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: Playing the Rain Game

Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Oregon.  (Track photo)

As I sit here in the Denver International Airport and wait on my connecting flight to Portland, I can't help but ponder "what if".  What if Saturday's show at Willamette gets rained out?  What if Sunday's show at Grays Harbor falls victim to Mother Nature?  What happens?  What do I do?  

Sure, I could go see a race at one of a few different tracks, but my goal is to see racing at four different tracks in four different states while I'm out here.  If Sunday's show at Grays Harbors gets cancelled, my odds at seeing a race in Washington are all but shot.

My flight into Portland won't arrive until 10:30pm tonight (that's 1:30am eastern time).  I pick up my rental car tomorrow morning at 9am.  Whatever decision is made will have to be made quickly, but also keeping in mind the ultimate goal of four races at four tracks in four states.

Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, OR is at the top of the priority list.  Luckily, they race Saturday and Sunday both.  Grays Harbor also runs both days, so the opportunity to flip-flip those two tracks is certainly there if the weather looks more favorable one way versus another.  Other Oregon tracks racing on Saturday include Cottage Grove, Southern Oregon, and Sunset.  And in Washington, Skagit is a Saturday night option.

The Sunday options are pretty much limited to Willamette and Grays Harbor.  Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA would be an absolute last resort given its proximity from where I'll be.  And Eagle Track Raceway in the northeast part of Washington is slated to race Sunday at Noon...making it nearly impossible for me to hit if I'm in Oregon Saturday night.

Few options and big decisions.  Such is the life of those who like chasin' racin'. 

PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRIP: The Gameplan

Gallatin Speedway in Belgrade, Montana.  (track photo)
 

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'll be flying out to Portland, Oregon this Friday to present at a college admissions conference.  The timing of the trip means, unfortunately, I'll have to miss Sunday's Johnny Appleseed Classic at Eldora (Shane Andrews and Kyle Luetters will be covering our announcing duties).  However, the timing of the trip also means I'll be able to see some racing at new tracks in a part of the country I've never been to before.

With my flight arriving in Portland late Friday night, there won't be an opportunity to catch any Friday racing action.  Doesn't matter, as there's literally no tracks within nine hours of Portland racing on Friday night.  Hard to believe, I know.

Saturday, I'll look to head a little south of the city to Lebanon, Oregon's Willamette Speedway for night #1 of their Clair Cup.  Last year's event drew a whopping 48 Late Models, so I'm hoping for a solid car count and a good show in my maiden voyage to the 3/10-mile oval.  The current weather forecast is calling for a rain-free Saturday with a high of 64 and a brisk low of 46.

Sunday will find me heading north to Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington.  The ASCS Sprints' Northwest division will be in action at the 3/8-mile track with IMCA Modifieds and Street Stocks also on the card.  The weather outlook for Sunday in Elma is almost identical to that of Lebanon, OR the day before with a high of 64 and a cool low of 47.  As you see, longjohns will be a necessity for this trip.

If all goes as planned, the following weekend should find me venturing into Montana for a visit to Gallatin Speedway, as they bring Late Models in for one of their few stops to the 3/10-mile facility.  I never put much stock into the weather forecast more than a few days out, but the early models are showing a high of 72 with a low of 43 and a chance of thunderstorms.  Should that show get rained out, my only other option is to head north to Great Falls, Montana's Electric City Speedway.

My final destination is slated to be Atomic Motor Raceway in Blackfoot, Idaho.  The 1/3-mile oval will open their regular season on June 1st with IMCA Modifieds as the headlining division.  Taken with a grain of salt, the initial weather outlook shows sunny skies with a high of 83 and a low of 53...which would be, by far, the warmest temps of the trip.

As I mentioned previously, this is all tentative at best.  Of my last three summer trips that involved racing, NONE of them went as planned.  So, I'm not holding my breathe.  However, if every DOES go as planned, I'll have seen racing at 169 tracks in 37 different states.

And, of course, I'll keep everyone here posted with updates, pics, stories, and more.

UPCOMING TRIP: Pacific Northwest

Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Oregon  (Track photo)

Each year, I try to make it a point to get out and visit a few new race tracks.  By no means am I at the top of the heap when it comes to race-chasing, but I am fortunate enough to have seen races at 165 different tracks in 33 states.  The thrill of going to new tracks, especially those in new states, is my equivalent of being a kid at Christmas.

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to be selected to be a presenter at a college admissions conference in Portland, Oregon the last week of May.  As several of you know, college admissions is my "real" job...the one that pays the bills.  Just as anyone would do with an opportunity to visit a part of the country they've never been to before, I'll be taking a few extra days off to enjoy myself and catch a few races.  Most likely, this will be the only chance I ever get to visit the Pacific Northwest, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

Even the best laid-out racing trips are often detoured thanks to Mother Nature. Especially mine.  Three years ago, a 10-day journey that was set to begin in Iowa, Colorado, and Kansas was vastly (and impromptu) rerouted to South Dakota, Wyoming, and North Dakota.  Two years back, a planned trip to a track in Oklahoma found my wife and I scrambling to Kansas to attend the only track racing in a four-state region, immediately followed by a detour through Nebraska.  And just last year, our New England trip to seeing racing in five different states (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut) was cut to four when a late rain shower washed out an event on our schedule and forced us to bypass the Connecticut track.

So, it goes without saying, this schedule is certainly subject to change without warning.

However, if all does indeed go as planned, I'll be able to knock off four new tracks in four new states with visits to Willamette Speedway (Lebanon, OR), Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA), Electric City Speedway (Great Falls, MT), and Atomic Motor Raceway (Atomic City, ID).

Soooo, keep checking back.  In the coming weeks, I'll lay out the plans in some more detail and tell you about the trickery involved in trying to pull this off.  As always, it's a wild ride...