GREETINGS FROM BEAVER DAM, WISCONSIN

CAROL AND I WOKE UP IN WAUSAU, WISCONSIN THIS MORNING. THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.

 

It may take me a few days to get photos up for these races.  Please bear with me.  Soon you can click on www.ranlayracing.com to see photos of this week’s trip.

 

 

 

PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS

 

The Strategy

 

A typical racetrack that races weekly would begin sometime in mid-April and might run until mid-September.  That would give them about 22 race nights for the year.  Throw in a couple of specials during the week or on holiday weekends and the typical weekly track might race 24 times.

 

That means I have 24 chances to make that track fit into a RANLAY Racing trackchasing plan each year.  I always try to give preference to a track that races less often than the average of 24 times per year.  Most of the county fair races happen just one time per year.  Today, I discovered a track that races just four times per year.  This infrequency tipped the scale in their favor. 

 

Visiting the track today that races just four times per year will give me an advantage the next time I go trackchasing in the Wisconsin area.  On a future trip, I’ll have 24 possible dates from a weekly racing track in a year to choose from and not just four.  By using this type of strategic thinking for nearly every track I visit, in the long run, I will have many times the trackchasing opportunities compared to the trackchaser who does not employ this strategy.

 

 

At the beginning of our trackchasing day, I had absolutely no idea we would be trackchasing at the Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.  I had my eye on South Dakota.  Carol had never seen a track in that state, so that was a priority.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Miller, South Dakota was the worst of our Friday night choices and it was the longest drive as well.  No South Dakota on this trip.

 

Our next two choices were in Iowa.  The first one in Rock Rapids, Iowa was featuring the USMTS Modifieds (one of my favorite groups).  The second track in Ft. Dodge, Iowa races weekly but seemed to match up better, logistically with the tracks remaining on our schedule.  For some odd reason I was completely overlooking the MARA Midget race in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

 

A more complete overview of the database of events I created over the winter months yielded the Beaver Dam track.  It was only about 100 miles from this morning’s hotel.  With not much driving for the day (we ended up driving “Only” 275 miles for the entire day.)  We would have time for a TTA (Trackchasing Tourist Attraction.)

 

 

 

 The trip

 

We didn’t have much driving to do today.  When that happens, it’s TTA time!  I picked up a copy of the “Wausau Official 2006 Visitor’s Guide.”  We could do several things.  O.K., we really couldn’t do “Several” things.  Much of the good stuff was happening at night or on some other weekend.  However, there WAS something that caught my eye.

 

Have you ever been to a “Super-sized Dairy Farm?”  Me, neither.  We were going to visit the Van Der Geest Dairy Farm in nearby Merrill, Wisconsin.  This in one big operation.  The Van Der Geest family operates a family farming operation with 4,000 acres of cropland and 3,000 Holstein dairy cattle. 

 

If I had not been a sales and logistics titan, I have often told Carol that I would like to be a dairy farmer or a country and western singer.  That made visiting a dairy farm a most fun way to spend a Wisconsin summer morning.

 

We drove out to the farm and met the owners.  They have a great set-up for tours.  We climbed a stainless steel spiral staircase that took us to a catwalk about the cow pens and automatic milking machines.  The three thousand cows are milked three times per day.  The entire operation is shut down three times per day for one hour at a time for cleaning.  Only five people work each eight-hour shift to manage 3,000 cows.

 

We learned the cows eat 100 pounds of feed per day and consume 35-50 gallons of water each day.  How do they eat and drink this much without gaining weight?  Use your imagination!  Their excretions added to the overall “Experience” of our visit.  I’ll have several pictures of our outing on www.ranlayracing.com soon.  By the way, you can learn more about the dairy at www.vandergeestdairy.com. 

 

On the way out, I purchased a red and black “Van Der Geest – Selling Quality Dairy – Wausau, Wisconsin” winter farmer’s hat.  This is going to be my summer golf hat at the Pacific Golf Club.  Several Pacific club members are also readers of the Trackchaser Report.  I have a special award, a $5 Wal-Mart gift certificate, for the first two people who mention my hat and this trackchasing trip, while we’re at the club.  I’ll be waiting on you guys!

 

The People

 

I frequently meet the type of folks that I would not normally get the chance to talk too in my normal everyday life.  I like that.  This happened tonight at the track.  The fellow sitting next to me was about 50 years old, had a receding hairline and a ponytail.  His sleeveless shirt gave the image of “Biker.”  I was guessing Vietnam war veteran.

 

We chatted on and off during the evening.  He was a very nice guy and well spoken.  He was at the races mainly to see the vintage super modified display since he had owned one of them years ago.

