The Age Old Question…Why Do We Travel?

Column By: DYLAN FRIEBEL / RPW – COLONIE, NY – With race season starting up again for me on April 8th at Orange County Fair Speedway, I started to reflect on last year and recounted how many times I traveled outside my little bubble of tracks close to home.

Why are we so willing to do that as race fans? What keeps bringing us back to places that are so far away? Is it the food, friends, or the action on the track that’s the main factor?

For me, personally, I love the hour and 40 minute, 110-mile drive to Utica-Rome Speedway every once in a while. I live for those pizza logs and salt potatoes. They’re both something I don’t get here in the Capital Region. Other than that, why did I travel all over New York and even to Vermont? Simply put, I made friends and it’s nice to see them.

Last year was my first full year alone at the races. For the first time since 2012, I didn’t have my dad by my side or even with me for more than three races out of 50.

Now that the economy seems to be recovering, are we as fans and racers willing to spend some extra money to go to the tracks that are just that extra distance away? Eldora Speedway, for example, seemed to be but a dream for me before 2016. However, me and my dad made the 600+ mile trek west to see the NASCAR Truck Series and the Big Block Modifieds race out there…and we made a two-week vacation out of it.

For this column, I got a lot of different answers from the community as a whole…some of which were surprising. One person said Knoxville, IA, which is a good 15+ hours outside of Albany and not even in our regional racing. A lot of people from New York said they like going south to Sprint Car Country and seeing the 410’s at the historic Williams Grove Speedway, Path Valley or any other track the PA Posse frequent. A lot of times, it’s the prestige of the track and the ability to say, “Yeah, I’ve been to Eldora, or Knoxville, or the Chili Bowl, or Kokomo, etc.”

Super DIRT Week was mentioned a lot. That’s not much of a surprise. I already covered why a lot of people take their yearly vacation in Central New York during October and not to the beach.

Brewerton, Georgetown, Lanco Clyde Martin, LeRPM, Bear Ridge, Selinsgrove, Lincoln, Kokomo, the Indy 500, the Chili Bowl, the Tulsa Shootout were some of the different tracks mentioned. You name it, race fans and racers go to it.

People go for all different reasons. One of those that I heard was “New York tracks are dry slick and dusty while the PA 410 tracks are not and you see a whole different style of racing.” I heard a lot of “get to see my friends” from racers themselves, their kids, fans to crew members. There is something about seeing those friends you see all summer who get just as dirty as you after a long winter.

Another answer I heard was to see new tracks and see if what others say about them is true. Most times than not, they don’t disappoint.

Some people go to support their significant other and make their relationship work this way. Everyone has something that makes them tick in their own way.

There is no better feeling then when you get in the car to go to to a race track you’ve never been to or is far away. It’s a feeling in and of itself. Whether it’s for the food, the racing, the friends, or just the experience, it’ amazing. At the end of the day, us racers and fans are a family. You may not like the driver being cheered for by the person sitting next to you, but if you see someone in public with a racing hoodie on, you have to respect them and know they’re into the same things you are. They plop their butts in those seats cold or hot, or help turn wrenches like you. We are all one big family.

Here’s to a great race season for everyone, and safe travels.