Randy Lewis

GREETINGS FROM ROSAMOND, CALIFORNIA

I am going to deviate from my normal Trackchaser Report format today.  I will return to my normal reporting style after I see my next countable track.

The Strategy                                                                                    

In order for a trackchaser to be able to count a track in the world of trackchasing, several things must happen simultaneously.  We have rules regarding the track, the drivers, the cars and the racing.  In order for a track to be “countable”, it must meet trackchasing requirements in all four of these categories.

 

The lion’s share of these rules were developed before I joined the trackchasing group.  There have been a few updates, since I joined, but the vast majority of the rules have been in place since day one.  I do not agree with all of our current rules, but then I don’t agree with all of our nation’s current laws either.  Nevertheless, I agree to abide by them as written.  However, I must admit that I can imagine some rules that I could never support.

 

Let’s take a look at how I did today against our rules in these four trackchasing critical areas.  The pertinent rules that apply is these four areas are listed below in Red font.

 

The Track

 

Trackchaser rule:  All permanent and temporary tracks are countable, as long as the racing activity viewed meets the minimum requirements for type of vehicle, event, class and any other pertinent category. Examples of tracks include (but are not limited to) ovals, road courses, airports, public roads and streets, parking areas, field tracks, indoor arenas, frozen bodies of water, figure eight courses, offroad courses, etc.

 

Any track that is composed entirely of the apron of another track (ie: no part of it is physically separated) can not be counted as a second track (ex: Lake Erie).

 

Today’s track is named the “Walt James Stadium.”  It’s a semi-banked 3/8 mile dirt track.   This is a permanent track.  It is also an oval track.  There is a separate ¼ mile asphalt oval track inside of the larger dirt track.  They are not connected.  The racing surfaces of these two tracks are separated by a flat dirt area some 10-20 feet wide. 

 

Based upon trackchaser rules, the Walt James Stadium is countable as a “track.”  I had met the first of the four trackchaser requirements.

 

The Drivers

 

Trackchaser rule:  Any car or truck type class that allows adult drivers is countable. There needn't necessarily be adults racing in each particular race in order to count the track.  

The Western Racing Association (http://www.westernracing.com/) was the sanctioning group for today’s events.  Most of the WRA cars are vintage racers from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.  They are owned and driven today by the men who watched them or owned and drove them back in their heyday.  The pre-dominant hair color of today’s drivers ranged from white to silver.  As I roamed the pits, I felt young again!

 

Based upon trackchaser rules, the drivers at the Walt James Stadium would definitely be considered adults.  I had met the second of the four trackchaser requirements.

The Cars

Trackchaser rule:  Any car or truck type class that allows adult drivers is countable.  Motorcycles, boats, tractors, lawn mowers, snowmobiles, concession rides, bicycles, radio controlled or slot cars, etc. are not countable.

Little cars such as micro stocks, mini cup cars, champ karts and half midgets count but in general all other go-karts do not count

Today I was seeing Kurtis midgets, Dreyer frame big cars, Solar midgets, track roadsters, 1930s champ cars and even some more modern, relatively, stock cars. 

 

Based upon trackchaser rules, the cars at the Walt James Stadium would definitely meet our standards.  I had met the third of the four trackchaser requirements.

The Racing

Trackchaser rule:  To count a track you must see actual racing competition. No time trials are countable, even if multiple racers are on track simultaneously. No practice only counts. No visits on off days count.

Vintage racing only counts if there is actual racing with no speed limit (ex: New York Mid-State Antique Modifieds at Morris count. Williams Grove Old-Timers at Latimore Valley do not).

Today was not an off day at the Walt James Stadium.  There were about 75 racing machines in attendance.  There were no time trials.

 

I had called ahead to the Willow Springs track office to make sure the group was holding “real” races.  It is very difficult to get consistent feedback on this question.  As an example, there are many race fans who would not consider figure 8 events a “race.”  However, trackchaser rules do consider figure 8 races countable.

 

I asked “Jim” my Willow Springs contact, who had been referred to me, as the official word on the subject, “Will the W.R.A. be having real races?”  His initial answer was “No, they are not really races.”  That answer seemed a bit tentative.  I probed a little further.

 

I offered this.  “What I mean by races is will they line up a few cars, throw a green flag and run a few laps and then throw a checkered flag?”  Jim’s reply was, “If that’s what you’re calling a ‘race’ yes they will be racing.”  I felt better.  I felt good enough to drive nearly 300 miles round-trip to see what the W.R.A. had to offer.

 

When I arrived I was impressed with the large number of beautiful vintage cars.  I love the AARN vintage racing back in the Midwest, but I think the W.R.A. has them beat on car count and overall quality.  This is not a knock on the AARN, they have some fine vintage machines and they are willing to race them.

 

I still wasn’t convinced I would be seeing real trackchaser countable racing.  I arrived just as the driver’s meeting was breaking up.  I did track down the race organizer after the meeting wrapped up.  I asked him if they would be having “real” races.  His first answer was “No, not real races.”  Again, I asked for further clarification without trying to lead my witness.

 

“All I’m looking for is having the cars line up, throwing a green flag, running a few laps and throwing a checkered flag.  Will you be doing that,” I asked.  “Yes, our cars will be racing especially the caged sprint group,” he yelled as he sped off on his four-wheel ATV machine.  That still wasn’t the most definitive of answers.  I guess I would have to just wait and see what happened.