 

He had recently been laid off from his job in a company-wide cost cutting measure.  We talked about how widespread that practice was as company’s try to reduce expenses.  I offered up the idea that consumers demand low prices.  In order to meet these consumer wants, companies must do everything possible to keep expenses in line and reducing people is the easiest way to do that.

 

He pointed out that if consumers lost jobs and earned low wages, they would no longer be able to afford the goods and services being offered by the companies who had laid the very same consumers off.  He made a good point.  However, even as companies have had major layoffs over the years, most have not had much difficulty continuing to sell their products if they had something good to sell.

 

Anyway, I spent a pleasant evening talking to this gentlemen about racing and all manner of subjects.  Later, in the evening the man on the other side of Carol, who also owned one of the modifieds racing tonight, spent a good deal of time talking to us about trackchasing.  It was a good people night.

 

 

 

RACE TRACK STATS:

DODGE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY, BEAVER DAM, WISCONSIN - TRACK #1,062 – 6/23/06 – CAROL’S TRACK #256

 

This track was my 45th lifetime Wisconsin track and Carol’s 23rd track in the state.  I have now moved into sole possession of 8^th place in the state.  Ed Esser continues to lead the state totals with 94 tracks.

 

 

 

RACE TRACK NEWS:

 

DODGE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY

 

The DCFS is a large half-mile slightly banked dirt oval.  Following our tour of the dairy farm and lunch, we arrived at the track at 3:30 p.m.  The gates didn’t officially open until 4 p.m.  There was almost nobody there.  We weren’t going to hang around the track until time trials started at 6 p.m.  Therefore, I walked into the grandstands and put our Sabo sponsored stadium seats down in a premier top row location.  A few other people had already taped blankets to their favorite seat locations to reserve them.

 

Upon returning to the track, we paid our $15 per person admission (a little steep for this program) and entered the property.  The promoters had arranged for a local super modified vintage racing group to have their old racecars on display.

 

These cars were fun to admire.  Most of them raced in the late 60s and early 70s.  I’ll have several pictures of them at www.ranlayracing.com soon.  All of them run and they’re LOUD!  There were about 15 of these vintage racers on hand and all of them were in great condition.

 

I suspected that Wisconsin trackchaser, Ed Esser, might be in attendance tonight.  The MARA Midgets were racing and he’s huge midget race fan.  This track is also within just a few miles from his Madison, Wisconsin home.

 

The track’s announcer gave me a brief mention during the midget time trials.  This mention did not flush Mr. Esser from his hiding position.  Now, I began to think Mr. Esser had bypassed tonight’s track (a track he has visited many times) in an attempt to add a new track at some other location.  Mr. Esser trails my total by some 160 tracks, but I still think of him as my staunchest long-term competitor.  The guy just never stops trackchasing.

 

Just as I was mentioning that I thought Ed might have passed up his “Midgets,” he appeared to say hello.  Turns out he was rained out on his last day in Pennsylvania.  He had made the same, for him, nearly 700-mile drive that we had made yesterday.  He had arrived back in Wisconsin just a couple of hours ago.

 

This is the fifth time I have run into Mr. Esser this season and we’re only about halfway done with the year.  Two of those five times were when Ed was Racechasing not trackchasing.  Last year, I ran into Ed on 13 different occasions.

 

Tonight’s racing program was for just two classes.  The MARA Midgets brought about 20 cars and the modified class just a few more.  Carol and I both thought the track was too big for these classes of cars.  The straights were just too long.

 

The announcers were good.  They had one for the modifieds and one for the midgets.  Scott Hatton, one of the better-known midget drivers had a bad flip during time trials.  We missed it as we were out looking at the vintage racers.  It took track officials nearly 30 minutes to get him out of his wrecked racecar.  Once they did, he was transported to the hospital and the program was stopped until another ambulance could be dispatched to the track.  Later in the evening, we were told Scott was just shaken up but otherwise O.K.  That was good news.

 

Each class ran three heats, the mods had a “B” feature and then both ran an “A” feature.  Both “A” features were good.  The midgets were especially good, one of the best races I’ve seen this year.  The two lead drivers swapped the lead back and forth a few times during the last ten laps of the 25-lap event. 

 

This was the first time midget racecars had raced on this track since May, 1987.  We were lucky enough to choose the night of their return.  The P.A. was O.K, the announcers very good and the lights acceptable.  Like the night before Carol and I went with beer and brats so we could fit in with our fellow Wisconsinites.

 

Several of the fans sitting near us showed quite an interest in our trackchasing hobby.  The announcer had identified our seat location early in the program.  I handed out several business cards and suspect www.ranlayracing.com will get a spike in business.

