GREETINGS FROM GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

AND THE READERS RESPOND

 

Rather than identifying my readers by name in the “And The Readers Respond” section, I will identify them by their geographical region.  This will allow some to offer more direct points of view.  By the way, I can neither endorse nor be responsible for any reader’s point of view.  It’s a free country and everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.

 

From an upper Midwest reader:

 

“I also have to thank you for your trips as I use you as an extreme example when my wife asks why I go to the races so much during the year and I tell her there are people afflicted more than me. LOL”

From a long-time Mid-Atlantic reader:

 

“As I opened my E-Mail I was concerned that I missed a late year event at my very favorite dirt track. I was clicking away thru my junk mail and merrily humming "Green Acres".  I opened your update and was happy to see that the folks from Iowa had indeed not lost their minds... Wrong Boone!”

ALL PICTURES HAVE BEEN UPDATED AT WWW.RANLAYRACING.COM  FOR THIS TRACKCHASING TRIP.

 

 

I WOKE UP IN SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA THIS MORNING AND WENT TO SLEEP IN GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.  THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.

 

 

PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS

 

The Strategy                                                                                    

 

I had a strategic dilemma facing me regarding this trip.  I could do one of two things this weekend.

 

First, on Friday, I could play golf with the “Robbins” group on a sunny, 75-degree day with about 20 of my fellow golfing buddies.  Afterwards, I could sit around and tell tales with the boys in the club’s dining room until it was time to go home for dinner.

 

Once I was home I could gaze out the window at the surfers doing their thing in the Pacific Ocean just 100 yards from our dual 8’ X 11’ picture (do they still call them “picture”) windows.  Following a sumptuous dinner prepared by trackchasing’s first mother, I could retire to the great room, sit by the fire and watch all of my favorites shows, commercial free on TIVO.  I could then repeat this process on both Saturday and Sunday for a very relaxing weekend.

 

Or…….I could try to add two more tracks to my career trackchasing total.  Would two tracks really make a difference?  Probably not.  My position in the 2006 trackchaser standings won’t change with two tracks.  My positions in the lifetime and annual National Geographic Diversity standings won’t change.  Two tracks might add about two weeks of infamy toward the end of my trackchasing career, but I may be too old to appreciate the benefit by then.

 

So…….for all PRACTICAL purposes there was really no reason to fight the Christmas crowds at the airports just to get two tracks.  Then why would I do it?  I’m going to let each of you ponder that question over the holidays.  If you come up with your own personal answer send me an e-mail.  I’ll publish the best hypothesis.

 

I will say it was somewhat of a tough trip, but then I say that about several of my adventures.  You can read about what the travel plan looked like below in the “Trip” section of the Trackchaser Report and judge for yourself.

 

The Trip

 

I believe that it is extremely important to have a plan in life.  I once read a book titled, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up there!”  The title made sense to me.  However, it is equally important to be flexible as regards your plan.  If a better idea comes along, it can be good to scrap the original plan and move along with the new one.

 

My mother, God rest her soul, always liked to have a plan.  However, once she had a plan she wasn’t going to change for anything in the world.  If she had her heart set on doing one particular thing or another, she was going to do it, regardless of whether changing the plan meant financial riches, more convenience, more comfort or whatever.  Actually, I know several friends that are the same way.  I am not like that.  I am always looking for a better plan right up until the last possible moment when the original planned can be modified, cancelled or must be implemented. 

 

Let me give you an example with this weekend’s trip.  As you know, my airline sponsorships are primarily with SkyWest, United and Delta Airlines.  I can fly anywhere I want as long as there is an open seat on the plane.  I’ve mentioned that my employers have a dress code.  Maybe, your employer does as well.  Here’s the dress code I am required to adhere to.  It’s not much of a sacrifice for the benefits that Carol and I receive.

