DAY 8 – MONSTER MIDWEST TOUR

TODAY’S HEADLINES

I may have experienced the best “ambience” of any BBQ restaurant I have ever visited....................more in “ROADFOOD Restaurant Review”.

 

I saw something significant at tonight’s races that I have never seen in 1,231 tracks visited before tonight………………..details in “The Trip”.

 

“Hot corn on the cob, makes you want to slap your momma” What does this mean?……………….more in “Race Review”. 

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

 

GREETINGS PHILPOT, KENTUCKY.

 

 

 

 

 

TRACKCHASING TOURIST ATTRACTION

 

Yes!  See below.

I WOKE UP IN CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA THIS MORNING.  I WENT TO SLEEP IN OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY.  THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.

PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS

 

 

 

The Strategy     

 

Whenever I can get the easiest of all trackchasing doubles, the same location double, I do.  Tonight’s track offered racing on both a quarter-mile medium banked oval as well as a traditional figure 8 course.  By the way, a “traditional” figure 8 course uses the turns of the oval track for the outer edges of the “eight”.  The “X” of the figure 8 is normally located in the direct center point, if that’s what you call it, of the oval.

The Trip

 

I spent the afternoon in Indianapolis hunting unusual restaurants.  In the late afternoon, I motored down to Kentucky where tonight’s track was located.

 

I am always intrigued by things I experience for the very first time.  I have now been to 1,233 different racetracks.  Tonight I saw something that I have never seen before.  I suspect that most and maybe all of my fellow trackchasing competitors have never seen this either.

 

Short track automobile racing is not a very ethnically diverse proposition.  It is very unusual to see any race other than Caucasians at local tracks.  There are very few race car drivers, other than Caucasians at local tracks.  For every 10,000 white drivers, there might be one face of a different color.  The odds might be even longer than that.  At tonight’s track, after each feature event, the driver drove up to the fence where Victory Lane was located for a quick interview.

 

I was most surprised and happy to see a young black driver get out of the winning car and accept his recognition.  I did not see any other black people at the races tonight.  What might make this more unusual than it already was, was the fact we were in one of the most rural states of the South.

 

 

 

 

 

TRACKCHASING TOURIST ATTRACTION

 

KING BAR-B-QUE, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

 

See below – ROADFOOD Restaurant Review

 

 

 

The People

 

It’s important to get good information in advance of making a trackchasing plan.  In the short track auto racing industry accurate information can be hard to come by.  Websites have helped but overall, the industry is a sorry mess.

 

I called the promoter to make certain he would be running figure 8 races tonight.  One of our other trackchasers had visited this first year track a few weeks ago.  On that evening, just four cars made the figure 8 race.  With such a low car count, it would not be unusual to discontinue or cancel the figure 8 race.  I figured that if they were only going to run on the oval track, I would come here some other time.  I wouldn’t want to come to the High Banks Speedway once for the oval and then have to return to get the figure 8 track.

 

I spoke with the owner whose name was Mike.  He was a soft spoken Kentuckian.  I’m sure when I explained too him what I was up too, he thought I was either crazy, misdirected or making a crank call or all three.

 

Mike told me, “we’ll be having the figure 8 races, if enough cars show up”.  I spent a moment telling him about trackchaser rules.  I asked him if they would race if just two cars showed up (this would be countable under trackchasing rules).  I think he was wondering why someone from California would be interested in coming all the way to Kentucky to see two figure 8 cars race.  With a limited cell phone minutes plan, I did not have time to explain further.

 

On the day of the event, I called back once more.  I got the answering machine.  The woman’s voice on the machine told me they were having a full complement of races as well as “mini-stock figure 8 races if enough cars show up”.  The figure 8 race sounded a bit shaky to me.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the interaction with these Kentucky folk.  They are a laid back bunch.

 

P.S.  I did not meet track owner Mike at the High Banks Speedway tonight.  However, I did meet him on Sunday night at the Windy Hollow Speedway.  I was introduced to him by Steve B. who announces at both tracks.

 

Mike told me a little about the High Banks Speedway.  This was his first year and he was proud of what he had built and well he should be.  He told me, “when the four-cylinder cars came into the track on Friday night, I told the drivers we’re going to run the figure 8 show, even though the track is a little wet.  We have a guy who has come all the way from California to see us race.”  Mike, it was great meeting you.  Good luck with the racetrack promotion business!

