2006
TRACKCHASING ANNUAL REPORT
TRAVEL
AND BUDGETING
Last year I had a personal best in
number of tracks seen with 182. To get
those tracks I traveled about 147,000 miles in rental cars and airplanes. This year I “only”
made it to 147 tracks. You might think
my travel mileage would have decreased compared to 2005. Nope! I
ended up traveling 208,314 miles this year!
I could compare 208,000 miles to
many things to try to convince you that’s a lot of seat time. Somehow, I don’t think I have to do
that. Here is how those miles broke out.
Airline – 161,751
Rental car – 42,354 (I drove my personal car about 15,000 miles
in 2006)
My car – 2,178
Friend’s cars – 2,031
There are some good things that came
about with all of this travel. First, I
didn’t use my car much, so it’s not worn out from trackchasing. Secondly, with my airline sponsors coming on
board in September, my airline expense wasn’t as high as it could have been. Finally, it has been my practice to not
include mileage from my house to my home airports. I probably should include it, but I didn’t
from the beginning and wanted to keep my records comparable from year to
year. With 37 airline round-trips this
year, that would probably add another 3-4,000 total miles.
Of course, with that amount of
travel, you might think it would wreck havoc with my trackchasing budget. If you thought that, you would be partially
correct. Here’s how I did against the budget
I established for trackchasing at the beginning of the year.
Airfare – 62%
Rental cars – 126%
Gasoline – 154%
Airport parking – 103%
Hotels – 100%
Food – 118%
Race tickets – 86%
Total – 95%
The airfare results were reduced
dramatically when I started flying for free or near free for the last three
months of the year. I just
underestimated what it would cost to rent cars.
The various taxes that are added to the base rental car fee are
onerous. That situation definitely goes
against the “no taxation without representation”
maxim.
You might think the over budget gasoline
result was due to higher gas prices.
That was only half of the problem.
I underestimated how much I would be driving. I averaged nearly $49 in gasoline for EVERY
one of my trackchasing days. That’s a
little more than a tank a day.
I was pleased to come in on budget
in the hotel category. Food and race
tickets are two of my lower budgeted items by dollar amount, so I was O.K. with
my results here.
I finished 2006 at just 95% of my
overall budget plan. I’m happy with
that. The airline sponsorship made that
happen. I don’t expect to trackchase
quite as much as I did this past year, but then who really knows. My 2007 trackchasing budget is only about 75%
of what I spent in 2006. I expect to
achieve full year savings from the airlines and have actually increased my
budget for rental cars and gasoline.
I go about budgeting my trackchasing
expenses just like I do my household expenses.
If you don’t have a budget, you don’t know where you’re going and you
won’t know whether to celebrate or cry once you reach the finish line.
GOALS,
GOALS, GOALS
At the end of the 2004 season, I
wrote, “I still have 1,054 tracks in the
In 2005, I saw 182 tracks. In 2006, I saw 147 tracks. That’s a combined total of 329 tracks. You would think after seeing this many tracks
in the past two years, my 2004 total of 1,054 tracks still to be seen would be
significantly reduced. Wrong! Really wrong!! My fellow competitors and I have been
discovering North American tracks so rapidly that even after having seen 329
new tracks in the past two years, I STILL HAVE 1,252 tracks in my database
still to be seen. I will be lucky if I
ever get the remaining tracks total below 1,000 in
This season provided my third
consecutive worldwide trackchasing championship. This is my seventh consecutive year of
finishing in the top three in the world rankings. No one has ever done that. My goal for 2007 is to once again finish in
the top three as well as to win my fourth straight championship. No one, in the modern era of trackchasing,
has ever won four straight. P.J.
Hollebrand won six consecutive championships back in the 70s but that was before
most people were keeping track of their visits by date.
I missed my goal of “playing golf the same number of days that I trackchase in
‘06.” I trackchased 115 days and
only hit the golf links 88 times. That’s
better than in 2005 when “I went trackchasing about
125 times and only played golf about 55 times.” Had I not received my airline sponsorship,
which kept me on the road several extra days, I think I would have nearly
reached my trackchasing vs. golfing days goal.
My goal in 2006 will be too finally have a 50/50 balance between
trackchasing and golf.
I have a few other goals for 2007. I want to extend my current worldwide
trackchasing lead over my fellow competitors.
Currently, the closest trackchaser trails by more than 60 tracks. I’d like to get that lead up to 100 tracks or
more, but we’ll have to wait and see.
I also want to continue to write
entertaining Trackchaser Reports. Of
course, you the reader will be the judge of that. I know that the reports are a little longer
than some might prefer. This is why I
separate the report into major headline groups just like a newspaper would have
different sections. Hopefully, each
reader can hone in on the sections of the Trackchaser Report that are most
interesting if there is not enough time to read the entire copy. Of course, readers can go to www.ranlracing.com and see pictures of
the event as well as the text of the Trackchaser Report for each new
track. I suspect that you can get 80% of
the feel of the entire experience just by looking at the pictures.
