RICK @ the RACES ( 14th to 21st FEB 2007)

(2007 FLORIDA TOUR PART ONE)

In 1994, after 20 years of driving trucks ( lorry’s) in the UK and Europe, I moved to Ontario, Canada and once the relevant road test’s were passed, my first job was hauling Canadian beer and bottled water to the southern US.

My regular destinations were Atlanta, Georgia and Orlando, Florida, and en-route to the latter , I would pass the famous Daytona Speedway.

To do the journey ‘legally’ in a truck it took about 26 hours of driving,  on a trip that took you through, the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and finally, Florida

I also drove down to Florida for a family vacation in December 1996 , but like my work visits,  there was no racing taking place at the time.

Back to the present,  After spotting a good deal with Air Canada from Montreal to Orlando I decided to fly down, and, at last, try to catch a race at Daytona, even though my first priority, was to attend the Volusia Speedway at nearby Barberville, for the DIRT MODIFIED tour which precedes the famous “500” .

DAY ONE, (14th FEB)

After a few weeks of average winter weather, the forecast for February 14th looked grim . A big snow storm was predicted, so on the night before, I had little sleep , and made an early morning departure (3-00am) from my place in Maxville Ont, just to make sure I got there on time.

My plane was due to take off at 8-30 in the morning, so I’d prearranged to park the car at my employers , Baie Durfe terminal in Montreal where a co-worker would give me a ride to the airport.

By the time we left Baie Durfe the roads were starting to get slick and there was already quite a bit of snow on the ground. Fortunately Canada is used to this kind of thing, and at the airport, armies of plows were in action, clearing the stuff, as it fell. Of course the plane which had been standing, got covered, but after a high pressure washing with an antifreeze solution, it took off about 45 minutes late.

The three hour flight was uneventful, until we dropped below the clouds along the Florida coastline and from my window seat I could clearly see the unmistakable shape of the Daytona Speedway.

It was just after midday and I could just make out some small dots that were “circulating” , which I later found out was a practice session. Once landed, and through the formalities, I tracked down the Budget Car rental desk to pick up my wheels for the week.

Budget must be one of the popular choices, as I stood in a line for at least 20 minutes. My car was a silver Pontiac G6 with only 600 miles on the clock ( I would add another 1100 in the next 7 days).

By now it was after 2-00pm and my first scheduled track , the Orlando Speedworld , a paved oval for Legends and Bandoleros was due to start half an hour ago (1-30pm). Luckily it’s only a short drive from the airport, and I was there before 3-00pm in good time to see the features.

This was the biggest count of Legends, I’d ever seen… there must have been over 60 present that were spread over their three big races. I saw one race, which was my first for the Bandoleros… which was enough ! ( they reminded me of the cars seen on amusement park rides), before I took of for track # 2.

I arrived at the Volusia Speedway around 6-00pm where I had planned to meet up with fellow SHORT CIRCUIT MAGAZINE contributor, Martin Clark , the man in charge of the NASCAR pages.

He was out on the center taking pics of the MODIFIED Hot Laps. Sharing the program with the DIRT MODIFIEDS were the Late Models ( and there were plenty of em! )

While I was waiting for the time trials to end ( the part of a race program most fans don’t mind missing ! ) , I wandered over to the food concessions to see what was on offer. As I was eyeing up the burgers, I noticed a guy staring at me, and he looked familiar. We both recognized each other at about the same time… It was Tim Warwick, an old stock car buddy from Bedford in the UK , that I’ve known for over 35 years. I first met Tim, a BriSCA F1 Stock Car driver (#478 & # 307) of many years, back in the early 70’s when we were teenage race fans. He was over here on a racing vacation with a party that included BriSCA F1 driver John Lawn # 441, Spedeworth guys Titch Gardner and Rick Gladden as well as UK announcer Nick Knowles. Our long chat about old times, got us through the monotony of lap trials, while I got to taste one of the best race track burger and fries I’d had in a long time.

Tim and I then settled down to watch the heats, but before the features had run, my long day, and lack of sleep beckoned me back to the hotel , at Altamonte Springs which Martin had arranged. I don’t like missing features but, I was “pooped” and needed some sleep. I would be back at Volusia on two more occasions in the coming week.

