently within 200 tracks of my lifetime total. Other notables These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus or more) of Carol’s current trackchaser total. 2009 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS Lifetime track totals in ( ). Tracks have been reported by 30 different worldwide trackchasers this season. Wow! Our Memorial Day trackchasing weekend was perfect. Carol and I returned home safely on Tuesday on a non-stop flight from New York. You’ve heard of hurricanes that “pound the east coast” during the storm season. Well, I am a west-coast trackchaser that is intent upon “pounding” the east coast for trackchasing purposes until there is nothing left. Keep reading….you’ll see what I mean. 1,401. Death Valley Raceway (oval), Armargosa Valley, Nevada – January 3 1,402. Lake Weyauwega Ice Track (oval), Weyauwega, Wisconsin – January 11 1,403. Marion Pond Ice Track (oval), Marion, Wisconsin – January 11 1,404. Grandvalira Circuit (road course), Port d’Envalira, Andorra – January 17 1,405. Kuna International Raceway (oval), Kuna, Idaho – January 25 1,406. Circuito Efren Chemolli (oval), Buenos Aires, Argentina – January 31 Ozark Empire Fairgrounds (oval), Springfield, Missouri – February 6 (new track for Carol only) Lake Speed Ice Track (oval), Tilleda, Wisconsin – February 7 (new track for Carol only) 1,407. DeltaPlex (oval), Grand Rapids, Michigan – February 8 1,408. Losail International Circuit (road course), Doha, Qatar – February 13 1,409. Lake Washington Ice Track (road course), Mankato, Minnesota – February 15 1,410. Bahrain International Circuit (road course), Sakhir, Bahrain – February 27 1,411. Dubai Autodrome (road course), Dubai, United Arab Emirates – February 28 1,412. Dunkin Donuts Center (oval), Providence, Rhode Island – March 6 1,413. Fur Rondy Grand Prix (road course), Anchorage, Alaska – March 8 1,414. Perris Auto Speedway (road course), Perris, California – March 14 1,415. Autodromo de Tocancipa (road course), Tocancipa, Colombia – March 22 1,416. Motorland Aragon (road course), Alcaniz, Spain – March 28 1,417. Circuto de Murca (road course), Murca, Portugal – March 29 1,418. High Plains Speedway (oval), Clovis, New Mexico – April 19 1,419. Flomaton Speedway (oval), Flomaton, Alabama – April 22 1,420. Kapelluhraum (road course), Hafnafjorour, Iceland – April 25, 2009 1,421. Monadnock Speedway (oval), Winchester, New Hampshire – April 25, 2009 1,422. Berlin Lions Club Fairgrounds (oval), Berlin, Connecticut – April 26, 2009 1,423. Tri-State Speedway (oval), Amarillo, Texas – May 1, 2009 1,424. Uranium Capital Speedway (oval), Milan, New Mexico – May 2, 2009 1,425. Speedworld Off-Road Circuit (road course), Surprise, Arizona – May 3, 2009 1,426. Hungaroring (road course), Mogyorod, Hungary – May 8, 2009 1,427. Hoch Ybrig (road course), Hock Ybrig, Switzerland – May 9, 2009 1,428. Vighizzolo d’Este Stock Car Track (road course), Vighizzolo d’Este, Italy – May 10, 2009 1,429. Siskiyou Motor Speedway (oval), Yreka, California – May 16, 2009 1,430. Delbert’s Memorial Raceway (oval), Lakeport, California – May 17, 2009 1,431. Canaan Dirt Speedway (oval), Canaan, New Hampshire – May 22, 2009 1,432. New Hampshire International Speedway (road course), Loudon, New Hampshire – May 23, 2009 1,433. Bear Ridge Speedway (oval), Bradford, Vermont – May 23, 2009 1,434. Riverside Speedway (oval), Groveton, New Hampshire – May 23, 2009 1,435. Quic Raceway (oval), Tiverton, Rhode Island – May 24, 2009 1,436. Seekonk Speedway (figure 8), Seekonk, Massachusetts – May 25, 2009 (Carol added the Seekonk Speedway oval to her track list) Answer: 88 Official end of RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report “ONE LONG JULY” TRACKCHASING TOUR HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY TWIN BROTHER AND SISTER, MARK AND LYNN…IT’S #45 Editor’s note: I am going to be trackchasing nearly every day for the next 2 ½ weeks. Therefore, I will attempt to shorten these reports so I will have enough time to write them. I’m still recommending that you take either a personal or a sick day from work if you don’t have time to read them in your normal course of life. RANLAY RACING EXCLUSIVE The best way to achieve whatever it is you’re trying to reach is to set goals and then monitor your progress against those goals. With that in mind below are my 2009 trackchasing goals (from my 2008 Trackchasing Annual Report) and my results through the first half of 2009. 