IndianaOpenWheel.com Sprint Car & Midget Racing Forum
Forgot Password?

Reply  Indiana Open Wheel > Indiana Open Wheel Forum > How Far is Too Far
Thread Tools
10/12/24, 12:12 PM   #1
How Far is Too Far
flagboy55
flagboy55 is offline
Senior Member

Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 8,716
 

Taking the question from the Burg thread, I thought it’s a fair question. The criteria is a race with a start time of 7pm, and you’re driving home afterwards. For my friends Oppweld and Yeleyfan76, the answer is probably there’s no place too far, but for us mortals, we have parameters. Thanks
 
2 members like this post: motorhead748, Stevensville Mike
10/12/24, 1:59 PM   #2
motorhead748
motorhead748 is offline
Senior Member

Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,055
 

For me it’s pretty much anything goes if it’s something I want to see. Another factor for me is do I have anything I want to do the following day. If the answer is yes then I’ll ride home after the race and I’ve done that 3 times this summer from Knoxville which is 562 miles. If no I may camp out at the track but I’ve gotten to where I’ll just come home anyway because if I stay it essentially chews up the whole weekend.
I’m in SW Ohio & tracks like Haubstadt, Attica, Fremont are all in the 180-220 mile range and wouldn’t consider staying the nite after a race.
I always travel by motorcycle unless someone is going with me which is rare.
Heck a few weeks ago on a Sunday I rode out to Knoxville because they were having a car show at the track. Left at 4a & was home at 11:20p.
 
10/12/24, 2:34 PM   #3
Re: How Far is Too Far
Charles Nungester
Charles Nungester is offline
Senior Member

Race Count This Year: 6
Race Count Last Year: 14
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 21,731
 

Well considering Im in the same situation as Ron. About a hour and a half. Family member may need help. Ron also has been riding a lot with friends. Some no longer with us .

I alone say about three to four hours for a event. Maybe a couple days for small trips. If I was free to do so. And have all my life.
__________________
Charles Nungester
 
2 members like this post: flagboy55, motorhead748
10/12/24, 7:29 PM   #4
Re: How Far is Too Far
yeleyfan76
yeleyfan76 is offline
Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 523
 

Everybody’s situation is different of course. We have all done the crazy(fun) things needed to attend a show and return home. Pops always said on work/school nites if you can’t get up the next day for them you aren’t going. Lots of midweek trips to southern Delaware 3hrs each way were tough. Syracuse Ny up and back on a Sunday for the BBM finale were long days. No matter what the events or parameters of travel were we have all done it. If you still can that’s great, if life has thrown curveballs to you that sux. No need to air your personal issues for why you can’t do what you once did. Let’s just read about whatever fun(crazy) trips people can make. BTW 55 you drove ur butt off out east this year for the Storm. Almost did them all, maybe next year you stay for Kutztown to prep for ISW at IMS. �� There is a good brewery in town as well. Got ya covered.
 
3 members like this post: Daisy's dad, flagboy55, motorhead748
10/12/24, 9:55 PM   #5
Re: How Far is Too Far
Stevensville Mike
Stevensville Mike is offline
Senior Member

Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 3,212
 

From Stevensville, Kokomo is two hours to the south, Butler is two hours to the east, and I-96 is two hours to the northeast. The drive there is not the point. It is the drive home. I always thought driving at night was easier for there are headlights and you can pretty much see who is around you on the road. Not to mention less traffic. Now with the 'new' cable cheese grater guardrails dividing the median on the interstates, the lights coming at you flicker. Prior to, a flicker meant something was in between you and them - like a deer, so you were on guard. Now it feels like a crapshoot at night sometimes.

Hartford is always a 30 minute "treat".

But as I get older I realize my problem is my night vision. I have a harder time focusing and dialing in ahead of me. Of course my eye doctor has told me cataracts surgery is in the crosshairs, so that should help down the line.

