GREETINGS FROM MILLER, SOUTH DAKOTA

 

 

It may take me a few days to get photos up for these tracks.  Don’t worry, soon you can click on www.ranlayracing.com to see photos of this week’s trip.

 

CAROL AND I WOKE UP IN FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA (FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT NIGHT).  THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.

 

 

 

PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS

 

The Strategy

                                                                                        

Trackchasers are always attempting to achieve milestones that are important to them.  One of the more significant trackchasing achievements is seeing tracks in all 50 United States.  I believe only seven people have ever done that to date.

 

Carol is making some real progress toward joining the 50 state club.  Today she saw her first ever track in South Dakota.  That gives her 44 lifetime trackchasing states.  She has just six more to go.  Those six are Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alaska, Maryland, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

 

She has at least one more new state planned for the 2006 season.  Rhode Island may be the toughest state to see a new track at in the future.  There is only one semi-active track operating in the state.  The owner of that track has a real backyard operation.  As a matter of fact, the track’s name is Barnyard Raceway.  They race on a very sporadic schedule and may go some years when they don’t race at all.  Of course, Carol is still a young woman and should have plenty of time to reach this trackchasing goal.

 

The Trip

 

Today’s trip will require a drive of more than four hours to our first TTA of the day.  Then it will be a two plus hour drive to the racetrack.  However, before we could leave Fargo, we had an important radio program to listen too.

 

At 11 a.m., we positioned ourselves in just the right direction in a Culver’s parking lot to catch the radio program hosted by Jim Birkemeyer of KRJB.  It’s at 106.3 FM on our radio dial.  Jim is the track announcer at last night’s track, the Norman County Raceway.

 

His radio program runs for a half hour on Friday mornings.  During the show he recaps the racing activities of the night before.  He also interviews drivers and racing celebrities.  Additionally, if you’re going to the Norman County Fair races don’t miss his pre-race show from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday nights.

 

The interview that we did from the Norman County Fairgrounds covered grandstands last night was aired in its complete version on Jim’s program.  Carol even got her first mention on commercial radio.  I’ll try to get the contents of that interview posted on my website at www.ranlayracing.com one way or the other.

 

By the way, you can go to www.krjbradio.com and click on the link to the Norman County Raceway.  There is a brief story about my visit to the track on August 10.   

TRACKCHASING TOURIST ATTRACTION #1

Even though we would end up driving 512 miles for the day as well as seeing a complete racing program, there was still time for a TTA.  We stopped in Mitchell, South Dakota to view the “Corn Palace.”  It was more than an hour out of the way, but it was worth it.

 

Yes, it’s the world’s only Corn Palace (www.cornpalace.com) in the world.  Back in 1892, the first Corn Palace was established on Mitchell’s Main Street.  A wooden structure was built and covered with various local crops including corn, wheat and wild oats.  In 1908, three presidential candidates spoke on three successive days at the Corn Palace.  The three men were Wm. Jennings Bryant, Wm. Howard Taft and E. H. Chapin.

 

Each year the Corn Palace is decorated in late summer with a different theme.  In 2006, they did not redecorate because of the drought the area has experienced.  Inside the Corn Palace is a convention/concert area, which is also home to the Dakota Wesleyan basketball team.  Past presidential candidate George McGovern is a graduate of Dakota Wesleyan.

The People

Everywhere I go I meet interesting people.  Tonight, Carol and I had just secured a position in the grandstands, second row from the top.  Throughout the race night, I make notes about what I’m seeing and hearing so that you, the loyal Trackchaser Report reader, can get the feel as if you actually attended the race.  I hope I am successful in that endeavor.

 

After I had made several notes, a race fan sitting behind us leaned over and said, “Curiosity has gotten the better of me.  Are you writing a review of the track or something?”  I had just had my first interaction with Butch Knouse.

 

It turns out Butch is the leading historian on South Dakota auto racing.  He has every feature winner listed who has won a race at any South Dakota track since 1913!  If you want to know something about racing in South Dakota, Butch is your man.

 

Throughout the night, I tapped into Butch’s database of interesting information.  I’ve now been to ten South Dakota tracks.  Butch seemed to know something about not only those ten tracks, but also the actual race I attended at each of those tracks.

