I went a long time in the offseason debating about continuing RaceChaser blog. The time commitment, and the desire to see some different tracks and events, were weighing on my mind.
I’ve kept track and 229 drivers have been featured on the blog since I started in 2017. I lost track of how many race reports. I wanted to scale back on traveling 3-4 nights a week and then driving back and then writing a recap. It was getting to be too late and too much.
So it was a pivot this year – I’d cover more events remotely and add trips to places like Casino Speedway and Bemidji Speedway. And then other nights, like the Mod Wars at Ogilvie, I was just a paid spectator (which I will be in the next two weekends).
It’s an adjustment and it’s hard not being at the track in-person all the time. When I get there, and I’ve been to more than 20 shows in-person this year, I get feature story interviews and talk to drivers about their seasons and what is going on. So I miss that. But at the same time, thanks to the wonderful work of Dirt Race Central, it’s lessened the stress on me which is helpful.
I’ve had a lot of help from folks. Mason Eisenzimmer and Kayla Koth have traveled with the tours and sent me photos for the blog after the events and have been a huge help. Photographers like Speedway Shots (Mike Spieker), AOK Photography (Ostenson siblings), Outlaw Action Photography (Collin Nelson), Lisa Rhen and Cody Papke have provided me action shots which have been a Godsend (considering I lost two memory cards with a majority of my pictures on them, including one that is somewhere in my sectional at home).
The past two years I did not enjoy blogging much. It became a chore and feeling obligated to be at the tracks in the coverage area a certain number of times burned me out (which is why I did not pursue the tracks as sponsors in 2023, I didn’t want to feel that obligation to be there so often). I still cover those tracks a majority of the time but wanted to branch out for some variety.
This year, I made it to Bemidji for the first time in many years. I had heard things about the place from some folks, but I wanted to go there and make up my mind myself. You know what? They had a great crowd, good car counts, and the people there seemed to be having fun. Yes The facility is older and not perfect and it is a bit old school operation in some ways, but I had fun there.
Remember that racing should be fun? I had forgotten that.
I’ve enjoyed my trips to Casino Speedway as well. There is a perception of South Dakota tracks, some of it earned, that I've heard it many times, the fans are a bunch of hillbillies, etc. Don’t get me wrong, there are hillbillies (there are folks like that at EVERY track), but again, the stands have been full, and the people seem to have fun there. And I’ve met a lot of nice people there.
I still enjoy covering the tracks and drivers at the tracks I previously covered, don’t get me wrong. But having a variety and meeting new people has helped me have a little more fun. While there are some blockheads and pricks in racing a majority of the people are good, honest, decent folks.
Yes there are things that bug me a lot in racing. Shows that run way too long, tracks that start late, drivers who don’t drive with respect for other drivers’ equipment, unnecessary delays during the racnig program, one-lane tracks…ok I’ll stop there.
I have been seriously contemplating trying something next year, and that is going to different tracks and writing up reports (for their private use, not for social media) on their operation from a fan standpoint. Cleanliness, how smooth things run, concessions, friendliness of the workers, quality of the racing, etc. I’ve been to 54 tracks and have been going to racing for four decades and I think by now I know what a good show and operation should look like. I will take the offseason to decide what the plans are. I do know I like being a fan, too without having to blog.
But for the rest of the year my race reports will mainly focus on tours (Moonshine, Rebel, Dirt Race Central Street Stock, NLRA) or special events like the Howie Schill Memorial, for example. I still do a few weekly reports but have found that they don’t drive up site traffic much.
Most of all, I want racing to be a source of enjoyment for me, and for the most part, this summer has been.
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