GREETINGS FROM GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

THIS COMPLETES MY LAST DOMESTIC TRACKCHASING TRIP OF 2006.  I WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU AND YOURS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

CAROL AND I WILL COMPLETE THE 2006 SEASON “DOWN UNDER” AS IN NEW ZEALAND.  WHEN WE RETURN I WILL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT OUR TRAVELS AND THE TRACKS WE VISITED.

 

 

 

 

 

ALSO DON’T MISS THE ALWAYS ENTERTAINING (FOR THE STATISTICALLY MINDED ANYWAY) RANLAY RACING ANNUAL REPORT.  IT WILL COME TO YOUR EMAIL MAILBOX TOWARD THE END OF JANUARY, 2007.  ITS PREPARATION IS ALREADY IN THE WORKS.

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

 

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 a Mid-Atlantic Ohio reader regarding my comment about whether I should stay home or go trackchasing this past weekend.

 

“You cannot be the best damn trackchaser by sitting on your as*, playing golf and watching television....fly randy, fly..”

 

 

 

 

 

CONTEST UPDATE!!

 

Yesterday, I included the following paragraph in my DeVos Place Trackchaser Report.

 

“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.”

The RANLAY Racing market research department is always trying to figure out how many readers we have and to what degree they read the Trackchaser Report.

 

I’m happy to report that not only will two people be rewarded with a “reader bonus” but SIX people will!  Yes, within just a few minutes of each other these six folks sent back their reply.  Since I’m in the Christmas spirit, I feel like rewarding all of these loyal readers.  The prizes will be mailed to the following people ASAP, assuming I’m willing to fight the Wal-Mart Christmas rush which, of course, for loyal Trackchaser Report readers I would be.

Scott Hall

Brian Tredway

Ed Esser

J.J. Lewis

Mike Skonicki

Jim Sabo

I WOKE UP IN GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN THIS MORNING AND WENT TO SLEEP IN GREENSBOR, NORTH CAROLINA.  THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.

 

 

 

 

TRACKCHASING TOURIST ATTRACTION

By the time an individual has seen as many racetracks as I have, the actual racing action can seem, but is not always, repetitious.  I feel I would be doing myself a drastic disservice if I simply went to some faraway place, like Palm Springs, Peoria or Pensacola and only went to the racetrack and then came home.  When I’m on the road I want to see local attractions.  I get to do that quite often.  Today’s Trackchasing Tourist Attraction was special.

 

I went to the Dean E. Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  For those who don’t know, the “Dean Dome” is where the University of North Carolina Tar Heels plays their men’s college basketball games.  This sports arena was voted by the Sporting News as the best college basketball venue in the country. 

 

By the way, the facility is named after legendary coach Fred Ferdinand.  No, just kidding.  It’s named after Dean Smith, the second best college basketball coach ever, behind UCLA’s John Wooden of course!  Nevertheless, Coach Smith didn’t do badly in his time.  He ended up with 789 lifetime victories, which as I write this ranks him as the winningest college basketball coach of all-time.  Alas, that is likely to change in the next couple of weeks.  Coach Bobby Knight (Army, Indiana, Texas Tech), a coach who I can’t stand, is only two victories behind the aforementioned Mr. Smith.

 

I had to get up at 6:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. Pacific) in Grand Rapids, Michigan and fly on two airplanes and then drive an hour to make the 2 p.m. game, but I made it.  It was well worth it.  Today’s opponent, the University of North Carolina - Asheville Bulldogs, was nothing to write home about.  The Bulldogs play in the Big South conference.  The Tar Heels easily prevailed by a score of 93-62, but I had an outstanding time.

 

As is my practice I secured a ticket to the game from an individual seller on the arena grounds.  I found a $35 (face value) ticket for the more than economical price of $20.  It was easy to get a ticket because the students are on Christmas break.

 

The best thing about that ticket was not its price.  It was the seat location.  Remember my plan is not to buy cheap stuff cheap, it is to buy good stuff cheap.  The ticket called for me to sit in section 124, row D, seat 6.  That put me at the free throw line just six rows from the court.  As I looked straight ahead and across the court, I stared directly into the eyes of Carolina coach, Roy Williams.  I don’t think he liked that.

