DAY 3 – MONSTER MIDWEST TOUR

TODAY’S HEADLINES

SPECIAL NOTICE

The ongoing series of Trackchaser Reports from Belgium’s Roland Vanden Eynde continues with his second report of five.  You can read about his adventures at the bottom of this Trackchaser Report.

Where’s the best pizza in the world?  The answer to that question could be debatable but not by me....................more in “Randy’s Restaurant Review”.

 

What type of reaction do I get from folks I meet in the grandstands?………………..details in “The People”.

 

Click on this link or paste it in your browser to take you to today’s Trackchaser Report via my website at www.ranlayracing.com

 

http://www.ranlayracing.com/july13222007.htm

AND THE READERS RESPOND

From time to time interested readers write me about one thing or another.  Many times, I feel that my readers would be interested, informed and/or amused by the comments I get.  Here is what several readers had to say when I asked this question:

There are several spots on the interstate where the speed limit is 70 M.P.H.  Occasionally, I will come across a reduced speed limit area, where the limit is 65 M.P.H.  I would love to be in the conference room when this decision is hammered out.  What exactly would the value add (yes, this is corporate speak) by lowering the speed limit from 70 M.P.H. to 65 M.P.H. for a mile or two?  Can anyone answer this question for me?

From Texas:  “This is only a guess, Randy, but I suspect that the highway safety bureaucrats did this to "save lives".  There were probably some traffic accidents and fatalities in that stretch of highway, and someone asked, "What are you going to do about that?"  So the highway department bureaucrats went to their conference room, ate some pastries, debated, and decided to reduce the speed limit on that stretch.”

From New York:  “i think this has to do with that most esteemed of all legislative bodies, the US congress, or perhaps the Iowa legislature. we see some of this here in NY, too; the speed limits are legislatively tied to local population densities and even when there's no exit and the interstate is fenced off, you'll see random and apparently arbitrary drops in the limit for short distances.”

From Florida:  ”When we lived in Ohio, we also had a few areas where the speed limit mysteriously dropped 5 or 10 miles an hour for a few miles. It turns out that if the local town had a speed limit that was lower than the interstate speed limit, they had the right to post and enforce the lower limit within their town borders. This was basically a hidden speed trap as the town also has the right to issue tickets on the interstate. Probably the same situation in Iowa. Even if you can't see the town from the interstate, their border most likely crosses it.”

GREETINGS FROM SCOTTSBURG, INDIANA.

 

 

 

 

I WOKE UP IN ANKENY, IOWA THIS MORNING.  I WENT TO SLEEP IN SCOTTSBURG, INIDANA.  THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.

PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS

 

 

 

 

The Strategy     

 

I have about 1,200 tracks in North America still to see.  Only about 30% of those tracks race on a weekly basis.  Therefore, I would rather attend a track that races just one time per year than a track that races one time per week during the racing season.  The Scott County Fairgrounds normally races just once a year.  Therefore, it made a perfect Sunday night choice.

 

When I entered the fairgrounds, I noticed a sign advertising an enduro at the fairgrounds on Wednesday, July 18.  The race would run “rain or shine”.  Had I known about this is advance, I would have elected to visit the Scott County Fairgrounds on the Wednesday rather than today, a Sunday.  Wednesday race dates are harder to find than Sunday dates.  Little did I know, but coming to the Scott County Fairgrounds on Wednesday would have been a much better idea.  More on that later.

The Trip

 

It was a mere 606-mile drive from my Super 8 motel in Ankeny, Iowa to the Scott County Fairgrounds.  I did have to take a couple of 12-minute power naps as a result of getting less than five hours of sleep on each of the past three nights.

 

Nevertheless, I was able to visit my boyhood pizza location in my hometown of East Peoria, Illinois.  This place still serves my all-time favorite pizza.  More details in the “Randy’s Restaurant Review” section below.

 

 

 

 

 

The People

 

When I go to the races, I try to meet as many people as I can.  I most like striking up a conversation with single fans sitting near me.  Tonight, I grabbed a seat in the top row of a rather rickety wooden bleacher grandstand. 