 

As an example, he asked me if I had ever been to the Lake County Speedway in Madison, South Dakota.  I told him I had been there a few years ago, but the races were cancelled in the middle of the program because of tornado warnings.  His reply, “Yes that was the tornado that took out Spencer, South Dakota in 1998.”  Butch was right.  That tornado pretty much leveled the town and killed several people.  I remember driving under that black cloud for more than 50 miles along Interstate 90.

 

Butch lives near the Miller Speedway and attends the races here every Friday night.  He told me they have “Only lost three shows” this year due to weather.  That didn’t seem like very many.

 

According to Butch, the Miller Speedway is the former Central Speedway.  The track raced from 1965-85 and also had a couple of specials in the later 80s.  It sat idle until September 2005 when it was reopened at the Miller Speedway.

 

The track’s program had this to say about the track’s state of repair before it went to rehab, “Nature embraced the old place as the track grew rampant with all varieties of grasses and grains, the bleachers sprouted bushes and trees, the concession building became home and hearth to small creatures, the ticket booths leaned southward, the old water truck was a target for shooting practice, and even the flagpole was bent nearly in half by a lightning strike.”

 

Butch, it was a pleasure meeting you.  I am very impressed with your knowledge of South Dakota racing and the surrounding area.  I’ll look forward to the next time we might meet up on the racetrack road.

 

 

 

RACE TRACK STATS:

MILLER SPEEDWAY, MILLER SOUTH DAKOTA - TRACK #1,089 – 8/11/06 (CAROL’S TRACK #275)

This is my 10th lifetime South Dakota track.  I am now in possession of 5^th place in the state rankings.  Mr. Esser leads Mr. Erdmann 15-13 for the state lead.  Doesn’t anyone but Midwesterners trackchase in the Midwest?

 

As mentioned above this was Carol’s first ever trackchasing visit to South Dakota.

RACE TRACK NEWS:

 

MILLER SPEEDWAY

We pulled into “downtown” Miller, South Dakota for gas.  While I was making a restroom stop, Carol struck up a conversation with the young male clerk operating the checkout.  It turns out that this fellow was formerly the announcer at the Miller Speedway but had to give up his speedway job when his convenience store cashier position created a conflict.  That bit of occupational news was somewhat disconcerting to me as it might relate to the quality of tonight’s track.

 

We arrived just at the National Anthem was being sung.  I believe the current track announcer was singing and he was doing it acapella.  He sounded good.

 

Tickets were being sold to the races tonight from a horse trailer.  That was a first!  The track was offering one of the largest senior citizen discounts we’ve seen this year.  Regular admission was $10.  Old fogies like me were being admitted for just $5. 

 

We bypassed the beer garden where six cans of beer could be purchased for just $10.  This price even included a free plastic bucket.  Later we would purchase two cans.  I also sampled the track’s chili for $2.  It was tasty.  I left the half-eaten chili on the bleacher step board while I went to run an errand.  The 20 M.P.H. wind blew the chili over leaving an ugly looking mess at the foot of my seating area.  I won’t tell you what Carol thought it looked like.

 

The strong winds blew directly into the grandstand from the 3/8 mile dirt oval racing surface.  To our major surprise, this did not create a dusty condition during the entire evening, even though no water was added at all.  I don’t know how they did that!

 

The 15-row open-air grandstand is new.  The free racing program shows what the grandstand looked like before it was refurbished last year.  The old grandstand was not a pretty sight.  The track announcer sits at the top of the grandstand just behind the starter’s stand.  This position is common in this part of the country.  The announcer is right there among ‘em.

 

There were four classes of cars racing tonight.  The car counts looked like this: U-cars (13), Midwest Modifieds (4), Street Stocks (13) and Super Stocks (14).  Except for the modifieds, the car counts were very good for some exciting feature racing without so many cars that a yellow flag flew on every other lap.

 

The program started at 7:30 p.m. and the final checkered flag dropped at 10:15 p.m.  That’s a good length of time.  I don’t like most shows that run longer than that.  The racing was much better that I was expecting.  The cars raced side by side and they were fast.  This was the most competitive racing we’ve seen in the first three days of our trip.

