Washington County Fairgrounds

Life with an iPhone……………more in “The Details”.

One-way car rentals……………more in “The Details”.

Does this make sense to you?…………..more in “The Details”.

Most drivers are either morons or idiots………….more in “The Details”.

Worth a stop…..once……….more in “Trackchasing Tourist Attractions”.

Everything involves demographics…………..more in “Race Review”.

It was ‘big iron’ time…………..more in “Race Review”.

What a peaceful Sunday Morning.

I woke up this morning in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  I went to bed in Omaha, Nebraska.  This is what today looked like.

I began my day with a 45-minute power walk under ideal blue sky conditions with temps in the 60s. Right now a cool front is in the general area of the plains states.  It’s very peaceful on a Sunday morning in the Midwest for an exercise plan like this.  So much in life is analogous to golf.  In golf you “see so much more” when you walk the course rather than riding in a golf cart.  The same is true on these walks.  Today’s walk quickly got me out into a rural area where there was lots of unique things to marvel over…..for a suburban boy at least.

Most of my past trips through this part of the country at this time of year occur under blazing hot weather conditions with temperatures every day in the 90s. I’ll be moving into that weather soon but the past couple of days have been great.

Life with an iPhone.

My iPhone goes with me on my power walks.  I use the Pandora app to play Johnny Cash music and lots of other oldies. This provides an upbeat atmosphere for walking. I also use the RunKeeper app which measures my miles per hour speed etc. etc.

I needed to get out of my Ramada Inn Sioux Falls hotel in good time this morning. First I had to return my car before 1 PM in Omaha. In point of fact I will actually be keeping this car for several days.  Then why did I need to return it?

The inside story.

Folks, you’re getting the “inside story” on the strategy those “Dreaded East Coast Trackchasers” have never been able to figure out.  I will be closing out a one-day one-way rental contract for the car I have now.  Then I will be reopening a new contract on the very same car for the next eight days.

One-way car rentals.

This is one of my ongoing cost-effectiveness strategies to get me from point A to point B in the most comfortable and economical way possible.  Having a one-way rental is the easiest and least expensive way for me to get from Sioux Falls (where I flew into yesterday) to Omaha (where I will fly from in a bit more than a week).  One-way car rentals can be very expensive.  That’s why my one-way rental contract will last for just one day.  Then I’ll get a much better daily rate for the next eight days.  Often times one-way rentals can approach $100 per day or even more.  Once in the state of Washington they wanted more than $200 per day.  National Car Rental is a sponsor of mine.  How much did they charge me to drive a car one-way from Sioux Falls to Omaha?  Nada.  Nothing.  Now that’s a good sponsor.

I have now rented about seven Hyundai Sonatas in a row. They give me good gas mileage, about a dime a mile, and satellite radio.  No one wants to be without the NASCAR channel on these long rural drives right?  I don’t think anyone should go through life without listening to the NASCAR channel!

The other reason for leaving early was around the topic of efficiency as well. If I got to my Marriott hotel in Omaha in time I could see the NASCAR Sprint Cup race on TV.  Yes, it was Sunday and most, but not all, major NASCAR races are on Sunday afternoon.  When I’m on the trackchasing trail Sunday afternoon is my favorite time of the week to watch a race live. By watching the race in my hotel room, when I didn’t have a lot else going on, I wouldn’t have to take four hours to do when I return home in about a week.

Who would have thought?

You probably know by now my iPhone is indispensable.  Did you know I can use it while I’m on the road to record programs via the DirecTV app?  Yes, I can be out in the middle of nowhere.  Heck, I can be in India!  If I have a phone or Wi-Fi connection I can program my DVR from literally anywhere.  No, I can feel what you’re thinking.  Of course the Dreaded East Coast Trackchasers don’t know how to do that.  Of course when I get home I then watch each hour of programming in 40-45 minutes. I’m all about trying to put 20 pounds of potatoes and a 15 pound bag without losing any of the potatoes.

Does this make sense to you?

I feel that if you have that approach to life on an every day basis it will create two positive results. First it creates a very challenging mental approach to solving problems and creating opportunities. Secondly, you’ll benefit from all the efficiencies with more time and more money and just about more of everything.  More of everything is life is very important.  You can use this “more of everything” for yourself.  What you can’t use you can give away to family and friends.  Make sense?