2009 Trackchasing Goals Lifetime trackchaser rankings – increase lead over second place trackchaser by a minimum of 10-20 tracks. I currently have a 20-25 track lead over second-place trackchaser Guy Smith. However, it is unlikely than Guy will be in second place by the end of the year. Ed Esser will probably have that spot. I won’t beat ED by 10-20 tracks for the year. Actually, he will most likely beat me in 2009. Add, at a minimum, eight new countries to my trackchasing list. This will bring my lifetime “trackchasing countries” total to thirty. Do my best to hold off trackchaser commissioner, Will White, in our “race to 30” international trackchasing competition. This goal is already in the bag. After the first six months of 2009, I have visited 12 new trackchasing countries. I will probably add to that number in the last half of the year, but not by much. If I do everything this year, what would be left for 2010 and beyond? The “race to 30” classic battle is now successfully concluded. Annual trackchaser rankings (finish in the top 5); see 50-75 new tracks. Hopefully, I will end up in the top of this range. At the mid-year break, I have already seen 52 tracks. I still expect to finish in the top 5 for 2009. I expect to have a final total near the top of my goal range and could possibly reach 80-85 tracks. Lifetime National Geographic Diversity results (reduce my number of “15” point states by at least one). I currently have 12 “15” point states. This goal has been met as well. I’ve already moved from out of the top ten into the top ten in Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire. I expect to hold those positions and possibly add a couple of more states in this important segment. If I can move up into the top ten in these five states, and hold the position, I will eliminate 25 NGD penalty points. That’s huge. Far Western states lifetime rankings – maintain leadership position in 12 of the 13 Far Western states (x California). No one seems to be challenging my leadership position in the Far Western states. It’s too far for most Eastern and Midwestern trackchasers to travel! Play golf an equal amount of days that I trackchase. Maintain golf index below 6.0. Through June 30, 2009, I have been trackchasing 44 days and played golf for just 31 days. Nevertheless, I expect this to nearly even out by the end of the year. Maintaining my golf index below 6.0 is an aggressive goal. Through the end of June, my index stands at 6.8. With some focus and a stronger mental game, I can reach this goal. Continue to add to my trackchasing technology/information arsenal. Technology continues to be a major reason for my success in trackchasing. My Apple iPhone is absolutely the most useful and cool electronic gadget that anyone could own. From my phone’s home page I have full access to email, text messaging, full web browsing, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Google search, ESPN sports scores, the Weather Channel, my stock prices, movie schedules, flight status and a camera to take pictures of what’s happening then and now. I use each of these functions multiple times per day. The Weather Channel (and its rain probability forecasts) have allowed me to go “52 and oh!” for the first six months of the 2009 trackchasing season. Text messaging allows for instant communication with my family and friends. Reading the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and ESPN sports scores keeps me up to date and saves me the time I would have to read about this stuff at home. While I’m on the road, my Google Earth and GPS systems make certain I never get lost and drive fewer miles thus saving money on gasoline. Technology makes me a much more efficient trackchaser. I can see more with less effort. That’s a good thing. I have also added “Carbonite” to my technology war chest. Carbonite is an online backup system. I don’t know if you have ever lost your data due to a computer malfunction or failure. I have not for a long time and I never want to go through that again. Some people ask the question, “How often should I back up my data?” The answer is provided in a question. “How much data are you comfortable losing”. Carbonite backs up everything I have ongoing. I don’t have to do a thing. At a cost of less than $50 per year, it’s a great value. What’s new on the technology horizon for me? I probably can’t even imagine all of the new things that will be coming down the pike. I do expect to be the first trackchaser to ever use “tethering” in support of the hobby. More on that soon. Finally, my plan is simply to see as many new tracks in 2009 as I want too. If I don’t go trackchasing, it won’t be because of some form of restraint on my part. It will be because I