 

It wasn’t long before I was chatting with a mid-40s fellow.  He was a native of the small town of Scottsburg, Indiana.  However, for the past 30 years, he and his parents had lived in the greater Phoenix area.  When his father passed away, his mother said, “I want to go back home.”  With that, this gentleman moved his mother and himself back to Scottsburg.

 

With any move of this nature, there are plusses and minuses.  He was glad to get away from the heat and congestion of Phoenix.  He also liked the lower standard of living in Scottsburg. 

 

We both lamented about how long the show was taking to run.  His concern was that he had to be at work at the Toyota part factory nearby.  He would have to get up at 3 a.m. and be at work at 5 a.m.  He told me that last year, “I got out of here at 1:30 a.m.”!  He feared he would get home only in time to take a shower and go directly to work.

 

My newfound friend was quite impressed with anyone who could live the trackchasing lifestyle that I do.  I get this reaction often from race fans that I meet.  I tried to point out that with the travel and logistics; it’s not all a piece of cake.  He kept saying, “I’m just trying to imagine how you do this so much.  It’s mind-boggling to me.  I just can’t imagine.”

 

This fellow was different from many, dare I say most of the fans I meet on the road.  He KNEW he couldn’t imagine what my life is like.  Most DON’T KNOW they can’t imagine what I do.  Most of these folks might take one trip a year.  Many never stray from home for years at a time.  They have no idea what it might take to leave home for a flying vacation some 40 times a year.  That’s O.K.  I enjoy meeting folks like this and telling them a little about what I do.

 

By the way, I did take a break to “walk the fair” during the heat races.  This is a small fair and the carnival rides were not operating since this was the first day of the fair.  You would think they would be set up on the first day of the fair, but they were not.  My only fair food was a “strawberry/lemon shakeup”.  The 32 oz. version went for $4.50.  There is no way the proprietor could be making any money selling this drink.  He had WAY more than $5.00 worth of sugar in my serving!

 

 

 

 

 

RANDY’S RESTAURANT REVIEW

 

Davis Brothers Pizza in East Peoria, Illinois (they also have a location in Peoria, Illinois) serves the most unique pizza anywhere in the world.  I can say this for two reasons.  First, only a few people reading this have ever been there, so virtually no one can dispute this statement based upon experience.  Secondly, I can say this because it is true.

 

Today, I would be driving through East Peoria, Illinois on Interstate 74, on my way to southern Indiana.  When my GPS told me I was within 15 miles of East Peoria, I made my call to Davis Brothers.  I have missed then a time or two, when I’ve driven through the area on Mondays, the only day they are closed for business.  Today was Sunday.  I was in luck.

 

I ordered the “supreme” pizza (great photos at www.ranlayracing.com).  I’ve been going to Davis Brothers since I was in high school.  They relocated when most of downtown East Peoria was leveled for urban renewal.  Today’s location is much more “strip mall” in ambiance than “tavern” as it used to be.  Nevertheless, the pizza tastes the same.

 

Davis Brothers Pizzas are round, but the pieces are cut in rectangles, about 1” by 3”.  This is thin crust pizza with very little sauce.  If you like tomato sauce, you might consider this type of pizza to be dry.  The crust is about ¼” thick and the toppings are about four times as thick.  The supreme pizza includes crumbly ground beef, along with an ample supply of mushrooms, onions and green peppers.  The pizza comes with both yellow and white melted cheese.

 

As I said, I don’t get to Davis Brothers Pizza very often.  I don’t know when the next time I will visit will be.  Therefore, I had to buy the largest pizza they sell, the family size.  Yes, it did cost $21.  However, I was able to eat it for lunch and dinner.  Therefore, it made the visit more cost effective.

 

The Davis Brothers Pizza location earns a RANLAY Racing Money Back Guarantee.  If you go there and don’t like your pizza, it’s on me.  By the way, I have never had anyone at anytime take me up on this offer.  I can only imagine that no one has ever been dissatisfied with a RANLAY Racing Money Back Guarantee.