So with the above preamble off I went cruising down interstate 29 at 80 mph getting more than 35 miles per gallon listening to my non-NASCAR XM radio.  I won’t tell you that channels I listen to so as not to alienate anyone from a political point of view.

Remember the gas mileage numbers I share are while driving down the interstate at 70 to 80 mph always 5 mph over the speed limit on speed control.  I wouldn’t go anywhere is almost any temperature without the air conditioning going running.  I like the way the AC controls the humidity.  At home in San Clemente we have beautiful weather every day.  There’s no rain, no humidity, very few clouds….it’s just beautiful.  I want my in-car rental experience climate to be the same way.

What’s wrong with trying to control your environment?

You might think I like to control my environment.  If so, you would be right.  What’s wrong with that?  If it’s not hurting anyone else and it’s doable then why not make yourself comfortable.

As I drove along this morning I couldn’t help but think that Illinois corn was eight feet tall.  In much of Nebraska and South Dakota the corn was only four feet tall.

Most drivers are either morons or idiots.

There were some crazy drivers out on the highway.  I have long thought the drivers going faster than me were morons and those going slower than me were idiots.  I hate the drivers in the fast lane doing 55 miles an hour in a 65 mph speed zone. And when they finally get out of the fast lane, after being tailgated by, they begin doing 65 M.P.H.  I’m sure they’re wondering why in the world was this guy trying to pass me.  Then there are the people who drive 15 miles an hour in a 30 mile-per-hour speed zone and glide through stop signs at no less than 10 mph.  How do I cope with these idiots?  As I’m waiting for them to make their goofy driving decisions I try to catch up on my email and texting responsibilities!  I’m not done yet! I freakily come across women drivers that have their rearview mirror directed solely at their face.  I’ve seen this numerous times.  How can they see what’s behind them?

Tonight I will be staying at the Omaha, Nebraska Marriott hotel. The best internet rate with no discounts from this hotel tonight was $199. I got a room from Priceline for $55 at this Marriott. During my business career I burned hundreds of thousands of Marriott frequent stay points. That’s why they gave me a lifetime platinum membership in their program

TRACKCHASING TOURIST ATTRACTION

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

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

Sergeant Floyd River Museum – Sioux City, Iowa

Worth a stop….once.

I’ve driven past this attraction many times as I traversed Interstate 29 in these parts.  Today I had time to stop.  It wasn’t Disneyland but then I’ve already been to Disneyland.  Much of my Trackchasing Tourist Attraction activity is like my trackchasing.  I like visiting places one time even though they might not be entertaining enough for a return visit.

The “Sergeant Floyd” was a boat launched all the way back in 1932.  Her mission was light towing, survey and inspection work on the inland waterways under the jurisdiction of the Missouri River Division of the Corps of Engineers.  The boat was named in the memory of, who else, Sergeant Charles Floyd (1782-1804).

Here’s what the Sioux City Public Museum has to say about the attraction.

“The Sergeant Floyd River Museum and Welcome Center in Sioux City, Iowa serves the tri-state areas of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota as an information center. Uniquely it also serves as a historical museum as both functions are housed aboard the dry-docked motor vessel, the Sergeant Floyd. The Sergeant Floyd, a decommissioned, inspection boat of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, was named in honor of Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only man to have died on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Sgt. Floyd is buried in Sioux City and a stone obelisk called the Floyd Monument marks his grave, which is the nation’s first nationally registered historical landmark. A visit to the Sgt. Floyd will provide you with valuable local information as well as a lesson in Missouri River history.”

There’s no charge for this museum.  Everything is self-guided.  You can certainly go at your own pace and there are some interesting nautical features to see.  On top of that it’s right next door to a Welcome Center/rest area.  Thirty minutes should cover a visit to the museum.

Washington County Fairgrounds – Arlington, Nebraska

If I didn’t like these fairs I wouldn’t go back.

I’ve seen nearly 200 county fair figure 8 races.  That’s a lot of county fairs.  The best figure 8 racing, in my opinion, happens in Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska.  The cars that race figure 8 in these places are real stock cars and not “junk” cars on their way to the scrapyard.