 

 

 

CAROL’S COMMENTS

DODGE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY

The dairy farm told us, “The place was like a ‘Spa’ for cows.”  I found that hard to believe.  They had to keep hosing down their poop.  As predicted, the cow smells were exactly like my Uncle Leo’s Wisconsin dairy farm of years ago. 

 

The track’s too big for these little cars.  It was chilly as the wind kept blowing directly into our faces.  It took so long to get the driver who crashed in time trials out of his car, I thought he was dead or near dead.  The features were great, there was passing.  There were actual REAL bathrooms.  I liked the food concession.  They could serve people quickly.  We were thinking “Ed might pop up” and he did.  The fans around us were very friendly and engaged us in conversation.

WEATHER CONDITIONS

 

Even though this was the first full day of summer, it got chilly.  Maybe there’s a reason these Badgers don’t wear shorts.  I had to go out to the car to get an extra t-shirt, but I stuck with my shorts just as about three other people in the crowd did.

 

RENTAL CAR UPDATE:

 

We miss having an in-car thermometer in the National Rental Car Racing Nissan Altima.  We are now averaging nearly 500 miles per tank.

 

Tuesday total driving miles – 123 miles

Wednesday total driving miles – 563 miles

Thursday total driving miles – 729 miles

Friday total driving miles – 275 miles

 

 

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 – 1,062

2.  Rick Schneider – Bay Shore, New York - 1,040 (-21)

3.  Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan – 1,021 (-40)

4.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,020 (-41)

5.  Andy Sivi, Clairton, Pennsylvania – 1,007 (-54)*

6.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania – 1,004 (-57)*

 

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

 

 

 

Other notables

 

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

 

37.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania - 265 (+9)

38.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California - 256

39.  Spike Rixon, Watford, England - 252 (+3)

40.  Virginia Schuler, Allentown, Pennsylvania - 248 (-7)

41.  Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana – 246 (-9)

 

 

 

 

2006 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California - 71

2.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 38

3.  Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 37

4.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania - 31

5.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 27

6.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 26

7.  Roger Ferrell, Majenica, Indiana – 23

8.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 18

9.  Linda Thomas, Watford, England - 15

9.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania - 15

 

 

Trackchasers everywhere are scurrying to be well-positioned by June 30, 2006.  At that time, I will provide my annual review and predictions for the balance of the 2006 season for the current top 10 trackchasers.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

Randy Lewis

#1 Trackchaser Living West of the Mississippi

 

I should never care to argue for anything that would lesson the difficulty of the game because difficulty is its greatest charm. 

 

 

 

 

CUMULATIVE TRAVEL DISTANCES:

 

AIRPLANE

 

Los Angeles, CA – Indianapolis, IN – 1,810 miles

RENTAL CAR

 

Indianapolis International Airport – trip begins

Lawrenceburg, IN – 123 miles

Knox Dale, Pennsylvania – 586 miles

Wausau, Wisconsin – 1,405 miles

Beaver Dam, Wisconsin – 1,614 miles

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

Lawrenceburg Speedway – $7

Thunder Mountain Speedway - $10

State Park Speedway - $12

Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway - $15

 

Past trackchasing stories are available at:

www.ranlayracing.com

 

Official trackchaser standings can be viewed at:

www.trackchaser.com  

 

Some of my standings data comes from trackchaser.com

 

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS

 

It’s very possible that Carol could be adding her 38^th lifetime trackchasing state to her career total tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2006 (** not the first time to visit this track)

 

992.  Watermelon Capital Speedway, Cordele, Georgia - January 14

 

993.  Cross Roads Motorplex (asphalt oval), Jasper, Florida - January 15

 

994.  Norfolk Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia - January 20

 

995.  Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California - January 21

 

996.  Oregon State Fair & Expo Center, Forster Livestock Arena, Salem, Oregon - January 28

 

997.  Morosso Motorsports Park, Jupiter, Florida – February 4

 

998.  Thunderbowl Speedway of Ocala, Ocala, Florida - February 4

 

999.  Cross Roads Motorplex (dirt oval), Jasper, Florida - February 5

 

1,000.  Auburndale Kartway, Auburndale, Florida - February 10

 

1,001.  Ocala Speedway (asphalt oval), Ocala, Florida - February 12

 

1,002. Speedworld Speedway, Surprise, Arizona - February 19

 

1,003. Lowe’s Motor Speedway (1/5 mile asphalt oval), Concord, North Carolina - February 25

 

1,004. Concord Raceway, Concord, North Carolina - February 25

 

