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I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been able to travel the country and see many races at many different racetracks. I’ve been to 137 different tracks in 23 states and one Canadian Provence. I’ve also been fortunate enough to drive at 74 different racetracks in 17 different states.
As my driving career winds down and my spectator career blossoms, and since all of us really don’t know when we will see our first race of the year, it got me to thinking of the tracks I’d still like to see a race at. So, I decided to write down the top ten tracks and/ or events that I’d still like to see a race at.
This list will upset some of you since there are no non winged sprint car races on here. I love non winged sprint car racing, but there's just not a race that I want to see that I haven’t yet seen. So, in no particular order:
1. Martinsville, VA: While some of you are NASCAR haters out there, I enjoy racing of all kinds. I always try to catch the Cup race from there on TV and was going to specify a Cup race there, I decided I’d like to see any race there. Plus, I’m a hot dog connoisseur, so my life won’t be complete until I have a Martinsville hot dog!
2. Knoxville Nationals: I’ve seen a few weekly races at Knoxville and always enjoyed them. This is one of the few true events in sprint car racing.
3. Bristol Night Race: I raced the Must See Winged Sprint car race there a few years ago. There was probably less than 20 people in the stands. It was almost eerie; it was so quiet when the cars were not on that big cavern of a speedway. I’d love to see that place with 40 race cars and tens of thousands of screaming fans.
4. Any track in Australia: I’ve heard stories from a lot of people that have been down there. Not one of them have had a bad thing to say. I like the idea of traveling the countryside and seeing several different tracks as well as the scenery.
5. Rolex 24: In the past, I’ve never really watched any road racing. But recently, a friend of mine that lives and works in NASCAR land, got hired onto a road race team. Because of this, I started watching some of the races and I was surprised at how much I enjoy them. The Rolex 24 seems to be the pinnacle of these in America. I’ve watched it the last couple of years on TV and I think I’d like to see it in person. Especially the nighttime hours.
6. Selinsgrove. PA: It used to be for my job, I had to go to Pennsylvania every six weeks to visit a customer. It was amazing how often my customer visits corresponded with Pennsylvania Speed Weeks! Although I always stayed in Selinsgrove, I never managed to make it to the track. This will hopefully be the first to get knocked off this list. A friend of mine and I are planning to hit the Champ car race out there this summer.
7. Springfield, IL: I’m a big fan of the Champ cars and as I write this, I can’t believe I’ve never been to the last two dirt miles yet. Hopefully, I’ll get this one knocked off soon.
8. DuQuoin, IL: Same as Springfield. In the past, I always seemed to be racing somewhere on Labor Day weekend. This may be the second race knocked off this list.
9. Kings Royal: This is one of the few true events in sprint car racing today. Like other races on this list, I never went because I always seemed to be racing somewhere else. This wouldn’t even be on this list except a stroke of fate. I was planning on going last year, but I had my accident at Kalamazoo Speedway in the middle of June and just wasn’t able to go. It was also the first time in several years I had missed the Brad Doty Classic, which is held the Tuesday before the Kings Royal at Attica Speedway.
10. Turkey Night, Ventura, CA: I never thought much about this race until last fall, when during a work trip to California, I found myself at Ventura Speedway. I was shocked at how good the racing was on this tight, narrow little track. Plus sitting in the stands, I could actually see the Pacific Ocean. As I have learned more about Turkey Night, the more I want to go.
So, pick this apart or add yours to it. This will all be over soon, and I hope you all will get to the all the races you can.
Tom Paterson
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