DAY TWO 15th FEB

There was no lay in on the second day of the tour, as my next track necessitated another early start.

After my complimentary breakfast at the Hampton Inn, in Altamonte Springs, I was out on the road for the 45 minute drive to the Daytona Speedway.

SHORT CIRCUIT MAGAZINES , Martin Clark, formerly of Colchester (UK) and now a resident of North Carolina, had organized the accommodation and had departed earlier, as we both had different agendas.

My plans for the day were to see the first of the Gatorade Duels, then move on to the New Smyrna Speedway for their evening show of Asphalt Modifieds, see a few races before dashing over to catch the DIRT MOD and Late Model features at the Volusia Speedway. Things did not go exactly to plan…

I arrived in Daytona at 9-30am and already the area was busy, forcing me to park nearly a mile away, and having to walk.

As Martin, is the regularly representative for SHORT CIRCUIT MAGAZINE at NASCAR events, I never applied for credentials, so on arrival at the track I needed to buy a ticket. The unreserved cheap seats (60 bucks) were still available at the gate, and because I was so early, managed to pick a good spot, opposite the exit of pit lane.

As you’d expect, food and drink prices at the track were high, so the smarter ones among us, got pass out tickets and used the restaurants and fast food outlets opposite the track. I have to recommend CHECKERS for their Burgers as well as their Fish Sandwiches , both at sensible prices.

I must admit, I’m not a big fan of  modern day NASCAR racing, I much preferred it ( watching on TV) during the 70’s when down to earth type guys raced in ‘real cars’ .  Richard Petty , Cale Yarborough etc.

I also feel that some of the drivers these days appear so fresh faced and young, and are possibly chosen purposely for their ability to endorse the sponsors products on TV and not necessarily their driving talents. In my opinion, it’s now down to big “$$$$” with less thought to the race fans.

Saying all that, I was impressed with my first race at Daytona, the first of the Gatorade duels, which was won in great style by Tony Stewart # 20 ( now, there’s someone with the style of my past hero’s ! ) in the Home Depot car.

With the race over, I was heading for the gate and the New Smyrna Speedway,  as my next port of call.

After picking up a philly-steak sub to-go from a Subway in Daytona , I arrived at the paved New Smyrna Speedway around 5-00pm where the cars were already out on track practicing.

This would be the first time for me, witnessing asphalt Mods. Not only were there local guys in attendance, but also present were the top runners from the New England tracks such as Ted Christopher.

The Start time was scheduled for 7-30pm and I figured I’d see about three heats before I’d need to take off for Volusia.

Around 7-00pm there had been a few drops of rain ( but nothing serious) and by start time it was nice and dry. For some reason before the first race , the organizers chose to commence with a parade of sponsors vehicles, followed by an on-track interview with a guest old time driver.

Eventually, (about 15 minutes late) the flag dropped and I saw NASCAR style asphalt Modified racing for the first time. The race which was brought under caution a couple of times, was very good, with # 66 ( Jerry Symons ?) clinching the checkers in the closing stages .

It was now 8-15pm and the unfortunately delays at the start meant I was only going to see the one race, if I didn’t want to miss the features at Volusia.

As I drove in the direction of Volusia, drops of rain appeared on the windshield, and the closer I got, the worse it got. On arrival things were suspended and undergoing a period of waiting, after rain had caused a stoppage soon after the start.

There were still plenty of people around waiting for the action to resume, so I wandered around chatting to the folks I knew. Eventually the decision was made to cancel, which made me regret leaving New Smyrna….. that was , until someone told me later , that rain had returned there also, and the only race that took place, was the one I saw.

So , it was back to Altamonte Springs for the night, to get some sleep before the next days excursion

DAY THREE 16th FEB

Friday 16th , started much more leisurely than my previous days, with only one track planned for the day.

After another excellent breakfast at the Hotel ( I was getting quite attached to the sausage and philly-cheese filled bagels) I set off on my next excursion.

I would be heading for the East Bay Speedway at Gibsonton, a dirt track near Tampa, but my first priority was to find a bank as I needed more US dollars.