 

 

ROADFOOD RESTAURANT REVIEW

 

The King Bar-B-Que restaurant was another recommendation from my ROADFOOD book.  I drove nearly an hour out of my way to visit the place.  This eatery is less than a mile from the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where I am still looking to attend the one-mile fairgrounds track.

 

This is one of the most unusual BBQ restaurants I have ever visited.  The ambience is the best ever for a place of this type.  You simply must go to www.ranlayracing.com and click on the High Banks Speedway tab in the “Trackchaser Reports” section to see what I’m talking about.

 

The place used to be an auto repair garage.  Imagine having your local Jiffy Lube convert to a drive-thru only BBQ restaurant.  Then put that Jiffy Lube in a run down neighborhood that might not be the safest place for a fella from East Peoria, Illinois to be hanging out and you have the makings for a “best-ever” BBQ ambience restaurant.  I even was able to take close-up photos of the smoking process.

 

They do not have sitdown dining here.  You must go through a drive-thru and either eat in your car or do a takeaway.  It was somewhat comical when I tried to place my order through the microphone system at the drive-thru.  Finally, after not much success, a woman stuck her black face out of a window just 15 feet away and said, “child, just drive up here and tell me what you want to eat”.  I had not been called child in several summers and did as I was told.

 

The book said go with the ribs.  I did.  My server asked me if I wanted them “hot” or “mild”.   I chose hot.  I am disappointed to say the ribs really were not to my liking.  They were not really hot, as in spicy, and they had much too much fat and gristle for my tastes.  They weren’t terrible, they just weren’t what I was looking for.  I might have been better off choosing something else on today’s menu.

 

I picked the macaroni and cheese and baked beans as my sides.  They were delicious although the portions were too small.  Two slices of bread came along in a cellophane sandwich bag to be used for mopping.  They were out of diet drinks and lemonade.  I went with a Mountain Dew.

 

They serve sweet potato pie and chess pie for dessert.  I had never heard of chess pie, so that’s what I wanted.  They were out of it!  I asked what chess pie was.  “It’s kind of hard to describe,” I was told.  “It’s got lots of sugar, butter and eggs”.  Sounds good to me!  I’ll try it next time.  I did go with the sweet potato pie.  It tasted a lot like pumpkin pie.

 

Overall, it was a very worthwhile visit.  I’ll come back again, but next time I’ll try something other than the ribs.  I will also be interested to see how they do the cooking outdoors in the winter time.

 

 

 

 

STATE RANKINGS

Tonight’s same location trackchasing double, my seventh such double of this type this year gave me my 20^th and 21^st tracks in the Bluegrass state.  I trail Ed Esser’s 23 track total for sixth place.  Surprisingly, Rick Schneider leads in Kentucky with 44 states.

RACE REVIEW – HIGH BANKS SPEEDWAY (OVAL & FIGURE 8), PHILPOT, KENTUCKY – TRACKS #1,232 & #1,233

I had a good time at the High Banks Speedway.  Maybe, I felt that way because I knew I was going to get two new tracks tonight.  Maybe it was because I had a great interview with the announcer, Steve B.  Maybe, it was because the oval track sits down low and is fully surrounded by large trees.  I felt like I was sitting in a city park.

 

The track looked much older than its announced age of just one year.  They were using steel Armco fencing that looked like it had been beat up pretty good for a brand new track.  The car counts were small.  They had several classes including mini-stocks (8), E-mods (5), Pure stocks (6) as well as cruisers (12) and “rusty bolts”.  The cruisers only had one driver, normally that class has two.  I’ve never heard of a “rusty bolts” class.

 

Steve, like many southern announcers, had his unusual (to me) sayings.  He reminded the crowd the concession stand was selling “hot corn on the cob, makes you want to slap your momma”.  O.K.

 

During my interview with him, he told the crowd that it was obvious I wasn’t from around here, because of my accent.  I’ve never been accused of having an accent before.  Maybe it was my lack of accent that gave me away.  I reminded him that my paternal grandmother was from Hopkinsville, Kentucky.  Steve replied with, “he’s one of us” and  the crowd roared their approval.

 

There was some downtime in the event that gave Steve and I a chance to talk off-air some more.  When he heard about the amount of travel I do, he offered me a job!  Seems like a buddy is looking for a “show car” driver to haul around a NASCAR stock car to shopping malls and other places where it would be displayed for a day.