 

Unacceptable Attire

• Any item that is patched or torn
• Overalls
• Sandals for men
• Sweatpants and/or sweatshirts
• Clothing with offensive terminology, graphics or lettering larger than the pocket or sleeve logo
• Bare feet
• Jogging wind or warm-up outfits
• Spaghetti strap dresses unless a jacket or sweater is worn to cover exposed shoulders
• Provocative or revealing clothing
• Hair in curlers
• Hot pants
• Mini-skirts or mini-dresses
• Tightly fitted leggings
• Short shirts
• Leather pants
• Ball caps, logo caps, bandannas
• Lycra spandex or other stretch fabric garments
• Tank tops
• Hiking boots
• Bare midriff-style shirts
• T-shirts
• Flip flops
• Permitted in economy class ONLY:

- Tennis/athletic shoes
- Denim material, cargo pants or jeans

Airplane seats are a little tougher to come by leading into the Christmas holidays.  I have the capability to determine how many seats remain unsold on any flight I am interested in taking.  Websites or toll-free numbers tell me how many first class and coach seats are available.  They also indicate how many stand-by passengers are trying to fly.  Stand-by passengers are boarded based upon the seniority of their employee contact.

 

I was trying to get to Grand Rapids, Michigan today.  Smaller markets like this don’t have many direct flights to faraway locations.  That meant I would need to connect at an airline’s “hub.”  Hub locations for Delta Airlines are in Los Angeles, Salt Lake, Atlanta and New York.  United’s hubs are in Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago and Washington.  You are likely to see me flying into one of these hubs on nearly every trip I take.

 

I begin my planning process by checking “load factors” about seven days before I am scheduled to depart.  As an example, there might be 25 seats available on the flight I would like to take, seven days before I want to fly.  As the departure date draws closer, the numbers of seats normally decrease.  I’m still learning the system, but so far I have only been shutout one time in more than 40 tries.

 

For this weekend’s trip I decided on my plan.  On Friday morning, I would fly United Airlines from Los Angeles to Chicago and then onto Grand Rapids.  This was the most direct route.  Seven days out, the seat availability looked good but not great.  When I make such a flight plan I have to be cognizant of what plan B and plan C might look like.

 

The night before I left I began to worry about the seating availability.  The flights I wanted from LAX to Chicago were filling up fast.  I began to research other choices.  About three hours before I went to bed, I changed everything.  I would now be going and coming from San Diego rather than Los Angeles.  San Diego had more seats available, but not nearly as many backup options as Los Angeles.  That was my new plan.  I was sticking too it.

 

I would have to leave the house at about 3:30 a.m. to make things work in San Diego.  Just before Carol and I went to bed at about 10 p.m., I had second thoughts.  I went back into my office for a last look at my options.  Ten minutes later, I had a NEW plan.

 

I was switching back to Los Angeles to San Diego.  I was switching from United Airlines to Delta Airlines to get me to Chicago.  Delta had a ton of seats, but I would have to connect in Salt Lake City from LAX to a flight bound for Chicago.  I would then connect to a UNITED flight in Chicago that would get me to Grand Rapids.  I didn’t want to take three flights to get to my destination, but this was the best plan.  This was the FINAL plan.

 

I set the alarm for 3 a.m.  I would leave the house at 3:15 a.m.; get to LAX by 4:15 a.m. for my 5:30 a.m. flight departure.  That left a little wiggle room for potential traffic accident delays or whatever.  Whenever I have an early wakeup call like this one I don’t sleep too well.  I always fear that I’m going to sleep through the alarm, although I never ever have.

 

At 2:41 a.m., I couldn’t lie in bed and stare at the ceiling any longer.  I was up, in the shower, and out of the driveway by 3 a.m.  I arrived in plenty of time for my 5:30 a.m. departure and even grabbed a first class seat to Salt Lake City.  Everything was going according to plan.

 

However……things change.  My Delta Airlines connecting flight in Salt Lake that was bound for Chicago had a mechanical problem.  The emergency floor lighting system wasn’t working.  They couldn’t tell us when it would be fixed.  I was all for taking a chance.  How likely was it that we would actually need those lights?

 

If the Delta delay lasted too long, I would not get into Chicago in time to connect with my United flight to Grand Rapids.  Changing airline terminals makes for a long walk at O’Hare.  Not getting into Grand Rapids meant no new track.  No new track meant a lot of time and effort wasted.

 

I hung around and hung around.  By the way, the five dollar "reader bonus" applies to the first TWO readers who email me regarding the bonus.  Simply email me that you read this far and a Wal-Mart gift card will be coming your way.  The time was running short.  I needed a plan B.  I noticed that United Airlines had a flight to Chicago that could help me make the connection to Grand Rapids.  I called about the seat availability on that plane.  They had zero first class seats, zero coach seats and one passenger standing by.  That didn’t sound good.

