GREETINGS FROM SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN

 

 

I WOKE UP IN SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING. THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.

 

 

You can click on www.ranlayracing.com to see photos from my Memorial Day, six tracks Upper Midwest tour (May 25-29).  After you receive the Trackchaser Report for each track, I’ll have photos posted on the website for that track for you to see.  This will allow you to put pictures with the words.

 

 

 

 

PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS

 

The Strategy

 

Tonight’s track in Superior, Wisconsin took me 505 miles up the road from last night’s new track in Jefferson, South Dakota.  Surely, there were closer Friday night tracks than Superior Speedway.  Yes, there were.

 

Actually, the reason I came to Superior, Wisconsin from Jefferson, South Dakota has nothing directly to do with either of those cities.  The real reason is that I needed to be in Brainerd, Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.  Since I was flying into Omaha on Thursday afternoon and going to Jefferson that evening, I needed something to fill in the middle (Friday night) so I could get to Brainerd by 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.  Anyway, that’s how I ended up in Superior, Wisconsin.

 

 

The trip

 

Driving 500 or 600 miles a day in the world of trackchasing is simply what needs to be done.  If you can’t do that then you can’t be a world-class trackchaser.  I had not properly evaluated one other factor.  I would be driving through the middle of Minneapolis-St. Paul on late Friday afternoon on getaway day for a three-day holiday.  As you might expect, traffic was heavy.  It was really heavy. 

 

I think I must have been behind every single Minnesotan heading out with their boat to Lake Wobegon.  I made about 10 miles in two hours.  This put me behind schedule.  Racing started at 7 p.m.  I had intended to arrive at 6 p.m. and did not get there until 8 p.m.

 

I did need to take a 12-minute Minnesota rest stop power nap.  Maybe that was because of my 50 minute early morning (well, not that early) power walk.  At one point in the drive, it sounded like it was starting to rain.  Actually, it was just a very large amount of huge large bugs hitting the windshield for about 20 seconds.  I did pick up a can of “Backwoods Cutter” at the very next gas stop.  Welcome to Minnesota!

 

Another unexpected factor was the weather.  Although other parts of the country were having weather problems, the forecast everywhere I had gone or was going to go was relatively rain-free.  The forecast at race time for Superior was for 55 degrees.  That was hard to believe since when I drove through Minneapolis it was in the mid-80s.

 

When I was just 30 miles south of Superior it was still 77 degrees.  Was weather.com finally going to let me down?  Nope!  By the time I reached the Superior Speedway at 8 p.m. the temperature had dropped to 51 degrees!  That was quite a decline in just 30 miles.  You see the Superior Speedway is just a couple of miles from one of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior. 

 

With the cold temperatures and wind off the lake, I had to make a pit stop during the racing program.  A trip to the car had me adding a pair of long pants, stocking cap and gloves.  I even went for wearing my surfer shorts over my long pants.  I had four layers of long sleeved clothing on my upper body.  I’ll be out five nights on this trip.  The weather forecast is for 90 degrees and above for four of those nights.  However, the forecast was 50-55 for Superior.  By the end of the night it was down into the mid-40s with a stiff 15-20 M.P.H. wind.

 

 

The People

 

I always love to talk to the people sitting next to me at the races.  There are so many different cultures and classes of folks at the races.  They reside in so many locales that are different from where I come from.

 

Tonight I sat next to a man who had just retired from the Wisconsin state highway department.  He offered several interesting observations.  He retired early at 55 years of age.  His strategy was, “Ya, I retired a few years early and took a little hit to my retirement income.  But, heck, you never know how long you’re going to live.”  I support that strategy to the fullest.

 

If you’re 45 or younger, you might want to make a note of this.  If you’re older than 45, forget it, it’s too late for you.  Every $100 you save for retirement now, will double in about ten years (assumes 7% annual return on investment).  In ten years, that one-hundred dollar bill, will be worth $200, in twenty years $400 and in thirty years $800.  Do you want to have $800 in 30 years or spend $100 on something you won’t even remember buying a year from now.  The cool thing about economics is you get to decide what’s best for you.

 

Our highway department worker shook his head when I asked him if his job was dangerous.  “The people just don’t give you any room.  I wish I had a rifle so I could shoot out the tires of everybody who uses their cell phone while they drive.  They’re all over the road.”  As I listened, I pushed my cell phone deeper into my pocket.  I will agree that I see some strange driving behavior from my cell phone driving fellow motorists.

 

My friend decided that trackchasing wasn’t for him.  “Too much windshield time for me,” he told me.  He meant there was too much driving involved.  He’s right; there is a good deal of driving.