 

Baby blue, aka Carolina Blue, is the predominant University of North Carolina color.  Everyone wears it.  I mean everyone.  I debated wearing my dark blue UCLA sweatshirt to the game.  I didn’t.  I feared it would affect my chances to buy a ticket from a Carolina seller at the right price.  Instead I wore my Royal Troon golf sweatshirt.  Carolinians are golfers, that shirt should build my credibility with them even though I was a “spy in the midst.”

 

The North Carolina team is ranked in the top five in the country.  UNC-Asheville was dramatically overmatched.  The thing I will remember most about the game was one individual player on the Asheville team.  He was not even a starter.  His name is Kenny George.  He is a 20 year old sophomore from Chicago, Illinois.  Mr. George made his initial appearance onto the court in the middle of the first half.  Mr. George is the tallest human being I have ever seen in my life!  And, that’s by a large margin.  He is listed at 7’ 6” and 335 pounds.  I honestly feel he is at least 7’ 8”.  He wears a size 30 shoe.

 

PLEASE take a look at my website, www.ranlayracing.com to see for yourself.  When he came onto the court for the first time, there was a noticeable buzz from the more than 20,000 fans in attendance.

 

Mr. George was extremely slow of foot and had hands like stone.  His endurance also came into question.  However….he did block some shots and made the play of the game.  He received a pass underneath his own basket.  WHILE STANDING ON THE GROUND HE REACHED UP AND DUNKED THE BALL.  Yes, you read the above statement correctly.  I have watched thousands of basketball games and have never seen such a thing.  He did NOT LEAVE HIS FEET and still dunked the ball! 

 

The crowd seemed stunned.  They could not believe what they had just seen.  I would be interested to know if the TV commentators picked up on this crowd reaction.  Whenever a Carolina player received the ball in anywhere near Mr. George’s space, the buzz was created all over again.  The crowd wanted to see if the home team could even get a shot off over Mr. George’s outstretched arms.

 

At halftime, I took a complete circle walk around the arena.  All of North Carolina’s past teams are featured in large photographs on the stadium walls.  The only drawback I saw to the entire experience is that it is very difficult to move through the arena walkways because of crowd’s volume.  My 360-degree walk as well as a stop for a Crackerjacks and Diet Coke took nearly the entire 15-minute intermission period.

 

Today’s experience was wonderful.  Seeing a “Carolina game” was one of my best TTAs of the season.  However, my experience almost ended on a sad note.  Following the game I could not find my car.  The Dean Dome does not have a normal major league baseball style flat parking lot.  It has a series of parking garages and parking areas spread all over campus.

 

When I paid my seven bucks to park, I had no idea where the arena was.  I asked a couple who parked near me about the arena’s location.  They invited me to walk with them and they would show me the way.  I learned all about this couple (their daughter attends the University of Chicago, they have a cocker spaniel) and very much enjoyed their Carolina hospitality.  In face, I was so taken by their graciousness, I forget to notice the landmarks we were passing in our nearly one mile walk to the Dean Dome.

 

Following the game, I walked in the direction of where I thought the car was parked.  The car wasn’t there.  The parking lot where I thought I had parked wasn’t there either!  I continued to walk amongst the tall red brick campus buildings.  After awhile I felt like I was in one of those Halloween mazes.  It was beginning to get dark.  I was beginning to worry I might not make it to the Greensboro Coliseum in time for tonight’s races.

 

A parking garage attendant tried to help.  He thought for sure he knew where I was parked.  He was wrong.  I wandered on.  It was getting darker and darker.  I stopped a stranger and asked where the Dean Dome was relative to my current position.  I told him I couldn’t find my car.  He sympathized with me, “That’s rough, man.”  Yes, it was rough.

 

Finally, I stumbled across the National Rental Car Racing Black Buick LaCrosse.  My remote unlocking key confirmed this was my car from several yards away.  Hooray!  I had made a systemic error.  I hate doing that.  If I had carried my parking ticket with me I would have been able to find my car much more easily.  The parking ticket clearly stated “Bell Tower” signifying which lot I was parked in.

