Heading into the 2023 racing season I had a goal in mind of somewhere between fifty and fifty-five nights of racing to attend. Unlike 2022 and 2024 we did not have any week long trips planned in June and I was going to perhaps be a bit more selective as to where and when I would go racing. But with another beautiful autumn weather run allowing me to take in fifteen nights from September 1st on, my total race count swelled to sixty-two for the 2023 season. These came at 27 different tracks (up three from last year) but in just three states; Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.
Despite that good race count I failed to achieve two of my standard goals each season as I did not get to at least one pavement race in 2023 and, after the three-day show scheduled for the first weekend in November at the Brownstown Bullring in Illinois was wiped out by cold weather, I did not make it to at least one "new to me" track either.
With all of the specials up this way weathered out in late March and early April, my first two nights of '23 were spent on consecutive Saturdays at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. And with another trip to the Turkey Bowl in Springfield this past weekend, my season concluded with two nights in southwest Missouri as well.
The Davenport Speedway and the Knoxville Raceway tied with eight nights each, seven nights were spent just down the road at 34 Raceway west of Burlington, while three of my five nights at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson came late in the season. Three nights each were spent at Oskaloosa, Quincy, and Vinton, with two nights each at Lucas Oil, Springfield, Stuart, Tipton and West Liberty. I made one visit this season to Harlan, Independence, Moberly, Columbus Junction, Eldon, Spoon River, East Moline, Bloomfield, Dubuque, Boone, Spencer, Lake Ozark, Maquoketa, Webster City and Memphis.
Looking ahead to 2024 it is incredible all of the news that has already been coming out from the national scene with the High Limits series buying the All Stars and looking to go nation-wide next year, to my local scene where three of my favorite promoters have thrown in the towel and new promoters are considering what's best for them perhaps while risking the overall health of racing in the area as whole. That is always a tough balance beam to navigate when we do have so many tracks in a tight geographical area when compared to most other areas of the country as I always get a kick out of the whining when somebody thinks that somebody else deliberately scheduled on their special event.
I am still of the opinion that living in southeast Iowa is the best place to be when it comes to being a short track racing fan!
That being said, I eclipsed the 60 mark this past year and it does get harder to make those long trips home late at night, so I will probably have to factor in the cost of a hotel room for more events as I consider my schedule for 2024. Plus, I see myself doing exactly what I have warned about for the past several years when it comes to Pay Per View. There will be more nights where I will stay at home and watch all that is available to me on my subscription rather than paying for the gas, concession and a ticket at a track that I otherwise would have attended in person. Hey, the proponents of PPV have being saying for years that it is good for all of the sport, so I hope that the math continues to work out for the grass roots facilities.
As of right now, I am aiming for forty-five nights in 2024. And with good health and favorable weather, I hope to blow right past that so that I can see you as often as possible out on the Back Stretch!
Happy Holidays!
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