There were a couple in the same street as the Hotel, so it seamed no big deal. It wasn’t long before I found out that banks don’t change up foreign currency anymore ( unless you have an account with them), which kinda sucks. The teller was quite helpful though, and told me it could be done at the front desk of the big Millenium shopping mall which happened to be on my way.

Once all this was sorted, I continued westbound on I-4 in the direction of Tampa which is about a 90 minute drive from Orlando.

Just before Tampa I joined the I-75 and went south for a few miles to the Gibsonton exit . This was around noon, so I pulled into the local Walmart located right next to the Interstate.

I was just a few miles from the track and the racing didn’t start to the evening, so figured a wander round the store picking up a few snacks ( and a pack of beer for the Hotel fridge) would kill a bit of time.

I arrived at the track around 1-00pm , where I snacked and snoozed for a while, before deciding to take off into Tampa to explore and fill the car up with gas .

I returned an hour or so later and had another snooze ! before the afternoon practice sessions got under way. On the program , which was part of the 2007 Winternationals, there were the Open Wheeled Modifieds, a similar division to the IMCA , ‘grass-root’ type Modifieds that are seen all over North America.

Between practice and the racing getting under way I sampled the roast pork special dinner at the track restaurant , while watching the Speed Channel on their TV.

Before I left Canada, I’d been receiving press releases about the UMP Modified tour ( similar to IMCA Mods ) that were taking place at Volusia the previous week , along with the World of Outlaws Sprints, and one name stuck out a mile. It was a guy called Steve Arpin from Fort Francis Ontario , Canada who dominated the series. Although he`s from the same province as me, we don’t exactly live nearby , Fort Francis is way out west, a two day drive, from Maxville in the East (Ontario is a BIG ! ).

Once I discovered his car in the pits I had to find out more, and went over for a chat. He’s a real nice, friendly young guy and told me I’d got a neat Irish accent ?  ( I told him it was English, but he didn’t care ! ) One of his crew members told me, Steve won his first race on a snow-mobile, beating Jaques Villeneuve at the Bonnechere races at Eganville in my neck of the woods.

As the night went on I returned to the track restaurant to grab a coffee, and spotted a notice on a scrap piece of paper taped to the counter. “ spare Daytona 500 tickets for sale…see Terry at Mod # 23”

Now, I hadn’t got a ticket at this stage, so thought it was worth a shot. The problem was , there were two Mods with the # 23 lined up for the Consi’s and I hadn’t got a clue which one.

Eventually I discovered the correct one, it was Terry Haven , a driver from Britton, South Dakota and he told me to see him after the race.

In the closing stages he tangled with another car and limped back to the pits with a flat tire, so I followed. I then discovered he’d traveled down to Florida alone with no crew, so within a couple of minutes me, and two other guys from a neighboring team, changed his wheel and had him back out on track before the end of the race. ( I think we were quicker than the Jimmy Johnson crew I’d seen at Daytona the day before !)

Once Terry had returned to the pits , we swung a deal for a ticket he was selling for buddy who couldn’t make it.

I really enjoyed East Bay, it was one of those tracks I’d heard so much about prior to my visit, from friends who’d been there before, and it definitely lived up to it’s reputation. …. I was back at Altamonte Springs once more following the races.

DAY FOUR Sat 17th Feb

Breakfast wasn’t so relaxing for me on Saturday as overnight, the hotel’s population had grown immensely , with three coach loads of North Carolina race fans who’d arrived for the weekends big two races at Daytona.

The inconvenience, wasn’t so bad as I was in no hurry to get away. My plan for the day was the evening Finale for Dirt Mods and World of Outlaw Late Models at Volusia, and not the afternoon Busch race they were going to.

Our hotel was booked for the Saturday night (that evening), and I’d got nothing arranged for Sunday (following the “500”) as Martin would be heading home. With the sudden increase in people I tried to book for an extra night, but they were full, so my priority for the day, before going to Volusia would be to find an alternative.

My morning was spent driving around looking for hotels with vacancies, but it soon became evident, I’d be out of luck. They were all full up, or if they did have a room, it would be at an extortionate rate. I had given up hope, and was making my way to Volusia, via DeLand.