 

Zero seats available doesn’t really mean there will be no seats.  If a plane holds 100 passengers, they may have sold all the tickets, but depart with something less than all the seats filled.  People may oversleep or get caught in traffic and miss their flight.  Connecting passengers (especially in hubs) may miss their connections into the hubs.  There are many other reasons why a passenger may not get on the plane.

 

I was still waiting on Delta to fix their emergency lighting system.  Time was running out.  I decided to try for the United flight.  If I couldn’t get on with them, I could probably still make it back to the Delta terminal even though they still might not leave in time for me to make it to Grand Rapids.

 

I walked up to the United check-in counter fully expecting them to tell me they were full.  They were not full.  In less than 30 seconds, I was given a boarding pass.  I was on my way to Chicago.  Before we took off, I called Delta on my cell phone and cancelled my reservation on their delayed flight.

 

I leaned my seat #4C Economy Plus coach seat back and relaxed.  We would soon be taking off.  However……….the pilot came on the P.A. and informed everyone there would be a slight gate hold due to “traffic control.”  Now I might not make it.  Fortunately, the delay didn’t last long and we were off.  I was still in the game!

 

I counted 10 empty seats on my United flight to Chicago.  That would be helpful information to remember for future trip planning.  I had arisen at 2:19 a.m.  My objective was to be in my seat at the DeVos Place arena for the first green flag at 7:15 p.m. (Eastern Time.)

 

When I made it to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, I still had one more leg of the trip.  I needed to make the 45-minute flight to Grand Rapids.  I had checked the load factor this morning and they had more than 20 seats open.

 

I was feeling good until I heard a male flight attendant talking on his cell phone.  He had intended to fly to Kalamazoo and that flight was cancelled.  Many of those passengers were not being diverted to the Grand Rapids flight.  This concerned me.

 

I called the United Airlines toll free seat availability number.  I was told the plane had zero first class seats available; they were overbooked by four in coach and had five standbys.  Ouch!  I considered driving from Chicago to Grand Rapids, but there was not enough time for that option at this point.  I waited.

 

The gate agent told me, “Numerically, it looks like we’re overbooked, but I think you’ll get on.”  After getting up at 2:19 a.m., that was not EXACTLY the news I was looking for. 

 

However, in my brief encounter with the gate agent I felt we had formed a bond.  Had we?  Soon my name was being called and I was given a seat in first class.  I guess we had bonded!

 

There you have it.  This is the world of flying standby.  I flew first class on two of my three flights.  It didn’t cost me much.  It’s important to be flexible in life.  If you can be flexible, you will be able to take advantage of so many more options that present themselves.  It is definitely worth it.

 

 

 

The People

 

The Grand Rapids area was bigger than I expected it to be, although it is still a small market.  It reminded me of the Peoria, Illinois metro market where I grew up.  Small town Midwest is like no other place in America.  It’s different.  The people are simple and they are nice.

 

A local Wendy’s crew went out of their way to help me when I needed directions.  The crew leader even went so far as to say that I “could use MapQuest on your cell phone” if I needed too.  Sorry, I’m not there yet, but I probably should be.

 

I don’t believe I have ever flown into the Gerald R. Ford International Airport here in Grand Rapids.  It’s not much bigger than the Peoria, Illinois airport.  They could use some help with the airport's rental car return signs.  They might want to trim the Evergreen trees that block those signs!

 

The woman who checked my boarding pass and picture I.D. at airport security was more like a Wal-Mart greeter.  Rather than wearing the traditional TSA uniform, she was decked out in a red sweatshirt and blue jeans.  Maybe they ran out of uniforms by the time they got to the smaller airports.  Nevertheless, she offered helpful advice to each passenger on how best to navigate the airport security maze.

 

I spent a few minutes talking to a United Airlines pilot who lived in Grand Rapids.  He was deadheading over to Chicago to begin his working trip with a trip to Tokyo.  He was VERY disenchanted with United Airlines’ management team.  In some ways, I can’t blame him.  He had taken a 48% pay cut, lost his retirement pension and was working longer hours.  At age 54, with a mandated retirement age of 60 that would be tough to take.

 

On the other hand, a case can be made that airline pilots have been overpaid for the past 20-30 years.  There are not many places where you can work 12 days a month for more than $250,000 per year.

 

I believe strongly in American capitalism.  Companies are in business to make a profit for their owners and shareholders.  If they cannot make a profit, they cannot stay in business.  If they don’t stay in business, their employees will lose their jobs. 