1,005. Antioch Speedway, Antioch, North Carolina - February 25

 

1,006. Green Valley Speedway, Gadsden, Alabama - February 26

 

1,007. East Bay Raceway (inner oval), Gibsonton, Florida – March 17

 

1,008. Volusia Speedway Park West (1/6M oval), Barberville, Florida – March 18

 

1,009. Speedway Park, Fruitland Park, Florida – March 18

 

1,010. Sand Mountain Speedway (road course), Fort Meade, Florida – March 19

 

1,011. Anderson Motor Speedway, Anderson, South Carolina – March 31

 

1,012. Westminster Speedway, Westminster, South Carolina – March 31

 

1,013. East Lincoln Motor Speedway, Stanley, North Carolina – April 1

 

1,014. Margarettsville Speedway, Margarettsville, North Carolina – April 2

 

1,015. Sunny South Raceway, Grand Bay, Alabama – April 7

 

1,016. Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds, Alabama – April 8

 

1,017. Coldwater Raceway, Coldwater, Alabama – April 8

 

1,018. Talladega Short Track, Talladega, Alabama – April 8

 

1,019. Ballymena Raceway, Ballymena, Northern Ireland - April 14

 

1,020. Oulton Park, Little Budworth, England - April 15

 

1,021. Somerset Rebels Banger Raceway, Rooks Bridge, England - April 16

 

1,022. Mendips Raceway, Shipham, England - April 16

 

1,023. Oval Raceway, Angmering, England - April 17

 

1,024. Arlington Stadium, Eastbourne, England - April 17

 

1,025. Southside Speedway, Midlothian, Virginia - April 28

 

1,026. Motor Mile Speedway, Radford, Virginia - April 29

 

1,027. Wythe Speedway, Wytheville, Virginia - April 29

 

1,028. Summit Point Raceway, Summit Point Circuit, Summit Point, West Virginia - April 30

 

1,029. Old Dominion Speedway – inner inner oval, Manassas, Virginia - April 30

 

1,030. Shenandoah Speedway, Shenandoah, Virginia – May 4

 

1,031. Bridgeport Speedway (inner oval – front), Bridgeport, New Jersey - May 5

 

1,032. Empty Jug, Hawley, Pennsylvania - May 6

 

1,033. Oakland Valley Race Park, Cuddebackville, New York - May 6

 

1,034. Thunder Mountain Speedway, Center Isle, New York - May 6

 

1,035. Motocross 338, Southwick, Massachusetts - May 7

 

1,036. Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, Fultonville, New York - May 7

 

1,037. Calumet County Speedway, Chilton, Wisconsin - May 19

 

1,038. Grant County Speedway, Lancaster, Wisconsin - May 20

 

1,039. Blackhawk Farms Raceway, Rockton, Illinois - May 21

 

1,040. The Milwaukee Mile (Road course), West Allis, Wisconsin - May 21

 

** Angell Park Speedway, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin – May 21 (new track Carol only)

 

1,041. Park Jefferson Speedway, Jefferson, South Dakota - May 25

 

1,042. Superior Speedway, Superior, Wisconsin - May 26

 

1,043. Brainerd International Raceway, Brainerd, Minnesota - May 27

 

1,044. Canby Speedway, Canby, Minnesota - May 27

1,045. Crawford County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Denison, Iowa - May 28

1,046. Tri-State Speedway, Sisseton, South Dakota - May 29

1,047. Sheyenne River Speedway, Lisbon, North Dakota - May 29

1,048. Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, Pahrump, Nevada – June 3

1,049. The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada – June 3

 

1,050. Hibbing Raceway, Hibbing, Minnesota – June 6

 

1,051. Buena Vista Raceway, Alta, Iowa – June 7

 

1,052. Lebanon Midway Speedway, Lebanon, Missouri – June 8

 

1,053. Rocky Top Raceway, Coal Grove, Ohio – June 9

 

1,054. Midvale Speedway (oval), Midvale, Ohio – June 10

 

1,055. Midvale Speedway (figure 8), Midvale, Ohio – June 10

 

1,056. Spring Valley Raceway, Millport, Ohio – June 11

 

1,057. Rialto Airport Speedway, Rialto, California – June 17

1,058. Lawrenceburg Speedway (figure 8), Lawrenceburg, Indiana -  June 20

1,059. Lawrenceburg Speedway (temporary oval), Lawrenceburg, Indiana -  June 20

1,060. Thunder Mountain Speedway, Knox Dale, Pennsylvania -  June 21

1,061. State Park Speedway, Wausau, Wisconsin -  June 22

1,062. Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin - June 23