 

The job pays $550 per week, plus $25 per diem.  If a spouse comes along and helps with hospitality, they can earn $450 a week.  It would take a special person to do this type of work and travel.  Steve, said we’re looking for someone “who’s clean cut like you”.  I guess it was my lack of tattoos!  Regretfully, I told Steve I would have to decline his offer.  I don’t work for the man anymore and I don’t work for money. 

 

This track is most unusual in its location.  First, it’s really out in the boonies.  I recognized the scenery because I’ve been lost out in this area looking for the nearby Windy Hollow Speedway.  The entire track sat down in a “holler”.  Yes, I said “holler”.  When I was growing up words like “holler” and “sodee” were part of my everyday vocabulary.

 

Steve, was fond of saying, “it’s gonna get wild before long in this here holler.”  The racing wasn’t the best I’ve seen this year.  There were more yellow flags than there needed to be.  The flagman took the cars around the track for an extra lap before he restarted them.  At the end of the night that probably delayed the program a cumulative 30 minutes. 

 

The lights were fair at best.  There was a good crowd, for a small track in a rural area like this, of 400+ people.  The figure 8 race ran last.  In some ways, the six mini-stocks that took the figure 8 green flag were lucky to race.  I would also say the figure 8 race was the best of the night.

 

The area received two inches of rain last night.  The infield was very wet.  They used earth-moving equipment to get the place in shape all night.  During the race one of the figure 8 cars did a barrel-roll flip.  His first impact upon returning to earth was on his top in the middle of a huge mud puddle.  The impact nearly drowned him!  The car’s momentum sent him flying back onto his wheels.  In less than two seconds, he fired the car back up and motored on.  Overall, it was a nice evening of grass roots racing.  I didn’t have to travel more than 15 miles after the races were over at just past 11 p.m.

 

RENTAL CAR UPDATE

 

St. Louis – Friday-Monday (10 day rental)

The National Rental Car Racing Pontiac Grand Prix is beginning to show the effects of being out on the trackchasing road for nine days.  The boys and girls back at the shop are going to have to give this one a good cleaning.

 

 

 

 

 

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 (1^st RENTAL CAR)

 

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

 

 

AIRPLANE

 

Cincinnati, OH – Grand Rapids, MI  – 268 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR – GRAND RAPIDS (2^ND RENTAL CAR OF TRIP)

 

Gerald R. Ford International Airport – trip begins

Hastings, MI – 25 miles

Gerald R. Ford International Airport – 59 miles - trip ends

 

 

AIRPLANE

 

Grand Rapids, MI – Cincinnati, OH – 268 miles

Cincinnati, OH – Harrisburg, PA - 429 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR – HARRISBURG, PA (3rd RENTAL CAR OF TRIP)

 

Harrisburg International Airport-Olmstead Field – trip begins

Hughesville, PA – 95 miles

Lehigh Valley International Airport – 231 miles - trip ends

 

 

AIRPLANE

 

Allentown, PA – Cincinnati, OH – 503 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR – ST. LOUIS

 

Cincinnati – Northern Kentucky Airport – trip resumes

Muncie, Indiana – 1,511 miles

Hartford, Michigan – 1,744 miles

Philpot, Kentucky – 2,181 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

Barry County Fairgrounds - $14 (Fair-$5 & Figure 8 race-$9)

Lycoming County Fairgrounds - $13 (Fair-$3 & Figure 8 race-$10) plus $2 parking

Delaware County Fairgrounds - $5

Van Buren County Youth Fairgrounds - $8 (Fair-$5 & race $3)

High Banks Speedway - $7

 

 

 

 

 

 

RANKINGS

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE:

 

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

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,233

 

 

 

 

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 - 95

 

2.  Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium - 61

 

3.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 60

 

4.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania – 43

 

5.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 37

 

6.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 36

 

7.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania - 32

 

8.  Pam Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 25

 

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

 

These are the dog days of July and August.  It’s best for me to just to keep my head down and keep adding tracks to my list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

1,227. Barry Expo Center (figure 8), Hastings, Michigan – July 16

 

1,228. Lycoming County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Hughesville, Pennsylvania, Michigan – July 17

 

1,229. Delaware County Fairgrounds (figure 8), Muncie, Indiana – July 18

 

1,230. Delaware County Fairgrounds (oval), Muncie, Indiana – July 18

 

1,231. Van Buren County Youth Fairgrounds (road course), Hartford, Michigan – July 19

 

1,232. High Banks Speedway (oval), Philpot, Kentucky – July 20

 

1,233. High Banks Speedway (figure 8), Philpot, Kentucky – July 20