Randy Lewis

PEORIA JOURNAL STAR

 

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Motorsports

 

Trackchaser Randy Lewis says Peoria Speedway still his favorite among 959 tracks he’s visited

 

BY DON BAKER

OF THE JOURNAL STAR

 

Randy Lewis has officially been to more auto speedways than anyone else in the world this year.

 

Lewis, originally from East Peoria and now living in San Clemente, California has visited and seen racing programs at more than 150 tracks this year, a one-year record for anyone involved in what is called “Trackchasing.”

 

Lewis attended the race program at the Peoria Speedway on Labor Day, a return to the site that first got Lewis hooked on auto racing when he was 5 years old.

 

Lewis is in sixth place on the list of official worldwide trackchasers with 959 different track visits.  Rich Schneider of Bayshore, N.Y. leads with 1,038 tracks.

 

But Lewis thinks he’ll lead all trackchasers some day because he is retired and has the time and means to see more tracks than do many of his fellow trackchasers.

 

As a young boy in East Peoria, Lewis lived on the same street as three local racing families whose drivers competed at the Peoria Speedway then located at Mt. Hawley.

 

His neighborhood race enthusiasts included the Pappy Allen family (for whom the Labor Day memorial program is run annually), Don Dabney and Jim Penn.  Vance Gojohn and Jim Strube were some of the racers involved with those cars.

 

He went to the speedway virtually every Saturday night during the summer of the 1960s and has returned 14 times since 1980.  Labor Day, however, marked his first visit since 1997.

 

Lewis admits he doesn’t fit the profile of the normal trackchaser.

 

“The normal trackchaser is single or divorced,” Lewis states.  “He is well-educated with five college graduates in the top 10 trackchasers.  Many of them visit tracks that are within 600 miles from their homes, but many drive incredible distances.  Many sleep in their cars overnight to keep expenses down.

 

“I fly to most of my locations since there are no tracks within 1,000 miles of where I live that I have not already visited.”

 

Lewis finds out about different race track by checking out the more than 700 speedway web sites in existence and the roughly 1,000 driver-sanctioning groups.

 

Lewis says “Leisure” is his main hobby in life.  Trackchasing takes up a major part of his time but his other activities include UCLA football and basketball games, Angels baseball games, movies, plays and local high school girls basketball games.

 

Lewis also loves to travel and has visited tracks in eight different countries.

 

His wife Carol is 44^th on the trackchasing list with 216 tracks to her credit.

 

Lewis says Peoria Speedway is his favorite track of all the ones he’s visited for several reasons.

 

“Competition is close to the spectator and cars race side by side with the high and low grooves at Peoria Speedway,” Lewis said.  “Peoria has more side-by-side racing in the low and high groove than at any track I’ve ever seen.  That doesn’t exist as many tracks.

 

Lewis notes the changes since he first attended Peoria Speedway. 

 

“They have gone from a standing start of three cars abreast to a running start,” Lewis said.  “But they are still one of the few that have officials on the actual track.”

 

His wife still carries a scar from when a car hit the fence at Peoria Speedway and bent a light post which then hit her leg.

 

“That bent light pole is still there,” Lewis said.

 

Safety is becoming more of an issue.  Lewis has personally witnessed six drivers and one spectator die.  But he feels overall racing has become safer.

 

“Insurers are demanding that safety continues to improve for both the racer and the spectator from race promoters,” Lewis said.  “It will always be a dangerous sport, however.”

 

Lewis predicts a continued decline in dirt tracks racing in the United States.

 

“Real estate is becoming too valuable and there are many other forms of entertainment,” Lewis said.  “And NASCAR races are now in competition on some Saturday nights with free close-up television viewing for race fans to get their fix.

 

“I think auto racing dirt tracks will become a declining venue.  Promoters have also had to increase the number of classes racing from just street and stock classes from when I first attend.  They need money from both the back gate (the pit crew and racer entry fee) and the spectator gate to make it these days.”

 

Lewis has seen some tracks with only 50 to 200 fans attending.

 

But as long as there is a track Lewis hasn’t seen, his journey will continue with the roar of each new engine.

 

ON THE WEB

Randy Lewis blogs a newsletter chronicling his visits to race tracks around the world, including Peoria Speedway, at:

http//www.ranlayracing.com