found something more fun and interesting to do or I couldn’t find a place to go trackchasing. I am very comfortable with my current level of trackchasing. I am trackchasing far fewer days that I did in 2005-2007. Back then, I was building a lead at a rapid pace. Now that I have the #1 worldwide ranking, I can slow some while still distancing myself from just about all other trackchasers. I see Carol and me spending more time with our grandchildren. We are now beginning to reserve weekends where the twins will stay with us in San Clemente. That will be fun. Golf, ballgames, movies and just plain relaxing are all being given their rightful place in our retirement lifestyle. I think balance is the key to a good life. That’s what I am trying to accomplish and it’s working better than ever. Greetings from Seekonk, Massachusetts TODAY’S HEADLINES The NGD contested is design to encourage trackchasing geographic diversity. For the short run, it’s having the opposite effect with me …………..details in “The Objective”. I’m coming off an 11-day hiatus from trackchasing………………more in “The Trip”. I am humbled when local racechasers/trackchasers take time from their schedule to join me at an event…………..details in “The People”. My day began in San Clemente at 3:22 a.m. From there a flight took me to Boston. Just 60 miles later, I was pulling into the Seekonk Speedway. This is what transpired on day 1 of my 20th trackchasing flying trip of the 2009 season. THE OBJECTIVE, THE TRIP, THE PEOPLE…AND A WHOLE LOT MORE The Objective I don’t have trackchaser “freedom”. It must be nice to be a trackchaser who can visit any of the 50 states in America. I used to be in that position and hope to very soon again. Yes, I have trackchased in 24 states during the first six months of 2009. That should serve me well in the annual National Geographic Diversity competition. However, I am most interested in doing well in the lifetime NGD contest. There are about one dozen states where my #1 ranking prevents me from making any NGD improvement whatsoever. I won’t be visiting those states very often. There are another dozen states or so, where I would need too many tracks to gain too few points. I won’t be going to those places either. However, there are nearly 25 states where I can grab those valuable NGD points. I plan to trackchase nearly exclusively in those locations up through Labor Day. Carol and I will take a vacation break at that time. I expect to have an insurmountable NGD lifetime lead at this point. If I do, I will trackchase wherever I want in the U.S.A. and maybe even sneak in a foreign country or two following our vacation. The Trip I’ve been on “trackchaser” vacation. I’m coming off an 11-day stay at the sunny seaside village of San Clemente, California, home to Alberta’s #1 ranked trackchaser. Long-time readers know that I never go trackchasing over the Fourth of July weekend. Our town has a major fireworks show as many across America do. The fireworks are ignited from the San Clemente Pier, which juts out into the Pacific Ocean. As we are just 500 yards from the pier, our view of the fireworks spectacular is fantastic. The highlight of this 11-day trackchasing break was having the Peters’ family for the weekend. Those grandbabies are cute and fun. They should be walking any day now. You can see photos from the family Fourth of July bash by clicking the “Twins” tab at www.ranlayracing.com. I was also able to squeeze five rounds of golf in (shooting best scores of 73 and 76). Carol and I went to two Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball games. In the second game, Carol was hit on the knee with a foul ball. Fortunately, the ball hit the woman in front of us, and then her chair before it hit Carol. What was I doing during all of this? I was baling!! That ball was coming at us fast. Fortunately, Carol was uninjured. However, there is no rest for the weary. I now embark upon what will be my longest trackchasing trip of 2009. Carol will join in later in the trip. I’m not on “trackchaser” vacation anymore. Today’s flight on Virgin America takes me from Los Angeles to Boston. I expect this trip to cover a minimum of 16 days, 9 trackchasing states, 7 flights, 5 rental cars and 2 rounds of golf. Yes, I try to stay busy as an “active senior”. To make sure the trip got off to the right start, I actually bought an airline ticket. This way I knew I would get to the first track on time. This was my first ever flight on Virgin America Airlines. They do some things differently. I had to pay $15 to check my golf bag. I paid this fee online and check-in