 

 

RACE TRACK STATS:

 

SUPERIOR SPEEDWAY, SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN - TRACK #1,042 – 5/26/06

 

This was my 43^rd track to see in Wisconsin.  I’m still in 9^th place but only one track behind Rick Schneider.  Ed Esser leads in the Badger state with 94 tracks.

 

 

 

RACE TRACK NEWS:

 

SUPERIOR SPEEDWAY

 

Tonight’s program was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.   Because of the Friday afternoon holiday traffic jam in Minneapolis, I didn’t get into my seat until 8 p.m.  I don’t think I missed much.

 

Before I could be seated, I needed some grub.  My Diet Coke and two pieces of Domino’s Pizza seemed like a reasonable selection.  However, it was difficult to carry everything.  I had a full camera bag with digital camera, video camera and race scanner.  Attached to the camera bag was my noise canceling headset.  I was also carrying my steel folding Sabo sponsored stadium seat. 

 

Carrying two pieces of pizza and a can of soda was with all of that gear was a challenge.  I decided to put the soda can in the side pocket of my surfer shorts.  I’ve discovered that surfer shorts with an elastic waistband carrying extra weight (I’m not referring to me!) over silk boxers don’t work that well.  I barely made it to my grandstand seat without losing me drawers.

 

I didn’t know how much of the program I had missed by arriving an hour late.  I suspect they must have started late.  There were only three classes running.  These included a budget modified class, IRA sprint cars and full-scale modified class.  I saw three heats of sprints and three heat of the regular mod class.  I guess I only missed the heats of the budget modified class.

 

The 3/8 mile high-banked oval was dryer than most tracks I’ve seen recently.  The grandstand was absolutely packed.  That surprised me at $20 a pop.  The chain link wheel fence made it difficult to see the cars on the front stretch.  The lights were only fair, but the announcer and P.A. system were very good.  The announcer gave the crowd a brief background on trackchasing.

 

I saw a first tonight.  One of the track’s safety personnel flipped his four wheel ATV machine trying to respond to an on track accident.  His accident happened right in front of the grandstand.  I suspect he was more embarrassed than anything else.

 

I’m not nearly the sprint car fan I used to be.  I don’t like when they have to push start every car.  This is especially time consuming after each red flag restart. 

 

Nevertheless, it was good to get the Superior Speedway in my rearview mirror.  It fit the geographical bill for tomorrow’s road racing effort.  In addition, being just across the river from Duluth, Minnesota, it’s not that easy to get too.

 

 

WEATHER CONDITIONS

 

I know that when you’re seated comfortably in front of your computer screen, 50 degrees doesn’t seem that cold.  However, when you add a 20 M.P.H. wind and you’re wearing shorts and t-shirt, it doesn’t take long to get real chilly! 

 

 

 

RENTAL CAR UPDATE:

 

The National Rental Car Racing Chevy Impala is getting me down the road.  I’m never without my portable XM radio.  The rental car’s radio provides the audio.  With XM, I get great reception from a wide range of music and talk stations.  This really helps when I’m driving more than 500 miles in a day.

 

 

 

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 – 1,042

2.  Rick Schneider – Bay Shore, New York - 1,039 (-3)

3.  Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan – 1,021 (-21)

4.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,015 (-27)

5.  Andy Sivi, Clairton, Pennsylvania – 1,007 (-35)

6.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania – 999 (-43)

 

 

 

Other notables

 

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

 

37.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania - 257 (+9)

38.  Spike Rixon, Watford, England - 252 (+4)

39.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California - 248

39.  Virginia Schuler, Allentown, Pennsylvania - 248 (+/- 0)

41.  Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana – 246 (-2)

 

 

 

 

2006 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California - 51

2.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 32

3.  Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 27

4.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania - 22

5.  Roger Ferrell, Majenica, Indiana – 18

5.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 18

7.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 17

8.  Linda Thomas, Watford, England - 13

8.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 13

10.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania - 10

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

Randy Lewis

The World’s #1 Ranked Trackchaser

 

Eat all your sandwiches.  You’ll need them for the pursuit.

 

 

 

 

 

CUMULATIVE TRAVEL DISTANCES:

 

AIRPLANE

 

Santa Ana, CA – Denver, CO – 844 miles

Denver, CO – Omaha, NE - 470 miles

 

RENTAL CAR

 

Omaha Airport – trip begins

Jefferson, South Dakota – 115 miles

Superior, Wisconsin – 620 miles

 

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

Park Jefferson Speedway – $18

Superior Speedway - $20

 

 

 

Past trackchasing stories 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

 

I’ve already hit South Dakota and Wisconsin on this trip.  I plan to finish up with tracks in Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas.

 

 

 

 

 

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