STATE RANKINGS

This track was my 57^th to see in the Hoosier state.  My Indiana total is my fifth highest state total trailing only California, Illinois, Iowa and Pennsylvania.  I currently hold an eighth place ranking just three tracks behind Andy Sivi.  Roger Ferrell has a more than comfortable lead over Jack Erdmann 112-78.

 

RACE REVIEW – SCOTT COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS (OVAL), SCOTTSBURG, INDIANA

Tonight’s track runs just one time per year.  Therefore, I was glad to get it, but the “rustiness” of their operation showed.  The program started more than one hour behind schedule.  The lights were bad to begin with but they went out whenever the transformer “got hot”.  The one-half mile dirt oval reminded me of some of my favorite road courses, when the cars began to disappear.  Tonight, due to dust and lack of light, the cars disappeared for up to five seconds.  That’s unheard of in dirt oval racing.  The track announcer did tell us they put “35 loads of water” on the track today.

 

There was some good side-by-side racing, especially in the pure stock division.  The late models featured an 11-year old boy racing in this top-level division.  I could tell he was small when I glanced into the cockpit.  Although he ran near the back of the pack, he handled the car well and did not cause any problems in the near zero visibility conditions.  This reminded me of seeing Jeff Gordon race a sprint car in Gibsonton, Florida at 13 years of age.

 

This was the first night of the weeklong county fair.  After having been at the track since 6 p.m. I left following the late model feature at 11:15 p.m.  This program did not run smoothly.

 

I was reminded of the recent time change policy that affected Indiana.  Up until this year, Indiana stayed on the same time all year around.  For the first time in 2007, Indiana now changes time each spring as nearly everyone else does.  The announcer told the crowd “race track prep is aided by the change in time of an hour.  This gives us one less hour of sun beating on the track during the time we race”.  On the other hand, the sno-cone lady told me she doesn’t like the new time change because, “now I have to wait an extra hour for the news at night”.  Yes, there are always two sides to a story.

 

Folks are smokers around here.  I’ve recently heard that my all-time favorite driver, Darrell Dake is not doing well.  He was a heavy smoker.  I hope that is not the cause of his health problems.

 

I often get this question, “How do you pay for all of your trackchasing?”  I mean how difficult is it to run down to the bank and cash Carol’s trust fund check, anyway?

RACE TRACK STATS:

 

SCOTT COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS (OVAL) – TRACK #1,226

 

Track details

 

Website:  http://greatscottindiana.org/

 

Weather:  This was the warmest day, combined with humidity and no wind, of the year.

 

Track type:  oval

 

Length/Surface:  1/2 – mile dirt

 

Grandstands:  One of the more rickety 15-row wooden bleacher grandstands that I have visited in recent years.

 

P.A.:  Not very good.

 

Announcer:  The promoter, Terry Eaglin does the announcing at his promotions.  He does a nice job of trying to provide info the spectator is interested in.

 

On time:  Bad!  This track, along with MOST others I have seen this year, wasn’t even close to starting at the advertised time.  The website said the program would begin at 7 p.m.  There was a reference over the P.A. system that the program was to start at 7:30 p.m.  They didn’t throw the first racing green flag until 7:57 p.m.  That wasn’t very good considering most fans had to go to work the next day, Monday morning.

 

Pit area:  Located beyond turns three and four and along the backstretch.

 

Classes:  They had strong car counts among these classes:  late models (19), pure stocks (about 40), mini-stocks (about 16) and cruisers (6)

 

Radio Frequency:  Didn’t use the radio.

 

Concessions:  After a Davis Brothers pizza there was no room to eat anything else.  I did have a 32 oz. Strawberry/Lemon shakeup, a staple at county fairs.

 

Scoreboard:  Nope.

 

Extras:  The lights were the big problem tonight.  They kept going on and off.  This coupled with a tremendous amount of dust made the track nearly unviewable at times.  They did have a nice fair exhibit of live birds including a bald eagle!