 

Early in the evening, I met up with the track promoter, Becky, and handed her my press release.  She immediately asked, “Can we put this information on our website?”  Of course, why not.  Shortly after meeting Becky she handed my information over to the track announcer.  Soon, he was inviting me up to have a chat.

 

The announcer gave me a short intro to the crowd and handed the microphone to me with these words, “Why don’t you clue us all in on this trackchasing.”  I heard a woman in the background say to her husband, “He’s really putting this trackchaser on the spot.”

 

Not to worry, I’ve been trained for just these occasions.  This speaking engagement was a bit unusual in that I was holding on to a microphone and many of the nearly 1,000 people in the audience were just five feet from me!  Nevertheless, the crowd was about to be indoctrinated into the life of a trackchaser.

 

I always enjoy looking into the faces of the crowd when I tell them about trackchasing.  I get several reactions.  When I tell some, about where I’ve been or what I’ve seen, I can tell it is not registering at all.  I guess if John Glenn told me about orbiting the moon, it might not register with me either.  From others, I get those knowing nods that tell me they’ve had some similar experiences.  It’s very common to have the announcer say that they would love to experience the life I live.

 

I concluded my remarks with a request from the announcer to recognize ‘Trackchasing’s First Mother’ aka wife Carol on the occasion of her first ever trackchasing visit to South Dakota.  The announcer was more than willing to give her a very nice piece of recognition.  By this time, I had made my way back to my seat to find a beaming young woman seated in a Sabo sponsored stadium seat!

 

Tonight, the P.A. system was most robust and the announcer did a good job of making the racing interesting for the fans.  The biggest drawback to the track was that the lighting wasn’t very good.  The flagman didn’t throw too many yellow flags and the program was kept moving along.

 

As I mentioned earlier, tickets were sold from a horse trailer, which was a first for me.  We were in for another first tonight.  After each feature event both the first and second place cars pulled up to the starter’s stand.  The first place driver was awarded a trophy.  The second place driver also got a special reward.  A watermelon!!  Yes, a watermelon!!  According to Butch, this tradition has been going forever.  I guess if I keep going to races long enough I will see everything.

 

On the way out of the speedway after the last feature had checkered, Carol made a bathroom pit stop while I waited for her.  No less than five different people came up to me to offer their well wishes on our trackchasing effort.

 

After we reached the parking lot, still another man, with his wife and son, offered a “Welcome to Miller, we’re glad you came.”  I was glad we came as well.  I was also happy that I had the opportunity to interact with so many of the local fans and speedway employees.  It really made a fun evening out of a night that would have been rather routine if not for the people we met. 

 

 

 

CAROL’S COMMENTS

I liked the announcer.  He had a certain country charm.  I didn’t like the wind blowing directly into my face all night.  I loved the Bud Light commercials they played during each break in the action.  (Editor’s note:  These were the “Bud, real men of genius” spots.)

 

WEATHER CONDITIONS

 

The temperature was fine tonight at about 75 degrees.  The most notable weather condition was the wind.  It blew strongly and directly into the grandstands.  Luckily, the track did not get dusty.

RENTAL CAR UPDATE:

 

We’ve been traveling on several two land roads while out in South Dakota with the National Rental Car Racing Chevy Impala.  With Carol driving, we were stuck behind a semi for several miles.  At one point the air-conditioner seemed to just quit.  We didn’t know what the problem might be but did not look forward to three more days of non-stop driving without AC. 

 

After following that truck for nearly an hour, Carol decided to pass.  As soon as we got beyond that truck, the air conditioning started working again.  I don’t explain these things, I just report them!