 

I had been searching for about an hour and a half.  I had not found a bathroom since before the game.  Nevertheless, I was overjoyed to find my car.  Being a golfer, the lack of bathroom facilities did not deter me.

 

PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS

 

The Strategy                                                                                    

 

The “King of the Concrete” Greensboro Coliseum event occurs on just one day each year.  That makes it a trackchasing “prize” for each chaser capable of getting this track during the late fall (trackchasing winter) season.  Therefore, it did not surprise me that I was not the only trackchaser that came up with this track on this night.

 

Three other noted trackchasers were in the crowd tonight.  I ran into the first two as soon as I entered the indoor racing facility.  I’m referring to Paul Weisel (seen only last week in Columbia, Missouri) and trackchaser commissioner, Will White, last seen in London, Ontario some three months ago. 

 

We were all soon joined by Mike Knappenberger, last viewed at Little Valley, New York in July.  These three trackchasers all reside in the Keystone state, Pennsylvania.  Yes, these trackchasing folks get around the domestic United States.  More on each of them in the “People” section of this Trackchaser Report.

 

The Trip

 

This two track trackchasing trip is indicative of the types of trips you might expect from me in the future.  The first day of the trip found me in Michigan and the second day all the way down in North Carolina.

 

Alas, I pine for the leisurely travel life of an Eastern based trackchaser.  Even though Will and Mike stayed over at a RANLAY Racing recommended hotel, they will both be in the comfort of their own homes “watching the Eagles” (football not music) before I even board the second of my two flights which departs from Chicago. 

 

Actually, they will probably be safely tucked in their beds before I even complete my dinner at the Pacific Golf Club with trackchasing’s first mother and son Jim in honor of her birthday.  We won’t even begin that dinner until 7:15 p.m. (10:15 p.m. Eastern time).  Yes, if I lived in Pennsylvania I’d be home by now.

 

As always, I would like to thank my travel partners, United Airlines and Delta Airlines.  I took seven flights on this trip and four of them were in first class.

 

 

 

 

The People

 

As mentioned I spent the evening with three of Pennsylvania’s finest.  I must admit the “I’m so poor, I’m so tired, I’m so busy” trackchasing season has already started.  It is common at the end of the trackchasing season for nearly every trackchaser, not just these three, to begin to tell his fellow chasers that he is, indeed, too poor, too tired or too busy to possibly see as many new tracks in the coming year as he has in the just concluded year.

 

Being a trusting sole (sometimes to my detriment), I believed these stories when I first joined up with the group.  Now that I am more experienced, I have learned to totally discount these claims as just so much trackchasing rhetoric.  These people are addicted.  They just cannot admit it to themselves.  They will see nearly as many and maybe more tracks, if they can, in 2007.  That’s a fact, jack.

 

I will make my own prediction about 2007.  I plan to see as many tracks as I can and as many tracks as I want too.  I hope that that will be a really large number.  Paul Weisel got the biggest kick out of my being so straightforward and honest about my 2007 plan.  I think he enjoyed the breath of fresh air.

 

We spent the evening standing for four hours in turn one of the flat concrete oval.  We had arrived for the 6 p.m. start and the second of the only two countable races checkered at a little past 10 p.m. 

 

As always, we discussed all manors of things and several of the trackchasers not present were referred too.  We discussed the liberal use of the metaphor and its use in Trackchaser Reports.  I repeated the thought that trackchasing is an individual hobby that is not affected in anyway by what other trackchasers are up too.

 

Mike told everyone that he strongly prefers a rule change that would make all go-kart racing countable.  This is a very unpopular idea in trackchasing and could well get Mike in trouble.  Commissioner White is against this idea and was reluctant to admit that he could even consider supporting such a proposal.  Mr. Weisel was more open to the concept and wanted to know what the advantages of counting all karts might be.  Since I also support the addition of all go-karts counting, I offered these points of rationale.

 

1.     Counting all go-karts would eliminate the hassle of showing up at a go-kart race and finding that there are no countable classes racing such as senior champ karts.  Thus, the passing of this rule would eliminate long travels for no results.

