Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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Super Chuck says Bristol was track #86 and 21st State. Ten more were rainouts or just track visits. He is hoping to add Dubuque, Skagit and Grays Harbor (WA 22nd State) before the year is over. As most of you know, it gets harder and harder to add new ones.

Super Chuck

Went to Dubuque a few weeks ago for the first time for some mods and late models.... Awesome track. The WoO is gonna be an absolute show there.

I attended number 117 on May 15th. 5 new ones already this year, (Rockford IL, Mercer PA, Galesburg MI, Mottville MI and Midway OH).  I'm planning to hit 2 new ones this weekend (Thunderbird MI and Crystal MI).

I used to chase races and topped out at around 45 per season.  My wife is not a racing fan so most of the time I would travel alone.  From 1960 until present I have managed to get to 39 tracks which includes one Kansas NASCAR race weekend at Kansas and includes a handful of paved short tracks.

Then a couple years ago streaming channels caught up technology wise and I started doing the Dirtvision Floracing double all summer.  Since then I can work around the house all day instead of knocking off early to drive to some track.  After watching doing all day I get cleaned up, pull out the grill or order something and have dinner with my wife then mosey down to the recliner and if the moon and stars align I am often able to watch Features from multiple tracks.  Last week I watched WoO, All Star and the second Knoxville 410 Feature.  Streaming races isn't for everyone but I have been attending races since 1960 and spent close to 20 years taking racing photos so I have been to enough races to remember what it felt like to get pelted with clay and smell the spent methanol.  My opinion is that unless a person has a social network at the race track they sit with every week and love long drives home dodging deer there is no reason to be obsessed with numbers of tracks attended.  Some of us like myself live in areas where our local tracks run too many classes.  For Sprint Car fans that can be an ordeal.  For example, I have three tracks where I can see those kinds of multi track shows within an hour but Sprint tracks are between 3 1/2 and 6 hours.  Those same tracks, Jackson, Husets and Knoxville are all on my streaming channels. 
 

Up until the past few years dirt racing was a sport that required attending to follow but streaming has brought dirt racing into the 21st century.   No sport that cannot be viewed on television is ever going to survive in this day and age.  People are busy, for some driving out to some dirt track in the middle of nowhere every weekend is not possible.  NFL analysts who sit and watch multiple games on tv then go on their own shows and analyze them are not attending every game live.  It is possible to be a dirt track fan while only attending a handful of races per season.  While racking up numbers of tracks visited used to be a necessity because that's the only way one could be a racing fan today I consider chasing races a waste of gas and motel expenses when I can watch from home.  I will go a few times this season for Sprint specials where there aren't so many classes at my local track.  Maybe a road trip or two but my son is my travel companion and he's dealing with some family stuff so not sure if we will be making any road trips.

Chasing races is no longer necessary and watching streaming races has opened my eyes to the car counts and quality of the shows in other parts of the country.  I'd rather for example watch Indiana Midget week with Sprints as support class or a WoO or All Star race than sit on a metal bench and watch six classes other than Sprints live.  Unless a person is into the socializing and travels with friends and family it doesn't make much sense in 2021.  My opinion was formed by my loner personality, being at an age where I have "been there and done that" and my aversion to driving at night as I close in on my 70th.

Stan Meissner

28 tracks, 8 states. mostly in the midwest. Kings Royal is probably the highest on the bucket list for a new track. Lucky enough to live less than 4 hrs from Knoxville and close to Husets

I've probably been to more US tracks to look thru the gate and wish I was there Friday instead of Wednesday.

Been to Volusia,  indy, Daytona, Arizona speedway, a second in AZ I forgot the name,, Bakersfield, Ca, Skagit and a few around ND,SD, Montana but nobody racing.

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

I'm sitting at 68 tracks in 15 different states.  I've been rained out at 4 tracks (never to return, yet), including the Grove and Winchester when the USAC sprints still ran pavement... both really disappointing.  I've visited at least a few more.  The latest track I added was FALS in '19 when the WoO sprints staged the classic there.  That place is awesome.  

Geographically close, but just out of my grasp have been (almost embarrasingly) Lakeside (KS) and Moberly (MO).  There are a few in IL I wouldn't mind watching midgets at either (Wayne County, the new version of Tri-City, Quincy, and Macon).  

