As the calendar flips to December, it is time for a review of the 2022 season. First of all, I will not be attending the Gateway Dirt Nationals this season, and with Mother Nature wiping out our November events an earlier than usual end of the season came with Shiverfest at Lee County Speedway.
Still it was a record setting season for yours truly. For the first time in forty plus years, my race season began in Florida, as my group was fortunate to rip off seven straight nights of Speedweeks late model action. What seems to be a trend of cold, rainy spring weather greeted us back home, and any March racing we had planned was wiped out. From there, however inclement weather was rarely a factor until the November chill. Never once were we forced to turn around or leave a track with nothing to show for it. Only once did we have a program shortened by rain, at Adams County, Illinois Speedway in May, and those features were made later in the season.
As a result, I managed to eclipse my previous high of fifty seven nights, set in 2000, by ten events. And a personal high of twenty six different tracks topped the record twenty four from 2021. Compared to my racing colleagues Jeff and Ed here at Positively Racing these are rather pedestrian numbers, but still an accomplishment for Racin' Down the Road!
For sure, the reopening of the former Quincy Raceways, now known as Adams County, Illinois Speedway was a big part of this story, and the fifteen visits I made there topped the list. Second was another of my "home" tracks - both about thirty minute drives - Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, where I checked in fourteen times. Ricky and Brenda Kay have transformed Davenport Speedway into a destination facility, and seven times we made the two and a half hour drive to the fairgrounds quarter mile.
The first four races of 2022 took place at one of my few remaining "bucket list" tracks, East Bay Raceway near Gibsonton, Florida. With this fine facility to apparently close in a couple more years, this was the inspiration of our racin' vacation. Two visits to Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville put the wraps on the sunshine state adventure.
Closer to home, it was two nights each at Iowa tracks CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction and West Liberty Raceway, Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri, and Tri City Speedway, Pontoon Beach, Illinois.
Our only pavement race of the year was sandwiched between the Florida dirt tracks, at New Smyrna. One visit each came at Peoria, Spoon River, and East Moline in Illinois, 81 Speedway, Park City and Belleville High Banks in Kansas. Single visits in Iowa came at Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Independence Motor Speedway, Benton County Raceway in Vinton, Marshalltown Speedway, Knoxville Raceway, Stuart International Raceway, Bloomfield Speedway, and Clay County Fairgrounds in Spencer. Single Missouri venues were Callaway County Raceway in Fulton, Randolph County Raceway near Moberly, and U.S. 36 Raceway, Osborn. Almost unbelievably, 34 Raceway in West Burlington does not appear on the list this year for the first time perhaps since I discovered the track in 1968. While much of the mid west remained extra dry, rain outs plagued this fine facility seemingly all season. And while certain of their events, especially the Slocum 50 are on my list of "blocked out" dates, unfortunately the 2022 make up dates lost out to outside commitments. Hopefully better luck awaits 34 in 2023!
One stat I do not keep is how many new tracks added each season, but I feel certain the five this year would be tops. They would be East Bay, Park City, Belleville, Clay County, and Osborn. Perhaps not coincidentally, this brings my total to again perhaps a modest seventy one, matching my years on earth!
A shout out to Keagan, Fred, Darryl, and Jeff, without whose aid and incentive these adventures would not be possible!
Looking forward to 2023, the calendar is already beginning to take shape, and you can start to build your own by clicking on the special events tab on this site. The 2022 edition of the Turkey Bowl at Springfield, Missouri Raceway was twice postponed then rescheduled for February 24-25. Looks like a good way to kick off 2023! In the meantime, check back here for updates. To paraphrase baseball legend Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby when asked what he did in the off season, I will continue to stare out the window and wait for racing to return!