 

 

RENTAL CAR UPDATE

 

St. Louis – Friday-Monday (10 days)

 

I’m driving the National Rental Car Racing Chevy Impala on this 10-day trackchasing trip.  There was at least a half-inch of dust on the car’s exterior when I retrieved it tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

 

Randy Lewis

Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser

On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of millions who, when within the grasp of victory sat and waited and waiting died.

 

 

 

 

 

 

AIRPLANE

 

Los Angeles, CA – St. Louis, MO – 1,591 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR – ST. LOUIS

 

St. Louis International Airport – trip begins

Troy, Missouri – 71 miles

Pittsfield, Illinois – 132 miles

Newton, Iowa – 403 miles

Osage, Iowa – 583 miles

Scottsburg, Indiana – 1,289 miles

 

 

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

Lincoln County Fairgrounds - $20

Pike County Speedway - $Free (normally $3 for fan 55 & older)

Iowa Speedway - $30

Mitchell County Fairgrounds - $15 (pit pass)

Scott County Fairgrounds - $8

 

 

 

 

 

 

RANKINGS

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE:

 

There are no trackchasers currently within 100 tracks of my lifetime total. 

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,226

 

 

 

 

Other notables

 

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

 

29.  Tom Schmeh, Knoxville, Iowa – 330

 

29.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 330

 

31.  Dwight Bucks, Topton, Pennsylvania – 325

 

 

 

 

2007 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California - 88

 

2.  Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium - 59

 

3.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 56

 

4.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania – 40

 

5.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 36

 

5.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 35

 

7.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania - 28

 

8.  Pam Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 23

 

9.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 21

 

10.  Roger Ferrell, Majenica, Indiana – 20

 

Tracks have been reported by 37 different worldwide trackchasers this season.

 

 

LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS

 

2007 (current thru 6/29/07)**

 

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 6.65

2. Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 6.86

3. Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan – 7.57

 

**Until the end of the year, NGD rankings are unofficial.  Rankings are affected not only by the leader’s activities but also by other trackchasers impact on the leader’s position in each state. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past trackchasing reports are available at:

www.ranlayracing.com

 

 

Official trackchaser standings can be viewed at:

www.trackchaser.net

 

 

Some of the data in this report comes from www.trackchaser.net

and my Garmin GPS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS

 

This is my 23^rd flying trackchasing trip of 2007.  I will be implementing a trackchasing strategy I developed for the first time last year.  I will be flying WITHIN a flying trip.  I’m trying to stay ahead of the curve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2007 (** not the first time to visit this track)

 

 

1,139.  Meremere Dirt Track Club, Meremere, New Zealand - January 1

 

1,140.  Meeanee Speedway, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand - January 1

 

1,141.  Top of the South Speedway, Richmond, New Zealand - January 2

 

1,142.  Woodford Glen Speedway, Christchurch, New Zealand - January 3

 

1,143.  Robertson Holden International Speedway, Palmerston North, New Zealand - January 5

 

1,144.  Taupo Motorsports Park, Taupo, North, New Zealand - January 6

 

1,145.  Waikaraka Park International Speedway, Auckland, New Zealand - January 6

 

1,146.  Angels Stadium of Anaheim (inner oval), Anaheim, California - January 13

 

1,147.  Angels Stadium of Anaheim (outer oval), Anaheim, California - January 13

 

1,148.  West Valley Speedway, Surprise, Arizona - January 14

 

1,149. Sandia Motorsports Park (road course), Albuquerque, New Mexico - January 28

 

1,150. Grand Prix De Lanaudiere, Lavaltrie, Quebec, Canada – February 3

 

1,151. Ste-Eulalie Ice Track, Eulalie, Quebec, Canada – February 4

 

1,152. St Guillaume, St Guillaume, Quebec, Canada – February 4

 

1,153. Caldwell Rodeo Arena, Caldwell, Idaho – February 10

 

1,154. Balsam Lake Ice Track, Balsam Lake, Wisconsin – February 18

 