2.     Often go-kart racing is much better racing than many countable junk car type classes that we already count.

3.     Go-kart racing is more professional and uses traditional racing equipment compared to the plethora of stock car classes that are nothing more than a wrecked car pulled from a junk yard.

4.     Many of today’s professional drivers started racing in go-karts including Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.  Very few of the top professional drivers came from the junk car divisions of American racing.

5.     Counting go-karts would give additional trackchasing opportunities to all trackchasers.

6.     Last but certainly not least is that the vast majority of RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report readers feel that flat karts should count.

 

I still have more than 1,250 tracks in North America that I have not seen.  I do not stand to benefit in any significant way by adding flat go-karts as a countable class.  “Randy, why would you be a vigorous supporter of counting flat karts then,” you might ask.  My response would be simple and direct, “Because I care about my fellow trackchasers.”

 

I’ve gone on and on about the “Geographical Driving Circle” concept in past TRs.  In 2006 and before we have seen the GDC hem in such top-ranking trackchasers as P.J. Hollebrand, Andy Sivi and the Weidmans.  My prediction is that even more noted trackchasers will fall victim to the curse of the GDC in 2007.  I know to some any such discussion borders on a near religious hearsay, but I must speak the truth. 

 

If flat go-karts are added as a countable class, it will prolong the trackchasing lives of my Eastern fellow competitors.  If we DON’T add flat go-karts I fear these folks are going to fall off the trackchasing earth and never be heard from again.  Who will be my fellow competitors if that happens?

 

There you have it.  I hope that Mike Knappenberger is not chastised or discriminated against in any way because of his feelings toward flat karts.  The question is not really why we should count these racing machines; the question is why we should NOT count them.  Can anyone answer me that?

 

Following the races, Mssrs. White and Knappenberger and I joined up at the Carolina Diner for a late night breaking of bread.  I recommend this place, especially for those nearly midnight meals that are a trackchaser’s delight.

 

Sensing that my fellow competitors were tired and needed a place to rest, I offered the suggestion that they stay at the same Greensboro resort where I was registered.  They followed up on this suggestion and spent the evening at my recommended lodging location.

 

 

 

 

RACE TRACK STATS:

 

GREENSBORO COLISEUM, GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - TRACK #1,133

 

This indoor North Carolina track was my 34^th lifetime track in the Tar Heel state.  My state rank is eighth and I trail the racing Eckels by only two tracks.  The good news is that I am just four tracks short of moving all the way up to 4^th place.  Chris Economaki holds 16^th place with 16 tracks.

 

 

 

 

 

RACE TRACK NEWS:

 

GREENSBORO COLISEUM

 

Just as last night’s Michigan indoor race was disappointing, tonight’s North Carolina indoor race was exceptional.  I believe this was the best go-kart event I have ever attended.

 

They had so many plusses.  First, the place was well lit and temperature controlled.  The announcing was first rate and could be heard well.  The grandstand area offered theatre style folding chairs.  The 25-35 row grandstand was nearly full.  There might have been more than 1,000 people in the stands.  It was the biggest go-kart track attendance I had ever seen.

 

Both grandstand admission and pit pass admission went for the same price, ten dollars.  This is almost unheard of.  I took a quick tour through the pit area that was full of brightly colored flat karts, quarter midgets and those trackchasing countable senior champ karts.

 

When it came time for the feature events (of which there were about 20), the promoter decided to run the biggest race of the night, the “King of the Concrete” $3,500 to win race first.  Yes, that’s right first!  What was this promoter doing?  Had he been to the promoter’s workshops?  Was he trying to do everything that was spectator friendly in just one night?

 

Go-kart racing always has a large number of classes and thus races.  The only class that was trackchaser countable tonight was the senior champ kart class.  There were about 12 senior champs in total and the same racers ran in two different senior champ classes.  No, I don’t understand it either.  With nearly 20 feature races on the card, it was great to hear that our classes would race in feature #3 and #9.  This way we wouldn’t have to stay until midnight.