The six states you've seen a race at that I haven't are....... TN (free soup with the salad), FL (Volusia?), ND (Fargo, but not Grand Forks?), NV (Vegas), CA (Chico?) ... and MI (I-96?) or AZ (Manzy, Canyon, San Tan Valley?) ... am I close??

I miss the Iowa State Fairground speedway. Might be a little biased since i did win the Money Karl put up before it finally closed. I liked the long straightaways and tight turns. Those type of unique places are fun.

I attended a few races there. Noteable would be the disastrous NSL show there that laid rubber in hot laps. Man I was so excited and the long ticket lines was starting to curb that excitement followed by watching dust blow off the water truck packing in the track. I knew then the night wasn't going to go as expected. It was a hot day but rubber in hot laps followed by a field cultivater trying to tear up that concrete like dirt sending sparks everywhere just didn't seem acceptable. Now I watched a few Danny Young Memorial races there in my younger years but my memory is faint on those. I have a cousin of a cousin who raced hobby stocks there and started to get pretty good right up until they closed. So I have some connections to the track and I wish the track was still there but I really wanted to see if go to a 3/8th track. It was obvious from day one that the fair board had ZERO intent on every reopening up a racetrack. 

A gentleman name Guy Smith, a retired school teacher from Pennsylvania has been to 1893 tracks. They are all well documented.

82 tracks over 15 states.  I have had a couple major moves with my employeer that opened up new states to me to raise the number.   As I have gotten older, the number of races per year has dropped.   

Back in the day, the NSSN super fan articles were always some of my favorite articles of the year. 

If we are counting tracks we have stopped at during the week but haven't actually seen a live race at I could pad my 39 tracks stat.  I was in Daytona and toured the speedway and have stopped to check out tracks while I was on road trips.  Have also been to some kart tracks that are dirt ovals but they don't run cars on.  I went to a few races at the Minnesota state fair when the track was dirt pre 1964 as well as after they paved it before turning it into a concert venue with no racing.  There are some gray areas as to what constitutes a track but for the sake of this discussion one would have to actually attend an auto race to count it.

While my 39 tracks isn't going to impress any super fans reading this thread my relatives think 39 dirt tracks is a lot.  Comparing to other sports I have been a huge Vikings fan since their first game as a franchise in 1961.  I watch every YouTube clip I can find, follow the draft, free agency, OTAs and training camp.  During those sixty years I have probably only been to about five games but still consider myself a fan and nobody who knows how much time I spend following them would suggest otherwiwe.  Dirt track racing is the only sport I know of that required attendance to be a fan well into the 21st century.  Finally now the streaming has gotten to a place where a person can follow it on television without having to drive to some small town in the middle of nowhere every weekend just to keep up with a sport.  While I admire the dedication to f fans who have spent decades chasing races doing that today when we can stream it in the comfort of our homes makes the travel and expense of chasing them unnecessary.  I would rather watch on TV and save my money for real vacations like our overseas trip of a couple years ago.  Fact is with a wife who doesn't like racing I could never justify the expense of chasing a sport.  Would be taking up more than my share of the retirement vacation budget.  

Stan Meissner

Well then give us the total number of tracks you have watched live streamed. Only kidding! I wouldn't even know where to begin there. My live stream list honestly wouldn't be that terrible long. I just can't get into it as much not being there in person. To many distractions at home but also just the environment is obviously not going to be the same. Takes a lot of time and money though to travel to races.

I just got back from my first eye doctor appointment in at least ten years and found out that there are two reasons night driving is more difficult.  Actually three as I'll be 70 this fall but my left eye was way out of whack and I found out that I have cataracts that are far enough along that if the doc scheduled surgery today the insurance would approve it.  I always travel alone to races which requires that I do all of the driving and pay all of the expenses.  My social network at my home track are all in the pits, drivers, mechanics, track workers and other photographers.  I'd be lost in the grandstand by myself but I get what you're saying about it being a better experience live.  Up to and including getting hit in the shin one time by a rock that got kicked out of a dust cloud by a Modified who spun into the infield and gunned it.  Been chased by spinning cars and flying parts and wheels and hit by rocks and pieces of clay so hard I thought they were rocks trying to get those right side shots.  I am very familiar with the sights, sounds and flying objects that make the live experience so thrilling.  LOL