In California we don’t have much in the way of county fairs.  That’s why it’s fun to see these mainly rural celebrations a few times (O.K. maybe 20-30 times) each year.  Usually these fairs are packed with cars and people.  These fairs happen just one week per year.  The sights and sounds are pretty cheap for their small town customers.  That’s a recipe for fair success.  To beat the crowds I parked my car on the side of the highway and walked a very short distance to the fairgrounds.

There are some crazy hobbies out there.

On my walk I saw a man unloading two huge and colorful parrots from the back of his SUV.  One bird, more than three feet long with its tail was resting on his shoulder.  And you think I’ve got an unusual hobby!

Tickets to the fair and race were a combined $9 per.  There were no senior discounts.  Why was that?  Well, the Midwest and East have more than their share of seniors.  There’s really not much need for a senior discount anyway.  Seniors have more money most of the time than young families anyway.

Everything involves demographics.

The pits, grandstands and beer pavilion were packed with the demographics best suited for those activities.  Why was the huge beer pavilion accommodating mainly folks in their twenties and early thirties.  Where were the people who visited the beer tent 30 years ago when THEY were in their twenties and early thirties?  They were in the grandstand.  Everyone moves through their cycle of life.

The weather was just about perfect.  At race time the temperature was 75 degrees with zero percent chance of rain.  You can’t beat that.

It was ‘big iron’ time.

In Nebraska they feature big “Detroit iron” V-8 powered production cars.  They race with narrow passengers tires (sometimes ‘snow’ tires).  This puts a lot of power to the ground with not a lot of traction.  There’s a good deal of noise, dirt and mud slinging and contact.  However, these are races not demolition derbies.  This is some of the most entertaining racing I see on the figure 8 front.  This was my 14^th figure 8 track of 2013.  I’ll see plenty more before I’m finished this year.

I settled in with a BBQ sandwich and watched the races from one end of the arena where the crowds weren’t as bad.  As with most of my racing recounts the best way to see the action is to view the pictures and most importantly watch the YouTube video.  My new “one-minute preview” is another way to get the jist of what happened on the track tonight.  After the races I walked through the fair and the animal barns.  When I had all I needed from small town life I returned to my luxurious Marriott hotel room.

STATE COMPARISONS

Nebraska

The Cornhusker State

This evening I saw my 37th lifetime track in the Cornhusker state, yes the Cornhusker state.  Ed Esser has seen the most tracks in Nebraska with 41.  I won’t be to far from that total by the end of the year.

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

Randy Lewis

World’s #1 Trackchaser

Peoria Old Timers Racing Club (P.O.R.C.) Hall of Fame Member

Nebraska sayings:  Welcome to the witness protection program

QUICK FACTS

TRAVEL ITINERARY

AIRPLANE

Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Dallas, TX (DFW) – 1,232 miles

Dallas, TX (DFW) – Nashville, TN – 630 miles

RENTAL CAR #1

Nashville International Airport – trip begins

Bowling Green, KY

Indianapolis International Airport – 315 miles

RENTAL CAR #2

Indianapolis International Airport – trip begins

Rossburg, OH

Peoria, IL

Urbana, IL

Indianapolis International Airport – 778 miles

AIRPLANE

Indianapolis, IN (IND) – Chicago, IL (ORD) – 177 miles

Chicago, IL (ORD) – Sioux Falls, SD (FSD) – 461 miles

RENTAL CAR #3

Sioux Falls Regional Airport – trip begins

Luverne, MN

Eppley Field (Omaha) – 252 miles

RENTAL CAR #4

Eppley Field (Omaha) – trip begins

Arlington, NE

TRACK ADMISSION PRICES:

Southern Kentucky Fairgrounds – $13

Eldora Speedway – $40 (not trackchasing expense)

Peoria Speedway – $13 (not trackchasing expense)

Champaign County Fairgrounds – Complimentary

Rock County Speedway – $9

Washington County Fairgrounds – $9

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS 

The three most important trackchasing comparisons to me are:

Total lifetime tracks seen

Total “trackchasing countries” seen

Lifetime National Geographic Diversity results

Total Lifetime Tracks

There are no trackchasers currently within 350 tracks of my lifetime total.  Don’t blame me.

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,873

Total Trackchasing Countries

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

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 65

Current lifetime National Geographic Diversity results

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 5.10

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