1,155. Northeast Pond Ice Track, Milton, New Hampshire – February 24

 

1,156. Lee Pond Ice Track, Moultonborough, New Hampshire – February 25

 

1,157. New Hendry Country Speedway, Clewiston, Florida – March 3

 

1,158. Florida Sports Park, Naples, Florida – March 4

 

1,159. Honeoye Lake Ice Track – Road Course, Honeoye, New York – March 10

 

1,160. Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas – March 16

 

1,161. Houston Motorsports Park, Houston, Texas – March 16

 

1,162. Dawgwood Speedway, Chatsworth, Georgia – March 17

 

1,163. Toccoa Speedway, Toccoa, Georgia – March 17

 

1,164. Tazewell Speedway, Tazewell, Tennessee – March 18

 

1,165. Malden Speedway, Malden, Missouri, Tennessee – March 23

 

1,166. Dacosa Speedway, Byhalia, Mississippi – March 24

 

1,167. Swinging Bridge Raceway, Byram, Mississippi – March 24

 

1,168. Florence Motor Speedway, Florence, South Carolina – March 25

 

1,169. Foothills Raceway, Easley, South Carolina – March 30

 

1,170. Mileback Speedway, Gray Court, South Carolina – March 30

 

1,171. Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida – April 1

 

1,172. Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas, Nevada – April 8

 

1,173. Huntsville Speedway, Huntsville, Alabama – April 13

 

1,174. Low Country Kartway, Aynor, South Carolina – April 14

 

1,175. Dillon Motor Speedway, Dillon, South Carolina – April 14

 

1,176. Valley Dirt Riders, Berthoud, Colorado – April 15

 

1,177. Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Lancaster, California – April 22

 

1,178. Sertoma Speedway, Tularosa, New Mexico – April 27

 

1,179. Sandia Motorsports Park (outer oval), Albuquerque, New Mexico – April 28

 

1,180. Sandia Motorsports Park (inner oval), Albuquerque, New Mexico – April 28

 

1,181. Hollywood Hills Speedway, San Felipe Pueblo, New Mexico – April 29

 

1,182. Meridian Speedway, Meridian, Idaho – May 11

 

1,183. Diamond Mountain Speedway, Vernal, Utah, Idaho – May 12

 

1,184. Rocky Mountain Raceways (oval), Salt Lake City, Utah – May 12 

 

1,185. Rocky Mountain Raceways (figure 8), Salt Lake City, Utah – May 12

 

1,186. Modoc Speedway, Modoc, South Carolina – May 18

 

1,187. Possum Kingdom Super Speedway, Belton, South Carolina – May 19

 

1,188. Laurens County Speedway, Laurens, South Carolina – May 19

 

1,189. Fairplex at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, Pomona, California – May 20

 

1,190. Lowes Motor Speedway (inner oval), Concord, North Carolina – May 24

 

1,191. Lowes Motor Speedway (road course), Concord, North Carolina – May 24

 

1,192. Madison International Speedway (inner oval), Oregon, Wisconsin – May 25

 

** Madison International Speedway (outer oval), Oregon, Wisconsin – May 25

 

1,193. Thunderbird Stadium (figure 8), Bremerton, Washington – May 26

 

1,194. Thunderbird Stadium (oval), Bremerton, Washington – May 26

 

1,195. Whispering Pines Motorsports Park, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada – May 27

 

1,196. Magic Valley Speedway, Twin Falls, Idaho – May 28

 

1,197. Owyhee Motorcycle Raceway Park, Boise, Idaho – June 1

 

1,198. Race City Motorsports Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada – June 2

 

1,199. Edmonton International Raceway, Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada – June 2

 

1,200. Castrol Raceway, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – June 2

 

1,201. Hidden Valley Motorsports Park, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada – June 2

 

1,202. Boyd’s Speedway, Ringgold, Georgia - June 8

 

1,203. Fayette County Fairgrounds, Washington Courthouse, Ohio - June 9

 