 

Of course, employees always want more pay, more job security and more benefits, not to mention more time off.  If the company’s business model will not support giving employees all of the things they want, then the employees should seek jobs elsewhere or they will be continually disappointed.  It’s a really fairly straightforward situation.

 

 

 

 

RACE TRACK STATS:

 

DEVOS PLACE, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - TRACK #1,132

 

This indoor Michigan track was my 55^th lifetime track in the state.  My state rank is ninth and I trail 8^th place chaser, Andy Sivi by three tracks.  Allan Brown leads the state with an impressive total of 127 tracks.

 

 

 

 

RACE TRACK NEWS:

 

DEVOS PLACE

 

Disappointing!  Yes, that word and maybe even some stronger ones describe the racing action tonight.  Don’t these folks know that I am making a significant commitment to attend their races?  Why can’t they offer an entertaining product?

 

First, let me tell you about the facility.  The racing took place inside the huge DeVos (pronounced DA VOSS) Place.  This is a brand new convention center type building in downtown Grand Rapids.  Directly adjacent to the racing building was an upscale playhouse featuring the Nutcracker Suite tonight.  I wish I had been at the Nutcracker.

 

After I had parked in a covered parking garage and walked several hundred yards, I was greeted with a “no cameras” sign.  Don’t these people know that I have a responsibility to provide quality photos from each and every track to the long-time Trackchaser Report readers via www.ranlayracing.com?  

 

I ignored the sign and took several pictures on an undercover basis.  If the DeVos Place police see them on my website, they can come to California to get me.  Admission tonight was $16 (credit cards accepted.)  That was a rip, but not as bad as the next two nights’s pricing of $25 and $27.

 

The track itself is about a 1/5 mile oval.  The racing surface is the convention center’s concrete floor, which is completely flat.  The cars got great traction.  They may have been using Coca-cola syrup on the concrete.  Coke syrup gives the racing tires traction on indoor concrete tracks.

 

Both the interior and exterior crash walls were made of concrete “Jersey” barriers.  The track was narrow all the way around.  I estimate it was four car widths wide, which isn’t much.  The pit area was absolutely packed with racecars and people.  I don’t believe they could have added another person in the pit area.  I’ve never seen more ushers and police at a small track racing event.  Their presence reminded me of being “watched” as if I were in prison.

 

The grandstands seating area was huge.  The grandstands ran the length of the front straight a distance of some 200 yards or so.  They had a large crowd that occupied maybe 30-40% of this large grandstand area.  Most of the crowd was made up of men.  The crowd sat on brand new unpainted wooden bleachers.  Because the entire racing surface and pit area was flat and because the pit area was packed it was nearly impossible to see the racing in the turns and on the backstretch.

 

I am a frequent critic of road courses because of their lack of visibility.  Tonight’s oval suffered from the same problem.  Therefore, I am not a critic of road courses.  I am a critic of racetracks where the spectator does not have the option of seeing all of the racing action.  During the modified feature I could see the cars clearly for five seconds of their 13-second racing lap.  That meant for the other eight seconds, I could barely see them at all.  That’s terrible!

 

They had two or three announcers who talked continuously.  Unfortunately, the P.A. system was bad.  It was even worse than last week’s Boone County Fairgrounds system.  Virtually nothing could be heard.  The race cars were loud!  My eyes burned from the exhaust fumes in tonight’s indoor arena.  On more than one occasion the drivers were instructed to turn their engines off during red flags stoppages so the air could clear.

 

Racing programs all over the U.S. have a hard time starting at the scheduled time.  Tonight they were supposed to start at 7:15 p.m.  They did, sort of.  A young woman sang the national anthem right on the dot. 

 

Following the national anthem at 7:15 p.m., they screwed around with a last chance “run whatya brung” race.  After numerous yellow and red flag stoppages, they threw the checkered flag after only 15 laps or so.  It was 8:08 p.m. when this happened.  This meant the track had spent nearly the first hour of the program with a last chance race that didn’t even run its full course.  That’s terrible.

 

You might think they would begin to hurry the program.  Nope!  They took 15 minutes before the next race, the A main for modifieds, could even get on the track.  That race started at 8:23 p.m.  They were supposed to race for 25 laps.  THAT race was checkered after only 10-15 laps after 50 minutes of futility. 