was quick. The VA pilots wear all-black uniforms. That’s unusual. Virgin America also has free in-flight TV and enough leg-room in coach. Despite an extraordinary bumpy flight, the overall experience was good. O.K. Carol take the picture…..I can’t hold this bag up here forever. With the advent of my airline sponsorship program, I rarely carry my golf clubs with me on these trips. I can’t risk having me go in one direction and the golf clubs in another. Of course, that doesn’t help me reach my 2009 goal of having as many golf days as I do trackchasing days. On this trip, my golf travel bag is jammed (being weighed above) with not only my golf clubs but also enough clothes to last eleven days. I plan to have a laundry day sometime during the trip. It will most likely be after Carol joins up!! I am traveling with a bit more than 100 pounds of luggage. That’s going to be somewhat of a hassle moving around for seven separate days of flying. I expect to contest the “Illinois Cup” with friend Pryce Boeye in the middle of the trip. You’ll get the full results of this contest win, lose or draw. More sponsorship is coming my way. I have acquired some additional associate trackchasing sponsorship. I’m always on the lookout for the company’s willing to support my efforts. One of the bigger expenses for a flying trackchaser is airport parking fees. In a major city like Los Angeles, daily airport parking can run from $10-25 per day. I have been away from home nearly 90 nights so far this year. Virtually all of those trips involved an airport. You can imagine what I must be paying just to park the Carol Lewis owned and Life of Virginia sponsored Lexus LS430. I already have a fully paid Orange County airport parking sponsorship. However, I fly mostly from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The Parking Spot sometimes helps me out with free parking. I will continue to use them in the future. In the next few months, I will be switching parking companies when I go to LAX. I am proud to announce that the Los Angeles World Airport has joined up with RANLAY Racing as my official summer airport parking partner. They have a special program that will allow me unlimited use of their parking facility for just $50 per month. My sponsorship runs from July 1 – September 30, 2009. This support should save me hundreds of dollars over the summer months. This trip is the first since LAWA came on board. Thank you! The People Mr. New Hampshire joins up with me. Tonight I was joined by Mr. Bruce Spencer, a racechaser and friend from central New Hampshire. I am always honored and humbled whenever a semi-local resident takes time from their busy schedule to join up with me on the trackchasing trail. Bruce had a three-hour drive each way from this home to the track that took him through Boston’s butt-numbing Friday afternoon rush hour traffic. He and I have joined up a few times when I’ve been out east and it is always enjoyable. Bruce is a racechaser. He is not a trackchaser. There is a huge difference. Racechasers attend races based upon the quality of the racing activity expected. Trackchasers attend races at tracks they have not visited before. Neither of these racing fans varies much from this definition. Bruce could never be a trackchaser. Bruce tells me he could never be a “trackchaser”. I’m paraphrasing, but he “wouldn’t want to see consistently bad racing”. I will say this. Since trackchasers have had to resort to building their individual track totals with figure 8, kart and novelty races the incidence of “bad” racing has increased dramatically. Most hardcore race fans wouldn’t even consider the MAJORITY of tracks attended by several top ten trackchasers, including me, racing! Bruce would never waste his time chasing tracks because he wants to see good racing. I understand that fully. I told Bruce that I don’t mind bad racing. This is my reasoning. First, I have no control over the quality of racing that a race promotion offers. I do have control of which racetrack I choose to visit. I visit tracks for the purpose of increasing my track totals. I find the adventure in the journey and not in the racing. I also told Bruce that it would be great if one of two things happened in trackchasing. First, it would be fine with me if Will White discontinued his website rankings for trackchasers. Alternatively, it would be great if certain trackchasers had their way and rankings were no longer kept. It seems that some trackchasers are more apt to support this idea after they’ve been “whupped on”. If either of these things happened then I could retire “on