1,204. Brush Creek Motorsports Park, Pebbles, Ohio - June 9

 

1,205. Brown County Speedway, Russellville, Ohio - June 9

 

1,206. Vinton Speedway, Vinton, Ohio - June 10

 

1,207. Hilltop Speedway, Millersburg, Ohio - June 10

 

1,208. I-70 Speedway – dirt (outer oval), Odessa, Missouri - June 13

 

1,209. L A Raceway, La Monte, Missouri - June 14

 

1,210. Valley Speedway, Grain Valley, Missouri - June 22

 

1,211. Jamaica Raceway, Jamaica, Iowa - June 23

 

1,212. Calhoun County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Rockwell City, Jamaica, Iowa - June 23

 

** Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, Iowa – June 23 (new for Carol only)

 

** Iowa Speedway (outer oval), Newton, Iowa, Iowa – June 24 (new for Carol only)

 

1,213. Butler Motor Speedway, Butler, Missouri - June 24

 

** Peoria Speedway, Peoria, Illinois – June 25

 

1,214. Kart Kanyon Raceway, Aztec, New Mexico - June 30

 

1,215. Aztec Speedway, Aztec, New Mexico - June 30

 

1,216. Sunvalley Speedway, Vernon, British Columbia, Canada – July 1

 

1,217. Georgetown Speedway, Georgetown, Delaware – July 6

 

1,218. Delmarva Motorsports Park, Middleford, Delaware – July 6

 

1,219. Hunterstown Speedway, Hunterstown, Pennsylvania – July 7

 

1,220. Shippensburg Speedway, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania – July 7 (Randy only)

 

** Hagerstown Speedway, Hagerstown, Maryland – July 7 (new for Carol only)

 

1,221. Blanket Hill Speedway, Whitesburg, Pennsylvania – July 8

 

1,222. Lincoln County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Troy, Missouri – July 13

 

1,223. Pike County Speedway, Pittsfield, Illinois – July 13

 

1,224. Iowa Speedway (road course), Newton, Iowa – July 14

 

1,225. Mitchell County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Osage, Iowa – July 14

 

1,226. Scott County Fairgrounds (oval), Scottsburg, Indiana – July 15

 

 

 

 

DAY 4: JUNE 17, 2007

 

I started my journey at 9.00AM by taking the Penna Turnpike 200 yards from my hotel. As on this toll road, there are no McDonald concessions, I had to trade in my customary daily Big Breakfast for a biscuit at a Burger King en route. I found the service at Burger King way below that at the average Mc Donald. A bonus point of the Turnpike was that every service centre also had a Starbucks outlet, so at least I could enjoy a good cup of black coffee on my way to Wampum. I arrived at the BeaveRun Motorsport Complex just before midday. Guy Smith had said he assumed I would very much like this road course and he was right. Most smaller American road courses are of the British park track variety, i.e. nice surroundings, but not a nice track and not a lot of vantage points. This one was different. From the brand new pit complex building one could almost overlook the entire track, which had some long straights ending in hairpins as well as some fast downhill curves. I arrived at intermission, having only missed one race, for a bunch of Mazda Miata's.  After a tour of the vast paddock, I decided to give the track food a go and had an excellent Angus burger. I watched the races from the pit building, which was very convenient, as after the race one could descend to picture the cars and their drivers. It was particularly nice to notbe the only foreigner on the remises, as a race was won by a Turkish driver and another one by a Canadian. I gave the last race a miss as it was time to go to my evening race. I was originally heading for Blanket Hill Raceway at Kittaning, but at Trail-Way Guy had mentioned something about a much nicer track at Franklin. It was about the same distance from Wampum, so I decided in favour of the Tri-City Raceway. I found a nice small motel in the centre of Franklin and arrived at Tri-City Raceway just in time for the 7.00PM start of the meeting. I'm not a big fan of dirt tracks, but this one had everything to enchant me. And not only me, for the vast grandstand on a natural slope was very full. The track was magnificently prepared, the heats went on without any yellows (if a car spun, no yellow was thrown and miraculously, every one could restart instantly), the intermission was very short and the sprint cars had a splendid feature. Again, I wasn't the only alien, as an Australian sprint car driver on a tour of PA and OH tracks also took part. The entire meeting was finished well before 10.00PM. Full marks, as even the $10 entry was also a coupon for free Egg McMuffin at the local McDonald. What a nice Sunday, especially since my eyes were reacting very well to the red eye relief drops.