I’d passed a big Walmart there a couple of days ago, and figured I’d go there and buy a blanket, so I could sleep in the car following Sunday`s race. It wouldn’t be my first time of roughing it,  and I’m sure it won’t be the last ! About a mile or so before I got there I noticed a slightly, run down looking, 60’s / 70’s style Motel, and thought, “What the heck ! , let’s give it a try , it has to be better than sleeping in the car”. The lady on the desk was very helpful, ( she’d formerly lived in Wembley, Middx, UK), they had vacancies and the price wasn’t unreasonable, so I booked a room for Sunday.

I arrived at the Volusia Speedway mid afternoon , the sun was shining and I was really looking forward to the big DIRT Modified race, which after all was the main reason for my tour.

While I was wandering around the pits taking photos, I made a point of speaking to the three fellow Canadian drivers that were competing, Tim Kerr # 07 from Picton (Ont) , Pat O’Brien # 6 from Kingston (Ont) and Wallace Stacey # 66w of Kahnawake (Que). Wallace had two cars there, with Alan “AJ Slideways” Johnson # 14 J driving his spare.

I also bumped into BriSCA F1 driver John Lawn # 441 again ( that I met the first night) who was busy checking out the Mods, photographing rear end set-ups, to try on his car back in the UK. He also needed some info on tires, so I introduced him to Pat O’Brien. Let’s face it, DIRT Modifieds are the nearest American equivalent to Europes Formula One Stock Cars.

As I mentioned before, the World of Outlaw Late Models were also on the program, with many of the big names present like Bloomquist, Moyer and 2006 champion Tim McCready

The 50 lap Modified feature was won by Danny ‘the Doctor” Johnson # 27j who also clinched the Florida Tour Series, (176 points) with #77x Dale Planck as runner up (144 points) . It was nice to see two of my locally based teams, (Akwesasne) doing so well.

With another early start planned for the next day, I missed the Late Model feature which was won by Josh “the Kid Rocket” Richards and returned to Altamonte Springs for the last time.

DAY FIVE Sunday 18th Feb

Once again , my final breakfast at the Hampton Inn, Altamonte was a busy affair, with most of the guests being race fans and wanting an early start.

I was out of there soon after 8-00am and on I-4 heading for the Daytona Speedway. I’d hoped to get a parking spot closer to the track, but already the area was getting gridlocked with early arrivals, so settled for the same place, I used for the Gatorade race, which meant another long walk.

The “500” wasn’t scheduled to start until mid afternoon, so like many other race fans, I kept warm ( yes it was a bit chilly) in the large shopping mall opposite the track. I had an early lunch of a steak sub and fries from one of the Deli’s in the food court then wandered back to the track.

My seat was in the high rising grandstand on the back stretch so I used the courtesy shuttle bus to get there. I wasn’t in a bad position but I would of preferred to be where I was before ( on the Thursday ) It was still pretty chilly and I never dreamed I’d be sitting at Daytona wearing my ice racing touque and mits !

After all the pomp and ceremony the race got under way with not much happening during the first hour. When the caution flags came out , I decided a trip to the washroom (toilet) was needed and made off in the appropriate direction. To my shock, there was a line up (queue) of about 100yds, and being the kind of place it was, there were no trees handy to hide behind ! I’m glad I wasn’t desperate, as I must have missed about 20 laps , waiting to take a leak ! I can see why race fans knock the organizers, the Daytona 500 is known as “Americas Race” and after paying high prices to get in, I found not only insufficient parking but toilet facilities too. The seats ( not the toilet seats! ) were uncomfortable, forcing me to buy a souvenir cushion ! I know there’s a large attendance, but if I compare it to similar events of this stature, like The British Grand Prix at Silverstone which I’ve attended, there is no comparison.

After missing all these laps I figured a few more wouldn’t hurt ! So sampled a tiny slice of pizza for 4 bucks and pepsi for 5 bucks ! !

I also decided to get back on the shuttle bus and try to relocate to the front stretch. With a cold chill still in the air a few people (probably the ‘corporate’ types who are not really race fans) had already left, so I managed to get my butt into a good seat high up, and not far from where I was on Thursday.