top”. Alas, these things are not likely to occur. I don’t even support their happening. However, if they do, I won’t have any control over those decisions and will live with whatever comes down the pike. Technology is now a trackchasing requirement. Bruce and I texted and phoned each other, after initial emails, to make sure we could meet up at the track tonight. How did trackchasers do this in the “olden” days? Actually, trackchasers often attended the same track on the same night in pre-technology days and didn’t even know the other was there. Of course, Bruce made an express visit to the Seekonk Speedway because I was attending tonight. Bruce got a nice trackchasing bonus out of the deal….two tracks. This brings Bruce’s total to the mid-50s. It was fun spending the evening with Bruce. I hope this doesn’t hurt his standing with those Dreaded East Coast Trackchasers. RACE REVIEW SEEKONK SPEEDWAY, SEEKONK, MASSACHUSETTS Seekonk Speedway has three countable tracks. This will be my third visit to the Seekonk Speedway located in the Massachusetts town of the same name. I have now seen nine tracks in this state and Seekonk accounts for one-third of them. Sometimes a trackchaser can visit a racing facility once and see all three countable tracks if that’s what a track offers. However, I did it the hard way with the Seekonk Speedway. Yes, I am now credited with three Seekonk tracks. However, I had to go there three times to get them. I first visited the track’s outer oval back in 2001. Then Carol and I came here in late May of this year to see racing on their figure 8 track. Today I was in town for racing action on their temporary kart oval. This is my sixth separate trackchasing trip to take me to the Boston area this year. I feel like Bean town is becoming my second home…..although I don’t think much of those Red Sox fans or their city traffic or their road system. As even the most casual Trackchaser Report reader knows by now, multiple tracks can be counted at a single racing facility. Before I joined the trackchaser’s group, I simply counted one visit to a facility as one track. There were not many facilities that I attended back in the day that had more than one track anyway. Trackchasing’s forefathers did it differently. However, trackchasing’s forefathers had a different method of counting tracks. The more I thought about it the more their thinking made sense to me. The most common tracks at any racing facility would be an oval, a road course and a figure 8 track. Some facilities have both an inner oval and an outer oval. Typically, the underpowered cars and inexperienced drivers race on the smaller, slower inner oval. The faster cars race on the outer oval. I cannot think of many places that have two countable figure 8 tracks or multiple road courses at a single racing facility but there are some. Some trackchasers still have major heartburn over how the “group” decided on and does count tracks. I suspect these folks also had the box checked “does not play well with others” on their grade school report card. My unasked for advice to those people would be this. When you join a group sometimes you must put your way of doing things to the side for the betterment of the group. However, that advice is likely to go unheeded and the heartburn will continue for these people. Tonight’s track was different. Tonight’s racing took place on a sloped portion of the asphalt pit area of the Seekonk Speedway. The track is actually located just beyond turn four of the main track’s oval. Bruce estimated the track’s length at 1/10 mile. There are a series of linked racing tires used as both the inner and outer retaining walls. Tonight there were four kart classes racing. The only countable class was the senior champs. They brought eight cars to the party tonight. These are junior champs. Per normal the karts did a good deal of practice. There was no announcer so it was difficult to figure out exactly what was going on. There were two flat kart divisions with 2-4 cars in each. They seemed to run a “race” with the karts lined up and receiving a green flag and then later a white and checkered flag. However, the senior champs followed with what looked like a practice session. I didn’t understand that. Grey hair means adults. Adults in caged karts mean a countable track. Later, the senior champs came out and ran a 10-15-lap race. That put the track in the books for both Bruce and me. Since there wasn’t much action happening on the kart track Bruce and I spent the remainder of the evening watching the races on the 64-year old oval (that’s right 64 