 

Wednesday total driving miles – 288 miles (corrected)

Thursday total driving miles – 119 miles

Friday total driving miles – 512 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 – 1,089

2.  Rick Schneider – Bay Shore, New York - 1,048 (-41)

3.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,045 (-44)

4.  Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan – 1,021 (-68)*

5.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania – 1,018 (-71)*

6.  Andy Sivi, Clairton, Pennsylvania – 1,015 (-74)*

7.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 920 (-169)**

 

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

 

** Special exemption.

 

 

 

 

Other notables

 

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

 

34.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania – 279 (+4)

34.  Sammy Swindell, Bartlett, Tennessee – 278 (+3)

36.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California - 275

37.  Dale Danielski, Onalaska, Wisconsin – 269 (-6)

38.  Bob Schafer, Oshkosh, Wisconsin - 267 (-8)

 

 

 

2006 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California - 97

2.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 60

3.  Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 50

4.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania - 45

5.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 44

6.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania - 40

7.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 36

8.  Roger Ferrell, Majenica, Indiana – 35

9.  Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan - 34

10.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 32

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

Randy Lewis

#1 Trackchaser Living West of the Mississippi

 

I’m very good with figures and wish people asked me to multiply things more often.

 

CUMULATIVE TRAVEL DISTANCES:

 

AIRPLANE

 

Los Angeles, CA -  Minneapolis, MN – 1,530 miles

RENTAL CAR

 

Lindbergh International Airport – trip begins

Morris, MN – 177 miles

Ada, MN – 351 miles

Miller, South Dakota – 812 miles

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

Stevens County Fairgrounds - $8

Norman County Fair Raceway - $10

Miller Speedway - $5 with senior discount (Regular admission $10)

 

 

 

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

 

Tomorrow is Saturday.  The weather forecast for our North Dakota planned stop calls for a 60% chance to rain.  That is troublesome.  We can’t be rained out on a Saturday, that’s the most popular day of racing each week.  We’ll try to find something.

 

 

 

 

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

 

1,063. Lucas Oil Speedway (oval), Wheatland, Missouri -  June 24

 

1,064. Lucas Oil Speedway (figure 8), Wheatland, Missouri -  June 24

 

1,065. Tri-City Speedway, Pontoon Beach, Illinois - June 25

 

1,066. Lake Ozark Speedway, Eldon, Missouri - June 29

 

1,067. Poplar Bluff Speedway, Poplar Bluff, Missouri - June 30

 

1,068. Indianapolis Motor Speedway (road course), Indianapolis, Indiana – July 1

 

1,069. Rush County Fairgrounds, Rushville, Indiana – July 1

 

1,070. Rock Castle Speedway, Mount Vernon, Kentucky – July 2

 

** Windy Hollow Speedway (oval), Owensboro, Kentucky – July 2

 

1,071. Heartland Park Topeka (dirt oval), Topeka, Kansas – July 3

 

1,072. Thunderhill Speedway, Mayetta, Kansas – July 3

 

1,073. Little Valley Speedway, Little Valley, New York – July 13

 

** Twin State Speedway (oval), Claremont, New Hampshire – July 14

 

1,074. Twin State Speedway (figure 8), Claremont, New Hampshire – July 14

 

1,075. Canaan Speedway (asphalt oval), Canaan, New Hampshire – July 14

 

** New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire – July 15

 

1,076. White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, New Hampshire – July 15

 

1,077. Legion Speedway, Wentworth, New Hampshire – July 15

 

1,078. Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Fair Haven, Vermont – July 16

1,079. Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford Springs, Connecticut – July 17

1,080. Little Log House Speedway, Hastings, Minnesota - July 28

 

** Elko Speedway (outer oval), Elko, Minnesota – July 28

 

** Elko Speedway (inner oval), Elko, Minnesota – July 28

 

** Elko Speedway (figure 8), Elko, Minnesota – July 28

1,081. Chickasaw Big Four County Fairgrounds, Nashua, Iowa - July 29

1,082. Buffalo River Speedway, Glyndon, Minnesota - July 30

1,083. Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah, - August 4

 

1,084. Atomic Motor Raceway, Atomic City, Idaho - August 4

 

1,085. Mission Valley Speedway, Polson, Montana - August 5

 

1,086. Rock Creek Race Track, Kimberly, Idaho - August 6

 

1,087. Stevens County Fairgrounds, Morris, Minnesota - August 9

 

1,088. Norman County Raceway, Ada, Minnesota - August 10

 

1,089. Miller Speedway, Miller, South Dakota - August 11