 

Here IS what actually happened.  The cars came out onto the track in groups of 10-12.  Often the “classes” were intermixed.  They might have some stock cars on the track at the same time as open wheelers.  Winged sprints were on the track at the same time that legends were. 

 

Once the group of cars were all safely running on the track and spread evenly apart all over the track, the green flag was thrown.  After a few laps, the checkered flag was thrown.

 

I had met the first three of the four rules regarding countable racing.  I had to decide if I was seeing “actual racing competition.”  Were these cars trying to pass each other in order to win a race?  Was there a designated winner at the end of the race?  The short answer is no, this was not actual countable racing.  This was just hot laps.  I could not count this track in my lifetime trackchaser totals. 

 

Although I would end up driving some 300 miles on this trip and seeing some beautiful racecars perform just “as if” they were racing, they really were not racing.  The W.R.A. DOES actually race during the year at venues all over southern California; they just don’t hold real races at the Walt James Stadium.  One old-timer told me this was due to insurance reasons.

 

I want to be clear on one particular point.  I do not view the seeing of “actual racing competition” as having to see an entire race.  The trackchasing rule does not say anything whatsoever about seeing a race or a complete race.  We simply need to see “actual racing competition.”

 

If I went to a track and during the first race, as an example, an earthquake happened and the race was stopped before it was completed, I would count the track because I had seen “actual racing competition.”  If the lights went out or it began to rain or snow and the race was cancelled and/or postponed in the midst of the racing competition, I would count the track. 

 

I am a real stickler for adherence to rules.  I will do whatever it takes to meet the rules.  At the same time, I do not see any need to try to EXCEED a rule’s requirements. 

 

As an example, if our rule required that we see a minimum of 10 laps of racing, I would not try to see 50 laps of racing, so I could say I safely exceeded the rules requirements.  In the past, we have had a few of our trackchasers try to say that if they exceeded the minimum requirement they were somehow superior to those who had met the minimum requirement.  I could not disagree with that point of view any more strongly.

 

If someone meets the rule requirement, they meet the rules.  There is no place for a trackchaser who feels they have met a certain rules requirement “more” than another trackchaser who also met the requirement.  In the above hypothetical example, if I saw 10 laps of racing, I met the rule’s requirements.  Case closed.

 

I was once sitting at an afternoon oval race in Indiana with trackchaser Roger Ferrell.  The green flag was thrown on the first race of the day.  The cars raced down into the first turn.  I turned to Roger and said, “This track is in the books.”  Roger’s reply was, “No, it isn’t, they haven’t finished the race.”  I pointed out to Roger that our rules do not require us to see a complete race.  Roger thought about that point for a minute and knew that my point was accurate.

 

I think it’s important to know how you will behave if a certain set of circumstances were to occur BEFORE those circumstances actually do occur.  If you don’t have such a standard, then it’s easy to simply behave in a manner that benefits you under the current circumstances.

 

This is why in the world of trackchasing, as soon as I have seen, “actual racing competition” the track is countable for me.  If two cars (assuming the race is not limited to two cars) have taken the starting flag (could be yellow or green), then I have seen actual racing competition.  In all practicality, it is most unlikely that a race will stop after the cars have only reached the first turn, although not impossible.

 

I remember seeing a race in Gastonia, North Carolina at the Carolina Speedway.  During time trials and practice, it had rained off and on and the track was very wet.  The promoters wanted to get the show in.  They started the first race on a very slippery track.  The cars went into the first turn and nearly every one of them slid into the turn one wall.  It took a long time to get the cars ready to restart this race.  It began to sprinkle. 

 

Had I seen “actual racing competition?” at that point?  The race had been started.  All of the cars had taken the starting flag.  They had raced a short distance (about 75 yards).  My official stance today is that I would count that type of performance.  You have to have a cutoff somewhere.  This is my cutoff.  I’m clarifying it and announcing it today, so there is no confusion.  I may never have an experience like the one at the Carolina Speedway again and maybe I will have five of them.

 

My Conclusion

 

Was I disappointed that today’s racing was not countable?  Not vary.  Yes, I would have loved to be able to count this track.  Nevertheless, I saw some beautiful racecars from an era of racing that happened before I came along.  It was a gorgeous sunny day.  The drive up to and back from the track had been uneventful and traffic-free.

 

I returned home by five o’clock to celebrate Thanksgiving (yes, we did Thanksgiving on Saturday, November 25) with my family (x Jim, who remained in Honolulu for this holiday).  The turkey was great and Carol’s a great cook. 

 

Carol had a different point of view regarding this track’s countability.  I had told her in advance that the track might or might not be countable.  With that uncertainty in mind, she begged herself out of the trip.  When I arrived back from the track with my story, she had only this to say, “I’m glad you didn’t drag me up there, if the track wasn’t going to count!”  Me too.

 

If you would like to see some great photos of my day at the Walt James Stadium, simply click on www.ranlayracing.com.  You will see some beautiful vintage racing machines.

 

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday met and exceeded all of your expectations.  It did mine.  Stay tuned, my trackchasing season is far from complete for 2006.