 

States visited: PA

New states visited: 0

Number of new tracks: 2

Total number of new tracks: 7

Of which in new states: 1

 

DAY 5: JUNE 18, 2007

 

American sockets are different from British ones, which are different of Australian ones which are different of the ones in the rest of the world. Therefore, I had an adaptor for US sockets since my first visit to the USA in 1994. This morning it gave up the ghost by breaking into three pieces. I used this adaptor for my electric shaver and to recharge my camera battery. I could do without for a maximum of three days, so Iwould have to find another one in the course of the week. In the meantime I used my coupon to have a different breakfast at the very race oriented Franklin Mc Donald. After that I hit the road for a trip that would bring me to Lawrenceburg, for the only race meeting I found for this day. It was a scorching hot day and I made good progress. I checked in at the Riverside Inn, only 300 yards from the Dearborn County Fairgrounds in which the Lawrenceburg Speedway is situated. If you're ever in Lawrenceburg, this motel is top class, the best value for money of the entire trip. I could also walk to the track. It's an unusual one, almost a circle, with enormous and very state of the art grandstands. Car counts were very small, and so was the number of spectators (less than 100). The racing was not brilliant, but the meeting was well conducted. It started at 7.30PM and was over 85 minutes later. I liked that. My only regret was that this track was not on the other side of the river, for that would have got me a track in Kentucky, but one can't have it all. A little stroll at the fair and an early night, for tomorrow, I had a bit of driving to do (slight understatement).

 

States visited: PA, OH, IN

New states visited: 0

Number of new tracks: 1

Total number of new tracks: 8

Of which in new states: 1

 

DAY 6: JUNE 19, 2007

 

I was on my way at 6.15AM EST for a little bout of driving in the north-western direction. The ultimate goal was Jefferson in ND, but I was not counting too much on that. I had a fall back option with Marshalltown in IO, which was on my way. I cleared the Cincinnati area without any trouble, made swift progress around Indianapolis, even if it was raining cats and dogs out there, crossed into Illinois and the Central time zone and entered Iowa before 2.00PM local time. At 3.15PM I arrived at the decision point for my fall back option. I decided to continue towards Jefferson, as I had every chance to make it and would regret not attempting it. I arrived at Sioux City at 6.15PM, checked into the local Motel6 and crossed into South Dakota, a new state for me. The Park Jefferson Speedway is only a few miles north of the state line and it was a very nice track, with black clay and no dust at all. They had a huge field of USMTS Modifieds (56 to be exact) and I was not the only trackchaser in town, as Ken Schrader was competing in his Red Barron sponsored Rayburn. At intermission he and his fellow ex Winston Cupper Kenny Wallace were interviewed. The meeting was very nice, but a little too strung out. The announcers were very good and gave a lot of technical information on chassis and engines. It was certainly a good decision to drive all those miles for this track.

 

States visited: IN, OH, IL, IO, SD

New states visited: 1

Number of new tracks: 1

Total number of new tracks: 9

Of which in new states: 2

 

DAY 7: JUNE 20, 2007

 

The saddest thing about this day was that it was Aline's birthday, and I was unable to contact her. It's incredible how provincial American telephone services are. If I compare that with Australia and Argentina, from which one can phone home from any hotel room, it gives a very bad account of the USA. Being so close to Nebraska, I couldn't resist to pay a little visit to South Sioux City, thereby adding NE to the states I visited. I would not stop at that, for later in the day I also added North Dakota and Minnesota to my list of new states visited. I liked the countryside of MN. It reminded me of Finland, and that was