Jonr,

Any track is countable if you know you were there. To gather information on an old track you can consult The History Of The American Speedways by Allan Brown. A good reference for looking up old race tracks with dates the track was in existence.


Bruce Eckel

Here's an interesting scenario to add to the list. On July 10, 2019, USAC had a midget race scheduled at Concordia, KS as part of their midwestern swing. I went there, camped in my RV, paid to get in, sat in my seat and to the best of my recollection, cars were on the track for packing or warm ups. Suddenly the program got cancelled, using the excuse of track conditions or a wet pit area. I heard later on that some car owners and/or drivers had safety concerns with the retaining wall, but have no idea of the accuracy of those rumors.

Can I add that track to my list? I did, and I am now at 101. That figure is unlikely to change thanks to Flo racing. Regarding the points raised by the O.P., I always counted these as one track, except for the final one on the list, as I have never encountered a track relocating on the same premises.

Wouldn’t that be the same as a rain out?

Unfortunately, no. According to the track chaser guidelines, just seeing wheel pack/warm-ups doesn’t count. You have to see an actual race to count the track. A race being two or more cars where a winner is declared. That means a heat race, dash, consi, feature, etc. I know some track chasers who won’t count the track unless they’ve seen a complete show.

Personally, I have been to about a dozen tracks where the unexpected happened, or most likely, it rained, and I never got to see a race. I went to West Plains MO once for a WoO show in ‘96. Saw hot laps and time trials. Then the heavens opened up right before the first heat race. Show cancelled. Never went back. Never counted the track. Sh*t out of luck.

The biggest thorn in my side was Hales Corners WI. Been there not just once, but twice. First time for a WoO show in ‘98. Then again in ’99 for an SCRA show. Paid to get in both times. Saved a seat. While I was hanging out with friends in the parking lot, a thunderstorm hit. Both visits. Both shows cancelled. Never got to count the track.

It looks like if I go by the track chaser guidelines, I would have to drop Concordia off my list, but can add the track within a track at Manzanita. I remember a long ago WoO race there where they over-watered the half mile and spent an hour trying to get it worked in, with no luck. They ended up running the program on the quarter mile and there was almost a riot in the stands. I thought they put on a great show on the little track, but could also see why people were upset. I know I've been to a half dozen or so tracks that ran mini-sprints on a smaller inside track as part of the program, but I'm not going to burn any brain cells trying to recall which ones they were.

Theres a site called Track Chaser Guidelines

You could count the quarter mile at Manzy in your total. We were at Concordia that day & it really sucked. The locals almost ran a show that day but could round up enough cars at the last minute. Bummer!!!

Bruce Eckel

I guess I count grandstands ?😂
I don’t count a 1/4 inside of a half mile. Daytona I don’t count the big track, road course and backstretch “Battle at the beach” track separately.
Multiple tracks on the same property I do count separately, such as Las Vegas motor speedway with the 1.5 mile big track, and the separate dirt and paved short tracks.
I’ve been to regular and dirt covered Oswego and Berlin but I don’t count those separately.
Saw WoO hot laps at Drummondville Quebec and then got rained out. Don’t count that.

Updated my list and using the TrackChaser guidelines, my new total is now 95 tracks. It was a lot more fun that I thought it was going to be to research some of the old tracks. It also brought up a lot of good memories that I had with my dad.

I was able to document all of the tracks on my list. I stumbled into this site that helped a lot with the older tracks. https://www.autoracingrecords.com/index.php

I knew that there were some guys out there who was taking race chasing to the extreme. I had been at a track or two when one of them would be interviewed by the announcer. I had forgotten thier levels. +2600 https://randylewis.org/

Jonr,

As soon as you hit 100 different tracks you can submit your list to Trackchasers for listing. A good friend of mine, Will White from Quakertown, PA, is the author of Auto Racing Records. He has done an excellent job over the years doing a tremendous amount of research to populate that great website.

If you need any assistance in this matter just let me know.


Bruce Eckel