2019 in Review

 Time for a quick look back at the final season of the teens as we wait to turn the calendar over. Having settled firmly into retirement, my practical mind tells me I should cut back on the long trips and late nights ( not to mention the expense!), but the notion of being able to travel far and wide no matter the day of the week remains too powerful to resist!
  Combining the two ideas, I came away with fifty three nights of racing this season, at a record ( for me ) twenty two different venues. Staying in the tri states, the breakdown is as follows: Iowa, Lee County Speedway, eight, 34 Raceway, four, two each for Knoxville Raceway, Marshalltown Speedway, Benton County Speedway, and my one new track, Stuart Speedway. Weather and other commitments resulted in only one trip to Davenport Speedway, along with single trips to West Liberty, Independence, Farley, and Tipton for a total of twenty five nights, not counting a pair of weather aborted trips to Davenport and Columbus Junction.  Illinois hosted twenty four visits, with Quincy Raceways leading the way with sixteen, while  Tri City Speedway was next with three. There were single trips to Jacksonville, Macon, LaSalle, Spoon River, and Quad City Speedway. Ironically, my home state of Missouri came in last, with one night each at Pevely, Wheatland, Springfield, and the Dome in St. Louis.
  Some may think that because this site is called "Positively Racing" that we ignore the negative things at various tracks, I can honestly say that while some nights are challenging, and I do try to mention  - but not harp on - certain shortcomings, there is not a track on this list that I would hesitate to visit in 2020.
  With that said, scheduling and "real life", ( see LaSalle Speedway) may not make that possible, but I hope to attend as many as is practical going forward. For the past several years, I have attempted to add at least one new track each season. With 2020 being, as near as I can tell, my sixty fifth year of going to races, I hope to add two in 2020, which would give me a total of sixty five tracks, a rather pedestrian total when compared to many of my cohorts. Unfortunately, during my working years, venturing far from home was often not practical! With grandson Keagan, one of my faithful racing companions, having moved to the western part of Missouri, I hope to add a new track or two in that area.
  In years past, it seemed like special races would be scheduled within a three to four hour drive, and we would then decide if we would or could make the trip. Looking at the early schedule releases for the coming season, I am amazed at the number of  special events on the same night, which will force many fans to make a choice of not only if, but where to go. Great for fans, but perhaps not so for promoters. This appears to be happening particularly in the late model division. Just as the MLRA becomes more established in Iowa and the surrounding tracks, we have the SLMR series purchasing the IMCA Summer Series with rules welcoming open as well as spec engines. At the same time, Tony Izzo Jr., a well known personality in late model circles as a driver and promoter has purchased the MARS series and is attempting a revival of the once southern Missouri dominant tour in eastern Iowa, and western and central Illinois.
  At the same time, there is no lack of sprint car specials in the three state area, including the reopening of the now 3/8 mile dirt oval at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Mo., which will host the World of Outlaw sprint cars on their opening night, a risky undertaking in my humble opinion, but that is another story!
  While we await the various track schedules, I hope everyone remembers that weekly racing remains the backbone of our sport, and we all attend our home tracks as often as we can!
  Happy New Year, and we hope to see you at a track in 2020!