years) on what is called “Fast Friday”. There were four divisions racing on the quarter-mile oval. There were two mini-cup groups (600cc and 750cc) racing on this track. This surprised me. I figured these guys would have raced on the kart track. The best divisions of the night were the pure stocks and the NEMA Lites midget group. Each of these classes started 18 cars in their 25-lap features. Bruce and I both agreed that “big-iron” full bodied stock cars are fun to watch. They were tonight with lots of rubbin’, but very few yellow flags. This might have been one of the best races I’ve seen this year. The winged midgets were the last race of the night. As the 18 cars prepared to begin the race, I silently cringed. Open-wheeled cars like these are prone to “yellow flag fever”. Heaven forbid that one flips, then we have the “red flag plaque”. I said to Bruce, “I hope this race runs non-stop”. What did I think the chances of that happening were? Maybe, about 10%. Much to my surprise this group did run all 25-laps without a stoppage. I was surprised and pleased. They raced hard and put on a good race. There’s a good chance I will never set foot in the Seekonk Speedway again…..unless of course they come up with a road course! STATE COMPARISONS Massachusetts Early on this warmish (for Boston) summer evening I saw my 9th-lifetime track in the state of Massachusetts. This moves me into a tie for 11thplace with Pam Smith. Pappy Hough and Paul Weidman lead in Massachusetts with 18 tracks each. As luck would have it, despite my current NGD objective, I have not gained a single NGD point in my last nine new tracks! I have pushed others down in the rankings, adding points to their score. I have also been positioning myself for future gains in the states I have visited. It’s all about the trackchasing strategy. RENTAL CAR UPDATE Boston, MA – Friday/Monday I can’t believe how expensive rental cars have become after being so cheap for years. Even Priceline is not working for rental cars very well anymore. I price checked a one-day rental in a major city midweek and the quote came back at more than $100 per day! Weekend rentals are going for more than $60 per day. Fortunately, I have some corporate sponsorship here that caps my cost at about $40-50 per day. I used to use AAA to lower that cost but AAA is not working anymore either. I was able to lower my Boston rental via my corporate sponsorship from $172 for three days to $111 using Priceline. Rental cars are now a trackchasing expense problem. Coming Soon – RANLAY Racing Exclusive Features! Why I fear Ed Esser. (Delayed! Coming, hopefully, by July, 2009). My six-month trackchasing budget results (coming July, 2009) My objective is to be a balanced trackchaser in eleven key trackchasing comparisons (more info coming in Trackchaser Report #1,454) How do fellow P&G retirees really think? (Coming in Trackchaser Report #1,464) What is Randy’s (speaking in the third person) trackchasing future? (Coming August, 2009) Who have been Randy’s three toughest trackchasing competitors? (Coming soon) Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser I’m still trackchasing out of a tiny three-car garage in the faraway but sunny seaside village of San Clemente, California. TRAVEL DETAILS AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA – Boston, MA – 2,608 miles RENTAL CAR Logan International Airport – trip begins Seekonk, MA – 60 miles TRACK ADMISSION PRICES: Seekonk Speedway – $5 (no senior rate) COMPARISONS LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS Past Champions 2003 – Allan Brown 2004 – Gordon Killian 2005 – Gordon Killian 2006 – Gordon Killian 2007 – Randy Lewis 2008 – Gordon Killian Top 10 – Final 2008 lifetime National Geographic Diversity standings. Current 2009 lifetime NGD leader board Note: When a trackchaser improves his or her state ranking that reduces the NGD score. The objective is to get a low score. As an example, by improving from sixth to fourth in a particular state the NGD score goes from six to four. That equates to a net change of -2. Conversely, when a trackchaser falls in the state rankings from seventh to tenth, the NGD score goes from 7 to 10, a net change of +3. As an example, when you see “Alabama -6” that means the trackchaser has improved his state ranking in Alabama by six positions. If the scorecard reads “Alabama +4”, the chaser has fallen by four positions in that state. Notably, an individual trackchaser’s ranking is affected by any other trackchaser that moves ahead of him/her. Randy Lewis – current score = 5.41 (tracks posted thru June 28) 2009 changes Connecticut -6 Maine -6 New Hampshire -11 North Dakota -1 Rhode Island – 8 Texas +1 Net changes -31 Gordon Killian – current score = 5.88 (tracks posted thru May 15) 2009 changes Georgia -6 Kansas +1 New Jersey +1 North Dakota +1 Ohio -1 Rhode Island -1 South Carolina +2 Net changes -3 LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS UPDATE: There are no trackchasers currently within 200 tracks of my lifetime total. Other notables These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus or more) of Carol’s current trackchaser total. 