PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRIP: Eagle Track Raceway, May 26

This sign welcomes folks to Eagle Track Raceway in Republic, Washington.

After Saturday's show at Lebanon, Oregon's Willamette Speedway, I drove two hours north to catch some shut-eye in Kelso, Washington.  The original plan was to spend the day doing the tourist thing at Mt. Ranier and Mt. St. Helens before heading over to Grays Harbor Raceway for an ASCS Northwest show Sunday night.  Of course, you know how plans can change when you're chasin' racin'.  And, with constant checks of the radar Saturday night, I knew things weren't looking favorable for Sunday.

This put me in quite the pickle as, all along, the goal was to seeing racing at four new tracks in four new states during this working vacation.  With May 26 being a Sunday, the only other track racing in the Evergreen State was little ol' Eagle Track Raceway.  Problem is, Eagle Track was some seven hours away in Republic, Washington and, with an advertised starting time of Noon, it would require me to forego another night of rest in favor of a 5:00am wakeup call. Oh, and it was already well past midnight.

A look at Eagle Track's gorgeous backdrop.

At 5:00am, I somehow stumbled out of bed and into the shower.  A morning cup of coffee helped me get on my way as I was scrambling to get to the track by that advertised race time of 12:00pm, knowing that I would beat the ETA my trusty GPS provided me with by at least 15-20 minutes.

The scenic trip through Washington's lush forests was quite nice. However, despite my best efforts, I wasn't able to make it to the track until 12:20pm.  No worries, though, as nothing resembling a race or even warm ups was anywhere near being ready when I pulled in.

Fans can sit high atop this perch on the fronstretch and watch the races if they choose.

Eagle Track Raceway is quite the scenic place itself.  Located at a higher elevation than most everything around it, the track is surrounded by mountains and tall trees.  The track is a big 4/10-mile grassroots establishment with not many cars and not many fans.  I don't know what the exact car count was on this particular afternoon, but there weren't more than 10 cars in any one division with the headlining Modifieds drawing in a whopping three cars total.

Everything about this place took me back at least 25 years.  The cars, the track, the people ... it was like time had just stood still since about 1987.  The race fans were certainly friendly folks and undoubtedly had a love for their little hole-in-the-wall speedway. 



Eagle Track's facilities were a bit outdated.

The facilities at Eagle Track were also exactly what one might expect from this type of track with very little bleacher seating (most folks watched the races from their vehicles, parked just off the front and back chutes), outdated ticket booths, and rustic outhouses.  I can't make this stuff up.

It's interesting how the word "racing" means different things in different parts of the country.  For example, where I'm from, "racing" mean the first actual ... ummm ... "race".  However, at Eagle Track, racing must mean "the time when everyone starts to arrive".  As I mentioned before, 12:00pm was obviously a time that was simply thrown out there and not the actual starting time of the first race, as most folks would expect.  As a matter of fact, after all 20-some cars in the pits qualified, the first actual "race" didn't hit the track until right around 2:00pm.  Not good.



This creature from outer space ran with the Modifieds.

Every class ran a Trophy Dash and a Heat, complete with driver intros on the frontstretch before each race.  The racing was as exciting as one might imagine with few cars on the big track.  And if they were trying to draw out the program, they were doing a damn good job of it.  By 4:00pm, I still hadn't seen an A-Main. Ugh.  Shortly thereafter, I hightailed it out of that place to head across the scenic North Cascades Highway and enjoy what was left of my day.

Nevertheless, Grays Harbor did eventually rain out so the decision to head to Eagle Track ended up working out for me as it became Track #167 with Washington being State #35 in my trackchasing adventures. 

A picture perfect afternoon for racing.

 

PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRIP: Willamette Speedway, May 25

 

Trevor Glaser tunes up at Willamette Speedway on May 25.

My long-awaited "working vacation" finally came as I flew out of Dayton, Ohio and into Portland, Oregon (via Denver, Colorado) on Friday, May 24.  The weather forecast that once looked promising was now looking "not as good" with a 40% chance of rain Saturday and increasing as the night went on.

After an ill-fated attempted to get a quality jet-lagged sleep, I grabbed my Avis rental car first thing in the morning and took in the sights and sounds of the gorgeous Oregon coast. The absolutely beautiful drive wiped out my entire day and, before I knew it, it was time to start heading to Willamette Speedway.

A look at turns 3 and 4 of the well-maintained Willamette Speedway.

Having done a little research, I knew this track had recently been transformed into quite possibly the nicest facility in the northwest.  Even so, my expectations were surpassed with this 1/3-mile, semi-banked oval.  Not only was everything darned near brand new, but the entire establishment was neat, clean, and very well kept.  I could tell this was a track the owners and drivers were proud to call their own.

From new catchfencing to a backstretch scoreboard to the infield go-kart track, Willamette was a first-class operation.  The speaker system was very good, the track lighting was excellent, and the concessions was a tad high but the food was excellent.  As a matter of fact, the $6 "philly steak and cheese" has already earned a spot in my all-time top five Best Race Track Food standings.

Looking down the frontstretch and into turns 1 and 2 of Willamette.

After setting up shop in the infield and snapping a few pics during Hot Laps and Qualifying, I moved to my 50-yard line seat just before the scheduled starting time of 6:00pm.  The event on tap was the "Clair Cup", a tribute to the late track promoter.  6:00pm came and went and, at 6:10pm, the announcer read a short, touching piece about Clair.  Finally, at 6:18pm, the first race of the evening was on the track. 

A quick check of the radar showed the dreaded "green blob" was slowly working its way towards Lebanon, Oregon and, with that in mind, I couldn't help but wonder why racing started late when the track was ready to go.

The Willamette pit area provides ample parking and an asphalt staging lane.

Nevertheless, we were racing with a few support classes going ahead of the two premier divisions of Late Models and IMCA Modifieds.  The track was heavy and, in places, a bit rough.  But the hammer-down surface made for some exciting, wheel-hiking heats which were run in a timely fashion following by B-Mains and Trophy Dashes.  Obviously, the consies are a needed part of the program with nearly 30 cars in both of the top two classes.

The Trophy Dashes, however, were meaningless in my opinion, and with inclement weather on the horizon, should have been bypassed in favor of getting the main events in before the rain hit.  Not only that, but interviewing all five Trophy Dash winners on the frontstretch only extended things unnecessarily.  Now bring on a 20-minute intermission and we've got ourselves a problem.

Regional standout Rob Mayea gets some airtime during Hot Laps.

The first feature of the night finally hits the track and, surprisingly, it's not the Late Models and it's not the IMCA Modifieds.  Instead, the Super Sport A-Main comes out and, sure enough, after a handful of laps were completed, a steady shower of rain fell upon the speedway and washed out the rest of the evening's festivities.  

 

As fans, employees, and drivers, we're always upset when something out of our control wipes out an evening of racing.  But in this case, the things that WERE in the track's control weren't handled the way I might have handled them with inclement weather approaching.  Starting on time, eliminating the Trophy Dashes (and on-track interviews), and not taking an intermission would have been a great way to ensure everyone got the most bang for their buck.  In addition, this is a picture perfect example as to why I like to see the headlining divisions competing first on the nightly agenda. Those of you who know me know that I love the support classes as much as anyone.  But, in a situation like this, get the A-Mains for your headliners run as quickly as possible.

While I left disappointed that I didn't get to see an entire feature, I was certainly grateful for the opportunity and the hospitality.  Willamette Speedway became Track #166 and Oregon became State #34 in my personal trackchasing list.