 

When the modifieds raced it was good.  They lifted their left front tires off the ground and beat and banged their way around the concrete oval.  However, they had a yellow flag every 2-3 laps, which destroyed any momentum they might have had.

 

This event was followed by the 25-lap A main sportsman stock car race.  The highlight of this race was the inclusion of a ’55 Chevy stock bodied car.  After several stoppages of this event I had had enough.  At 9:45 p.m. I headed for the exits.

 

I had been at the track for two hours and 30 minutes.  During the 150-minute period I had seen about 30-40 laps of racing.  Actually, I had only seen about 40% of each lap, so I had really only seen 12-15 laps of racing.  I didn’t really know what was happening for certain, because the P.A. was so crummy. 

 

This was one of the worst programs I have seen in 2006.  The facility was gorgeous.  The amenities were above average.  However, I really came for the racing.  I didn’t require the event to have good racing, but I preferred that it would.  I was there to count the track as #1,132.  I would never ever consider going back to this place for a concrete oval race. 

 

However, if they put dirt on the oval or ran a figure 8 race or ran a road course race, I would be back in a heartbeat.  I am a trackchaser and not a racechaser.  Tonight I got to see a new track, but I did not get to see any real racing.

 

 

 

 

 

WEATHER CONDITIONS

 

Grand Rapids, Michigan gets their fair share of snow.  The city is located just to the east of Lake Michigan so they get “lake effect” snow.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the ground was clear of any snow at all.  It was cool, with temperatures in the 30s, but all in all not nearly as bad as it could have been.

 

RENTAL CAR UPDATE:

 

I picked out a National Rental Car Racing Pontiac Grand Prix for a rental with a leather interior and XM radio.  That fit the bill quite well for our short trip.

 

Friday total driving miles – 34

Saturday (Michigan) total driving miles – 2

 

The driving portion of the Grand Rapids based trip covered only 36 miles.  This low mileage is an immediate reflection of the impact of my airline sponsorships.  In the past I probably would have flown into Chicago and DRIVEN to Grand Rapids.  A hidden benefit to the airline deals will be decreased fuel expense and much less time spent driving. 

 

A quick fuel stop near the airport on the way back to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport had me paying an average price of $2.29 per gallon.  The Pontiac Grand Prix gave me 28.8 M.P.G. in fuel mileage at an average cost of 8.0 cents per mile.    The car cost 89.5 cents per mile to rent, all taxes included.  That’s right!  With so few miles to amortize the car rental expense against, I paid nearly $1.00 per mile to rent the car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 – 1,132

2.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,072 (-60)*

3.  Rick Schneider – Bay Shore, New York - 1,060 (-72)*

4.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania – 1,042 (-90)*

7.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 962 (-170)**

 

* 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.

 

33.  Ron Rodda, Lincoln, California – 297 (+8)

34.  Johnny Gibson, Grand Island, Nebraska – 290 (+1)

35.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California - 289

36.  Sammy Swindell, Bartlett, Tennessee – 279 (-10)

 

 

 

 

 

2006 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California - 141

2.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania - 104

3.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 102

4.  Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 87

5.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 85

6.  Roger Ferrell, Majenica, Indiana – 68

7.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania - 67

8.  Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan - 64

9.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 58

10.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania – 56

 

Tracks have been reported from 41 different worldwide trackchasers this season.

 

 

 

 

LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS

 

2006 (current thru 10/29/06)**

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 7.08

2. Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 7.10

3. Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan – 7.86

 

**Lifetime NGD results could be affected by current track counting proposals

 

  

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

 

Randy Lewis

#1 Trackchaser Living West of the Mississippi

 

Don’t go trackchasing with a stranger until he becomes your friend.

 

 

 

CUMULATIVE TRAVEL DISTANCES:

 

AIRPLANE

 

Los Angeles, CA – Salt Lake City, UT – 589 miles

Salt Lake City, UT – Chicago, IL – 1,250 miles

Chicago, IL – Grand Rapids, MI - 138 miles

RENTAL CAR – GRAND RAPIDS, MI

 

Gerald R. Ford International Airport – trip begins

 

Grand Rapids, MI – 16 miles

 

Gerald R. Ford International Airport – 36 miles - trip ends

 

 

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

DeVos Place – $16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past trackchasing reports 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

 

This was my third week of December trackchasing.  It will be my last weekend of domestic trackchasing in 2006.  I have just two more trackchasing weekends to go and the season is a wrap.

 

 

 

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