Stan Meissner

Super Chuck can't count...actually 22 states. Here you go Chilly:

Iowa (Knoxville, Iowa State Fairgrounds, Osky, Hawkeye Downs, Adams Co, Crawford Co, Lee Co, Davenport, 34, Iowa Speedway, River Bottom, Cedar Co, Bloomfield, Hancock Co, Eddyville, Battle at the Barn, Raah, English Creek, Eldon, Mason City, West Liberty)

Nebraska (I-80, Eagle)

Missouri (Sedalia, Pevely, Joplin, Bethany, US 36, Lake Ozark, Central Missouri, Kemper Arena, La Monte, Moberly, St Francois)

North Dakota (Fargo, Grand Forks)

South Dakota (Husets)

Wisconsin (Cedar Lake, Beaver Dam)

Texas (Battleground, Devil's Bowl, TMS Dirt track, Texas Motorplex, Lone Star)

Indiana (Terre Haute, Gas City, IRP, IMS (Indy 500 and F1), Haubstadt, Kokomo)

Illinois (Route 66, Chicagoland, Spoon River, Tri-City, Quincy)

Oklahoma (Chili Bowl, State Fair, Will Rogers,)

Ohio (Eldora, Lima)

Kansas (Belleville, Heartland Park dragstrip, 81, Dodge City, Lakeside)

Nevada (Vegas)

Pennsylvania (Grove, Port Royal, Grandview, Path Valley, Lanco)

Alabama (Talladega, Talladega Dirt Track)

Minnesota (Princeton, Jackson, Deer Creek)

Arkansas (I-30)

Florida (Volusia, Daytona, New Smyrna)

Kentucky (Paducah)

Maryland (Hagerstown)

Tennessee (Bristol)

Rained out at Farley (IA), Lincoln (PA), Phenix City (AL). Visited Latimore Valley (PA), Winchester (took some laps), Heartland Park (KS), Sioux Speedway (IA), East Bay (FL), Bubba (FL). 

Super Chuck

Top Five Tracks: Knoxville (biased opinion), Grand Forks, Eagle, Path Valley (midgets), Kokomo

Beento27Statestowatcasprintcarrace..4StatesinAustraliaandfietracksinCanada....$pacebarisbroken,sorry....

If I can count battle at the barn and Iowa state fairground both as separate then I'm adding a track to my list. I counted them together. Heck I still faintly remember it in the pavilion vs the Jacobson Building so maybe that's actually 3! also could add the go kart track at I-80 in Nebraska and I think I forgot to put Newton Kart Club on there.

I just remembered that I attended two indoor Midget races, one in the St. Paul Civic Center in the 80's and another with Badger Midgets in the Cedar Lake arena.  If temporary indoor tracks count then I am at 41 instead of 39.  One other point about racking up numbers of tracks.  If someone goes to say 500, 1000 or more tracks they're counting a lot of shitty tracks running junk classes.  I would rather sit home with my non-race-fan bride of 51 years than watch anything besides Sprints and sometimes open Late Models or USMTS Modifieds.  If a person who professes to be a Sprint Car fan when half of their 500-1000 tracks were at tracks they had to stand in a half inch of piss in a broke down restroom and watch nine classes of shitboxes have they really accomplished anything?  
 

The vast majority of my 39 or 41 tracks if we count indoor tracks were predominantly Sprint Car races with many being special events with limited number of classes.  When we get to talking hundreds of tracks by my way of thinking half of them weren't worth attending and I'd have probably left early if I ended up at a place like that.  Even at the lower number I can count I sat through plenty of shows that I wished I hadn't gone to.  Really, I'd rather watch big Sprint races on TV than sit through half the back gate promoting junk class racing that takes place.  We have dozens of tracks in my area that I never mention because going to them would be hard to watch.  Up here the typical lineup at those kinds of places are a bunch of entry level classes with IMCA/WISSOTA/USRA type Modifieds as the headliner.  

Stan Meissner

Thanks for the breakdown SC!  I nerded out a few years ago & put a spreadsheet together with facts, memorable winners, & other tidbits about the tracks I've been to (for when dementia sets in). I'll email it to you at some point if you'd like. 

On a side note, if you're counting the Eddyville Dragway, you might as well count Slideways, Thunder Road, and Billy Bob's Go Karts & More (in the boot heel of Missor-uh) !  ha