2009 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS Lifetime track totals in ( ). Tracks have been reported by 30 different worldwide trackchasers this season. This is the first day in a very long trackchasing trip. I will have to pace myself and eat well. I love trips like this from time to time. They can really build up the tracks totals. 1,401. Death Valley Raceway (oval), Armargosa Valley, Nevada – January 3 1,402. Lake Weyauwega Ice Track (oval), Weyauwega, Wisconsin – January 11 1,403. Marion Pond Ice Track (oval), Marion, Wisconsin – January 11 1,404. Grandvalira Circuit (road course), Port d’Envalira, Andorra – January 17 1,405. Kuna International Raceway (oval), Kuna, Idaho – January 25 1,406. Circuito Efren Chemolli (oval), Buenos Aires, Argentina – January 31 Ozark Empire Fairgrounds (oval), Springfield, Missouri – February 6 (new track for Carol only) Lake Speed Ice Track (oval), Tilleda, Wisconsin – February 7 (new track for Carol only) 1,407. DeltaPlex (oval), Grand Rapids, Michigan – February 8 1,408. Losail International Circuit (road course), Doha, Qatar – February 13 1,409. Lake Washington Ice Track (road course), Mankato, Minnesota – February 15 1,410. Bahrain International Circuit (road course), Sakhir, Bahrain – February 27 1,411. Dubai Autodrome (road course), Dubai, United Arab Emirates – February 28 1,412. Dunkin Donuts Center (oval), Providence, Rhode Island – March 6 1,413. Fur Rondy Grand Prix (road course), Anchorage, Alaska – March 8 1,414. Perris Auto Speedway (road course), Perris, California – March 14 1,415. Autodromo de Tocancipa (road course), Tocancipa, Colombia – March 22 1,416. Motorland Aragon (road course), Alcaniz, Spain – March 28 1,417. Circuto de Murca (road course), Murca, Portugal – March 29 1,418. High Plains Speedway (oval), Clovis, New Mexico – April 19 1,419. Flomaton Speedway (oval), Flomaton, Alabama – April 22 1,420. Kapelluhraum (road course), Hafnafjorour, Iceland – April 25, 2009 1,421. Monadnock Speedway (oval), Winchester, New Hampshire – April 25, 2009 1,422. Berlin Lions Club Fairgrounds (oval), Berlin, Connecticut – April 26, 2009 1,423. Tri-State Speedway (oval), Amarillo, Texas – May 1, 2009 1,424. Uranium Capital Speedway (oval), Milan, New Mexico – May 2, 2009 1,425. Speedworld Off-Road Circuit (road course), Surprise, Arizona – May 3, 2009 1,426. Hungaroring (road course), Mogyorod, Hungary – May 8, 2009 1,427. Hoch Ybrig (road course), Hock Ybrig, Switzerland – May 9, 2009 1,428. Vighizzolo d’Este Stock Car Track (road course), Vighizzolo d’Este, Italy – May 10, 2009 1,429. Siskiyou Motor Speedway (oval), Yreka, California – May 16, 2009 1,430. Delbert’s Memorial Raceway (oval), Lakeport, California – May 17, 2009 1,431. Canaan Dirt Speedway (oval), Canaan, New Hampshire – May 22, 2009 1,432. New Hampshire International Speedway (road course), Loudon, New Hampshire – May 23, 2009 1,433. Bear Ridge Speedway (oval), Bradford, Vermont – May 23, 2009 1,434. Riverside Speedway (oval), Groveton, New Hampshire – May 23, 2009 1,435. Quic Raceway (oval), Tiverton, Rhode Island – May 24, 2009 1,436. Seekonk Speedway (figure 8), Seekonk, Massachusetts – May 25, 2009 (Carol added Seekonk Speedway oval to her track list) Official end of RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report Click on the link below to see the video production from the racing action today. I hadn’t begun making YouTube videos of my track visits when I first went to Seekonk. Therefore I provide this video so you can get an idea about what racing looks like at Seekonk. . Figure 8 racing from Seekonk. 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. The trip to Seekonk Speedway for the figure 8 racing Seekonk Speedway kart racing and much more
TRAVEL/PEOPLE NEWS
RACING NEWS
New racetracks visited in 2001
UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS
RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2009
UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS
RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2009
