(Bill W) The rust is spreading a bit. The noises are more frequent and a little louder. The knob on the gear shift pops off and vibrates. Dust is thick on the dashboard. The play in the steering wheel is noticeably greater. The gas mileage isn’t what it once was. The bed is scratched up beyond recognition. The 4x4 capabilities are a distant memory. It never did have an air conditioner. The odometer is about to turn over for the second time. But after ten years, my green Ford Ranger keeps running like new.
It has seen many places, and taken me to unforgettable places the last ten years. Closer to home, it has been useful in dragging ball fields, helping people move, and most recently carrying a tree to the dump that fell on my house. Still, what I remember most are the trips it has taken me to raceways far and wide across the country. Talented drivers, racy racetracks, all night drives, and rainouts are all a part of the last ten years on the road with the green Ranger.
The Ranger and I have seen many a site. We saw Kenny Jacobs win in his home state on the steep high banks of Eldora against the best in the business. We also saw him win at Burlington on a rubber laid track in an All Star show. He showed up at Superior, WI for a Gumout/IRA challenge and tamed the heavy, scary, super-fast red clay to claim victory lane in the autumn. With birch and aspen trees changing color, northern Wisconsin is the place to be in late September.
We beat down Illinois roads to Jacksonville to witness Todd Hepfner’s first IRA win and sprint and midget doubleheaders in the fall on the tight quarter-mile. In a yearly tradition, we visit Springfield to see Lincoln’s house, tomb, or maybe the mile. Then we head up to find Spoon River Speedway in the woods for Manny Rockhold’s Tom Knowles Memorial. On the way, we stop at the Hess family’s Dairy Queen in Petersburg. By night, the high banks of the “Spoon” see sprints and midgets scream around a true “mini-Eldora”.
We’ve been to Terre Haute to see the WoO, USAC, cheaters, ASCS and Gumout. We’ve also driven there to watch it rain for two days and promptly lock the keys inside. We were at Attica, OH when Butch Schroeder put the move of his life on Joey Saldana to take the Brad Doty Classic. We were in Wichita when it was misting and C. Ray Hall pulled the plug on the All Stars. In middle of nowhere on the high plains, we stopped at a memorial to Knute Rockne next to, what else, a Hardee’s!
We’ve seen cars circle the racey clay of Powercom in Beaver Dam, and Oshkosh. We’ve seen battles at Cedar Lake, Bethany, Moberly and Cameron. We saw Mark Kinser dominate at Huset’s and I-80 Raceway on more than one occasion. At Eagle, we’ve watched the stars of WoO, SCRA, the Nebraska Cup, the All Stars and the locals battle on the banked 1/3 mile.
We rode all night to see the Short Track Nationals in Little Rock. One hundred cars on a little bullring going for the big prize, while enjoying the local barbecue. Closer to home we’ve seen them dice in Des Moines, Denison, Donnellson, Dubuque and Davenport. We’ve seen them crash at Cresco and Corning. We’ve heard their engines at Echo Valley. At Oskaloosa, we saw first wins for Jeff Mitrisin and Travis Cram. We saw the Front Row Challenge grow after Jac robbed the place of $50,000. We saw Rilat shock the world and take home $30,000. We’ve made many a trip to watch it rain, turn around and go home.
After 9/11, we decided that life was too short. So we headed for Pennsylvania. We saw Wood shock them at Lernerville and the Port. We saw Lance bring home the big trophy from the Grove. On the trip, we went through Somerset County, stopped to watch the Pirates in Pittsburgh, the Eastern Museum in York, and spent time with the Thompson family.
The best memories, of course, come a short 14 miles from our driveway. Arrive early, find a spot to park and collect dirt, sign in, circle the pits, take photos, visit, get a RaceTalk, wait for the family, find a seat, grab a tenderloin (ketchup only), smell the methanol in hot laps, listen to the roar, and watch the best racing program in the country at the sprint car capitol of the world. There is no better place and we’ve been to a lot. No, I don’t know how much longer the green Ranger will be making these journeys. Perhaps the good years are behind her, but recently she got new shoes and an oil change. Who knows how long she’ll continue, but if you see the green Ranger out there, there’s a good chance if you follow it, you’ll make some memories too!