My final goal is to simply put more
time, technology and resources into trackchasing than any other
trackchaser. I want my research, which
yields new tracks and new track combinations, to be superior. Trackchasing research is like squeezing a
lemon. The harder you squeeze the more
juice you get. Of course, I will share
the dates on my website for all to see as I always do.
The staff at RANLAY Racing and I
have been busy planning a fantastic 2007 trackchasing season. With the support from my current airline
sponsors and several additional airlines that are expected to come on board
early in the year, my trips should be more creative than ever. I hope to continue with some international
trips, although I don’t know where those might be at this time. By the time you read this, I will already
have a strong start on the 2007 season.
I would be remiss if I didn’t
mention the one main person I have to thank when I think about being able to
trackchase whenever I want too. That
would be wife, Carol. She is comfortable
going on a trackchasing trip and comfortable if I go on a trackchasing trip on
my own. That’s the best kind of life
partner to have.
For the second consecutive year,
Carol went on enough trips to become the #1 woman trackchaser in the world. She even matched the all-time record for
tracks seen in one year by a woman that she established in 2005. That’s outstanding. I don’t think Carol has a goal of repeating
as champion. However, that makes her
just like every other trackchaser that I compete with. No one is willing to commit to what they have
plan or will achieve. Everyone plays it
very conservatively, but nearly everyone keeps trackchasing nearly every
weekend. I guess it’s just an addictive
hobby.
I thank each and every one of you
for reading along with me as I visited racetracks all over the world. I would also like to thank the track
announcers and promoters that made my season so enjoyable in 2006. As you can probably tell, the hobby for me is
more about “The Amazing Race” than the
racing itself. I enjoy the challenge of
getting from point A to point B as well as meeting the people along the
way.
NUMBERS! NUMBERS!
NUMBERS!
I wanted to share with you the
highlights of my 2006 trackchasing season.
Here they are:
Total new tracks seen: 147
Total states visited 37
Total countries visited 3
2 Canadian provinces
One new country: New Zealand
Track breakout
Dirt ovals – 68
Asphalt ovals – 22
Figure 8 tracks – 20
Road Course tracks - 15
Kart tracks – 14
Indoor tracks - 8
Repeat tracks – 11
Doubles breakout
Day/Night doubles – 16
Same location doubles – 4
Blended double no feature on front
end – 5
Blended double feature on both ends
– 5
Traditional doubles – 2
Blended doubles with no feature on
the front end at NSD tracks - 1
Total trackchasing days in 2006 – 115
Total golfing days in 2006 – 88
Trackchasing days completely rained
out – 6
Total consecutive trackchasing days
seen without a trackchasing day rained out – 109 (NWR) carried over from 2005
Total consecutive tracks seen
without a trackchasing day rained out – 160 (NWR) carried over from 2005
Non-National
Total # of new and repeat tracks
seen – 158
24 straight weeks with at least one
new track
9 straight weeks with at least one
round of golf
Total cavities in 2006 – 1
Total flying trips – 37
Total driving trips – 5
Randy’s total overnight stays in
2006 – 160
Randy’s total overnight stays due to
trackchasing in 2006 – Most of them
Carol’s total overnight stays in
2005 – 82
Carol’s total overnight stays due to
trackchasing in 2005 – about 55
Most tracks seen on one trip – 13
Most tracks seen in one month – 20 -
June
There were several states/provinces/countries
where I established or tied my personal bests for seeing new tracks. The first number is my track total for this
year. The second number is my previous
best number of new tracks in that state:
BEST/WORST
TRACKS
Most fun trackchasing day
of the season
Empty Jug Raceway,
Ballymena Raceway, Ballymena,
Tri-State
Best tracks re-visited in
2006
Best racing
Western Springs
Best indoor racing
Most racing in the rain
Huntly
Luckiest tracks to even
see a race at (weather, location, etc.)
Thunderbowl Speedway of
Sunny South Speedway,
Coldwater Raceway,
Canaan Fair
Huntly
Worst racing
Coldest Weather
Watermelon Capital
Superior Speedway, Superior,
Hottest Weather
Best newspaper coverage of
trackchasing
Stevens
Tillsonburg
Enid Motor
Blue Chip
Tracks I was happy to
finally visit
Park Jefferson
Tri-City
Best overall new facility
(don’t miss these tracks!)
Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland,
Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds,
Best at the track
trackchaser interview
Legion
Rush
Best at the track radio
interview
Little Valley
Best physical plant
Shenandoah Speedway,
Lucas Oil
Blue Chip
Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds,
Best Finds
Qualcomm Stadium
Most memorable
Auburndale Kartway,
East Lincoln Speedway, Stanley,
Most Scenic
Little Valley
Best Track Food
Little Valley
Best
Ballymena Raceway,
Mendips Raceway,
Worst Bugs
Most Rural
Hemi Speedway,
Spring Valley Raceway,
Empty Jug Raceway,
Most disappointing
Windy Hollow
Most Friendly
Legion
Most Unfriendly
Devil’s Bowl
Worst Viewing Track
Most rundown
Rocky Top Raceway,
Legion
Dustiest track
Hemi Speedway,
Best vintage racing
Little Log House
Rained out tracks
Monadnock
Autodrome Edelweiss, Cantley,
Blue Chip
MISSED
OPPORTUNITIES
There weren’t very many missed
opportunities in 2006. I was only rained
out six days out of the 121 trackchasing days I planned to see racing.
My February 11 rainout at the
The
The year 2006 was another safe year
of traveling. I haven’t gotten a
speeding ticket since 2003. That’s more
than 100,000 miles of driving at speeds of 5-10 M.P.H. over the limit with no
tickets.
TRACKCHASING
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
When I am out on the trackchasing
trail, I am always on the lookout for local attractions to visit and
enjoy. Finding such places is even more
enjoyable when Carol or another member of the family is with me. During the course of the year, we’ll get to
touch and feel lots of cool places. I
call them Trackchasing Tourist Attractions.
Here are the major TTAs we visited in 2006 during our trackchasing
travels.
NCAA Basketball Championships (UCLA
vs.
St. Cecelia Catholic Church, Jasper,
Virginia Tech University tour,
Blacksburg, Virginia
Washington D.C. city tour,
Washington, D.C.
Northern Illinois University tour,
DeKalb, Illinois
What’ Ya Know NPR radio show with
Michael Feldman, Madison, Wisconsin
The
Cirque
du Soleil, Bellagio Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Van Der Geest Dairy Farm,
Meramec Caverns,
Matt Brewing Company factory tour,
Utica, New York
Vermont Teddy Bear factory tour,
Shelburne, Vermont
Mall of America,
Spam Museum tour, Austin Minnesota
Scheel’s Sports Stores (largest
sports store in the world),
Crater’s of the Moon National Park,
nr Arco, Idaho
Scheel’s – largest sports store in
the world, Fargo,
Fargo-Moorhead Firecats minor league
baseball game, Fargo,
Whirlpool Golf Course,
Niagara Falls,
Tractor Supply Store,
Harvard University tour, Boston,
Massachusetts
Bryan Park Golf Course with George
Robertson,
UCLA vs. Notre Dame, Notre Dame
Stadium,
UCLA vs. USC, Rose Bowl, Pasadena,
Bass Pro Shop,
Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter
& Underwater World, Auckland, New Zealand
Blokarting,
PEOPLE
VISITS
The Sabos,
Mark Virt,
The Virts,
Kindred Powell,
The Skonickis,
The Browns,
The Heinemans,
The Boeyes,
The Robertson clan, Eden, North
Carolina
RANLAY
Racing Money Back Guarantees
Boll Weevil Restaurants -
Honey Bear’s BBQ – Several locations
in Phoenix, Arizona
Victory Lane Indoor
Barbara’s Fishtrap, Princeton by the
Sea, California
Weasie’s Kitchen, Waynesboro,
Virginia
Hog Wild Pit BBQ,
Front Porch Steak House,
PREDICTIONS,
PREDICTIONS, PREDICTIONS
Back in July, 2006, I made some
predictions about how the then current trackchasing top 10 would do in the
balance of the year. You’ll be able to
read July comments (in black) and then
see (in blue) how everyone finished their
season.
Here is my take on the current top
10 trackchasers and their chance for a podium finish based upon their track
totals after the first six months or so were completed.
I’ve indicated in BLUE
font where each of the July, 2006 top 10 trackchasers finished relative to my
predictions of July, 2006.
The base data comes from www.trackchaser.net and includes the time period from January 1, 2006 – June 30, 2006. The study was completed with all data posted by July 8, 2006. Of course, we can’t wait for ever for anybody tardy in reporting their tracks.
A few interesting tidbits…………through the first half of the year.
This year’s top 10 has seen a combined 352 tracks, last year’s top 10 saw 342 tracks in the first half of the year. This is a 2.9% increase in tracks seen by the top 10.
Only four of the worldwide top 10 career trackchasers rank in the top 10 for the first half of 2006.
Of the six career top 10 trackchasers not ranked in the 2006 current top 10, three do not report their tracks regularly. At least two of those people don’t see very many tracks anymore. The remaining three who do report their tracks have seen a combined total of just 21 tracks. There is strong evidence that as trackchasers “Mature” their production goes down.