The last part of the race turned out to be a cracker, as favorites, like Stewart # 20 and Earnhardt Jnr # 8 fell by the way side as a great battle developed between veteran Mark Martin # 01 and Kevin Harvick # 29.

A late caution gave us a green / white/ checkers situation, with Martin losing to Harvick by the length of a hood  as they crossed the line. Just moments before the checkers fell, a huge wreck occurred among the pursuing traffic, where Clint Bowyer # 07 ended up on his roof with Jeff Gordon # 24 and David Stremme # 40 interlocked right in front of me.

For my inaugural visit to the “500” I reckon I picked a good one and may be tempted to return.

With the later than normal start to this years event , it obviously finished later and under the floodlights, so it was about 8-00pm before I got back to my new ‘digs’ for the night at DeLand.

It was in the local Perkins restaurant that I had the best meal of my tour. I can thoroughly recommend their “Captains Platter” which consisted of a fillet of fish, shrimps and clam strips, complete with caesar salad and fries, all for around 10 bucks

DAYS SIX, SEVEN & EIGHT

Mon 19/ Tues 20/ Wed 21

My motel in DeLand didn’t turn out to be too bad, it was clean if not dated and in need of refurbishment, but heh !  It was a bed for the night !

The good deal I got from Air Canada for my flights, meant I had to return on Wednesday , and with no other racing taking place I had two more days to fill. My original plan was to stay in the Daytona area, attend the “500” winners breakfast on the Monday, then have a lazy day on the beach on Tuesday, but the chilly weather changed all that.

Back in the late 60’s when I was a school kid in England, as well as stock car racing, I also took a big interest in the emerging new sport, exported from the USA , of Drag Racing. I lived close to the Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire, and even helped out with a local drag race team. Of course, I followed all the top US racers like Don Garlits via HOT ROD Magagazine, and remember him visiting the ‘Pod’

So, on Monday morning I set off , cross country on Hwy 42 in the direction of Ocala, where south of the city, on I-75 Garlits has his Museum of Drag Racing.

All I can say is Wow ! , as I stepped through the door the old memories came flooding back. The first thing I saw was “The Little Red Wagon” the original wheel standing truck. Not only are Garlits dragsters on show, but many from other famous names too, which included Connie Kalitta, Shirley Muldowney, Don Prudhomme as well as Craig Breedloves famous land speed record holder, “Spirit of America” immortalized in the famous Beach Boys classic.

This , as well as the adjacent classic car museum is a great place for any race fan to visit.

I must admit that these days, drag racing does nothing for me , I guess it was just a ‘teen thing’

After I’d seen all I wanted to see, I got on to I-75 in the direction of Orlando.

I needed a bed for two more nights, and didn’t want to pay big bucks, so headed for the Disney resort area at Kissimmee where there are so many hotels ,  fighting each other for business.

After booking in to the Ramada for 45 bucks a night, I later spotted the Hotel 6 advertised at 35 bucks.. damn it ! That evening , for supper, I decided on a chinese buffett that turned out to be one of the worst I’d ever had .

One of the first things I noticed about Kissimmee was the abundance of London and Southern England accents I heard everywhere I went. I guess this is still a big tourist destination for Brits. Actually, as I walked around listening, it was like being back in Milton Keynes !

The last full day of my tour (Tuesday) was the hardest day of all to fill, so, apart from wandering around a few Flea Markets , I payed a lunchtime visit to “Race Rock”, a racing theme bar/restaurant located on International Drive.

  Hanging across the door way as you enter is one of Richard Petty’s last race cars and among the inside exhibits I found a Steve Kinser Sprint Car. I wasn’t really hungry, but decided on a pizza and coke.

From here it was back to the Ramada to pack my suitcase ready for the morning, then for supper I tried the Angus Steak and Seafood Restaurant next door. I went for some of their seafood, but it wasn’t as good a what I had at Perkins , two nights previous.

An early morning call from the hotel got me out of bed early on Wednesday for my short drive to the airport, where I returned my Pontiac G6 rental.

Around 3-45 pm my plane had landed in Montreal, and by 7-00pm I was back home in Maxville, Ontario , shoveling the snow from my driveway !

THE END (until next time)