 

The races were mostly 15-lap affairs.  The karts were extremely quick and they bumped and passed.  The traction on the flat concrete floor was so good that karts would bicycle through the end of the turns.  This means that the centrifugal force generated by the karts speed would pull two wheels off the ground and nearly turn the kart over.  It was wild.

 

Even though the feature racing started at 6 p.m., Will White, Paul Weisel and I were there until past 10 p.m. watching the races.  Mike left after only five or ten minutes of racing.  I’m not even sure if he saw any countable racing.  We don’t know why he did that.

 

Our view of the action was fantastic.  We all stood at the entrance of turn one, just a few feet from where the cars raced.  Only a small fence made of race tires, which were held together by a strong piece of twine, kept the race karts from us.

 

At one point, a champ kart lost a left rear wheel.  The wheel and tire, about the volume of a volleyball, sailed 15 feet off the ground and into the folks standing only 20 yards to our right.  I suspect that a tire and wheel of this nature might weigh 15-20 pounds, maybe more.  One of the spectators stuck his hand up to deflect the tire from hitting a young woman.  I don’t believe anyone was hurt.

 

Because the karts were racing so close together and the speeds were so great there were numerous yellow flags.  Most of the cautions were when a kart would get violently shoved into the tire fence.  Some of the karts and drivers took some terrific wallops and at least one kart flipped over on its helpless driver.

 

The good thing about each of these on track mishaps was that it didn’t take them long to be green-flag racing again.  That was so different, and refreshing, compared to most local short-track racing.

 

Since I was coming off a Wendy’s feast, I did not try any of the concessions.  It was a fun evening of racing with good company.  We joked and laughed and marveled at the entertainment value we received from these flat karts.

 

By the way, Mike did not leave after just five or ten minutes of racing.  He stayed for more than four hours, just as Will and I did.  This was an inaccurate and untrue statement made by me.  It was done for simulation purposes so Mike could get an understanding about how unfair false and untrue statements can feel.

 

 

 

 

WEATHER CONDITIONS

 

The North Carolina outdoor weather was fine.  It was 70 degrees and sunny during the day.  The temperature inside the Greensboro Coliseum was around 70 degrees as well.  It was the most comfortable indoor race, climate-wise, that I have attended this season.  By the way, I have seen eight indoor new tracks this season.  The last four new tracks I have seen have been indoors which is probably a new trackchasing record.

 

RENTAL CAR UPDATE:

 

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

 

Saturday (North Carolina) total driving miles – 129

 

Sunday total driving miles - 8

 

The driving portion of the Greensboro based trip covered only 137 miles.  A quick fuel stop near the airport on the way back to the Piedmont International Airport had me paying an average price of $2.25 per gallon.  The Buick LaCrosse gave me 23.7 M.P.G. in fuel mileage at an average cost of 9.6 cents per mile for the fuel only.    The car cost 28.7 cents per mile to rent, all taxes included. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 – 1,133

2.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,073 (-60)*

3.  Rick Schneider – Bay Shore, New York - 1,060 (-73)*

4.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania – 1,042 (-91)*

7.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 962 (-171)**

 

* 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 - 142

2.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania - 106

3.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 102

4.  Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 87

5.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 86

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

 

Your best bet is to work your butt off, reach your goals and enjoy your rewards.

 

 

 

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

 

 

AIRPLANE

 

Grand Rapids, MI - Chicago, IL - 138 miles

Chicago, IL – Greensboro, NC – 588 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR – GREENSBORO, NC

 

Piedmont International Airport – trip begins

Greensboro, North Carolina –  124 miles

Piedmont International Airport – 137 miles - trip ends

 

 

AIRPLANE

 

Greensboro, NC –Chicago, IL – 588 miles

Chicago, IL – Los Angeles, CA – 1,740 miles

 

 

Total Air miles – 5,031 miles

Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 5,204 miles

 

 

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

DeVos Place - $16

Greensboro Coliseum - $10 (pit pass)

 

Total racetrack admissions - $26

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

G’day, mate.  Yep!  We’ll spend our Christmas holidays down under in New Zealand.  This will be our second trip to the country, but our first ever trackchasing effort there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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