Two of this year’s top 10 were not even “Trackchaser eligible” at this time last year. Both Mike Knappenberger and Carol Lewis have added their lists to the trackchaser group during the last 12 months.
THE RESULTS AND THE PREDICTIONS
Here is my take on the current top 10 trackchasers (through June 30, 2006) and their chance for a podium finish.
10. Pam Smith, Effort, PA – 19 tracks
July 8, 2006. Pam is the first, and only to my knowledge, Ph.D. we have ever had in trackchasing. She is having a solid season after getting a 10th place finish in 2005, her best ever. The only real question is will Pam become the first woman ever to take a “Qualifying” trackchasing trip by herself. Again, to my knowledge, no woman has ever taken a trackchasing trip by herself, which includes staying overnight in a hotel, driving herself to the track and seeing a new track on that trip. It is rumored that other women are about ready to attempt such a trip. Who will be the first?
Final finish – 58
tracks. This was an excellent year for
Mrs. Smith. The year, 2006, was a
personal best. Anyone who achieves a
personal best deserves full recognition for an outstanding effort. Pam’s results earned her a 2006 9th
place finish.
9. Guy Smith, Effort, PA – 25 tracks
July 8, 2006. Guy is one of the leading “Regional” trackchasers of all time. Most of his tracks come from the North American Easter Region. By they way, I will soon have more information about the regionality of trackchasing.
Guy is on pace for an average year and should be able to maintain a lower top 10 ranking for the year. He is one of the younger trackchasers in the career top 20. The only question is, “Will he be able to keep the leaders in sight long enough to use the advantage of his youth?” No chance for a podium finish this season.
Final finish – 72
tracks. This was also an excellent year
for Mr. Smith. Just like the
achievements of his wife, Guy had a personal best in 2006. Anyone who achieves a personal best deserves
full recognition for an outstanding effort.
Guy’s results earned him a 2006 6th place finish.
7. Roger Ferrell – Majenica, IN – 26 tracks
July 8, 2006. Roger is coming off of three consecutive top 10 finishes during 2003-2005. His best ever finish was fourth. He won’t get that this year, but could improve his current position. Roger gets to some of the more unusual tracks, which can only confirm that he and his background research crew spend much more time with this hobby than they are willing to admit. I’m still waiting for my first “Roger sighting” of 2006.
Final finish – 71
tracks. It looks like we are seeing
several trackchasers achieve their personal bests this year. This was the case for Roger. It was also the third consecutive year that he
has seen 60 or more tracks in a season.
Roger is another one of those trackchasers who will tell you he doesn’t
have any idea where his next track is coming from. He usually leaves that conversation and heads
directly to his next track! Roger
currently holds 19th spot in the trackchaser worldwide
rankings. Roger has an excellent chance
to crack the worldwide top 15 in 2007.
7. Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, PA - 26 tracks
July 8, 2006. This is Gordon’s first flirtation with the top 10. The current career National Geographic Diversity leader has had a big year including seeing his 1,000th career track.
Of the very top trackchasers, Gordon
gets out of his North American region more than just about anyone.
Current records show that he spends just over 50% of his trackchasing time in
the Eastern Region of
Final finish – 58 tracks. This is Gordon’s first return to the top 10
since 2004 when he achieved a 9th place finish. He is one of the best travelers of the entire
East coast contingent. Gordon continues
to hold onto a slim lead in the lifetime National Geographic Diversity
standings. He also see about one track
out of each twenty outside of the
6. Paul Weisel – Orefield, PA – 28 tracks
July 8, 2006. Paul is one of the brightest lights of the trackchasing newcomer’s crop. He along with Roger Ferrell and Roland Vanden Eynde are waging quite a battle in and around the top 20 spot in the career standings. At their current pace, they will all be hovering around positions 10-15 in just a couple of years.
Paul’s season has been hampered by a broken foot. This will prevent Paul from bettering his fourth place finish of last year. I think there is a very good chance that Paul will improve his current annual ranking before the year is out.
Final finish – 87
tracks. The year 2006 was a personal
best for Paul. We’re seeing a number of
trackchasers that were not on the worldwide trackchaser radar screen at the
turn of the century achieving great numbers.
He sits in 21st place in the worldwide standings. Paul is having a classic duel with Roger
Ferrell and Roland Vanden Eynde. This
threesome is moving up fast in the lifetime standings. It will be interesting to see where these
trackchasers go in the next 1-3 years as the easier pickings tend to dry up.
5. Carol Lewis – San Clemente, CA – 29 tracks
July 8, 2006. I’ve known this trackchaser longer than anyone else in the worldwide trackchaser group. She is coming off a very strong 7th place finish from last year.
I have some inside knowledge
regarding her 2006 trackchasing plans. I suspect she’ll finish about
where she did last year, maybe a spot higher. Of all the listed
trackchasers who reside in the
Final finish – 63 tracks. T