Two hours/110-120 miles has pretty much been my limit these days. I'll get back in the saddle down the line, but for now the days/nights past of Owendale, Beaver Dam, Knoxville, Eldora, Lincoln Park, & Terre Haute are on hold.
__________________
Chiming in live from the West Coast of Michigan.... Mike
 
2 members like this post: flagboy55, motorhead748
10/13/24, 9:03 AM   #6
Re: How Far is Too Far
The Old Coyote
The Old Coyote is offline
Senior Member

Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,418
 

Same with me, Mike. I used to drive two hours one way to Kokomo every Sunday when it was a weekly track and drive home afterwards. Now that Kokomo is a special event track those days are gone.
I did drive home after the Klash last Friday, but it was not something I would do on a regular basis as this coyote is not as frisky as he was once was!
__________________
Real Race Cars Don't Have Fenders!
Ed
 
6 members like this post: erich45, flagboy55, Hubie48, mc/rider, TQ29m
10/13/24, 4:04 PM   #7
Re: How Far is Too Far
cornerthree
cornerthree is offline
Senior Member

Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 586
 

Being 61 it's starting to get shorter. But if I have a couple of friends along 7 hours. We did it last week at Terre Haute. We are from the Green Bay area, FYI we did go to Fairbury IL on Friday.
 
5 members like this post: Charles Nungester, flagboy55, Grocery Guy, jdull99, yeleyfan76
10/13/24, 7:07 PM   #8
Re: How Far is Too Far
B99
B99 is offline
Senior Member

Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 270
 

As I get older, and I'm catching corner 3, I usually go by time I'm gonna get home. If it's 2-3 am, OK, but if it's gonna be later than that I'm probably out. More often I'm leaving before all the features are done. Kokomo is a little over 3 hours for me, and when the Klash sprint main was done, I was headed home. The Hut on a Sunday night was out because I have to work the next day. Special show, 2-3 hours. Weekly show I'm not driving more than an hour.
 
2 members like this post: flagboy55, Grocery Guy
10/13/24, 10:01 PM   #9
Grocery Guy
Grocery Guy is offline
Senior Member

Race Count This Year: 6
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 2,501
 

These are interesting race fan comments, which I'm sure we never thought we'd limit our driving to and from races. Hitting 68, I'm somewhat more careful now driving home late at night. Twice I drove home from the Chili Bowl overnight, to catch the Colts playoff games on Sunday, the day after. That made no sense. Seems like my latest one-day drives have been from Indy to Fairgrounds Nashville Speedway to the All American 400 to close out the season. One of those years they had both 300 and 100 lap races, making for a long Sun night ride home. And losing an hour. Years ago, I remember standing next to a friend back at a Sunday night Eldora USAC sprint car show, after the Indy 500. He told me his wife asked him why he was doing that double, and he told her because he still could back then. Sadly, I don't see him too much at out-of-town races anymore. Father time has a way of catching up to even us die-hard fans. 🏁
 
4 members like this post: jdull99, luckybuc97, racenut69, The Old Coyote
10/13/24, 10:08 PM   #10
Re: How Far is Too Far
racefan20
racefan20 is offline
Senior Member

Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 5,164
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grocery Guy View Post
These are interesting race fan comments, which I'm sure we never thought we'd limit our driving to and from races. Hitting 68, I'm somewhat more careful now driving home late at night. Twice I drove home from the Chili Bowl overnight, to catch the Colts playoff games on Sunday, the day after. That made no sense. Seems like my latest one-day drives have been from Indy to Fairgrounds Nashville Speedway to the All American 400 to close out the season. One of those years they had both 300 and 100 lap races, making for a long Sun night ride home. And losing an hour. Years ago, I remember standing next to a friend back at a Sunday night Eldora USAC sprint car show, after the Indy 500. He told me his wife asked him why he was doing that double, and he told her because he still could back then. Sadly, I don't see him too much at out-of-town races anymore. Father time has a way of catching up to even us die-hard fans. 🏁
Ive done both those drives. I remember getting home about 9:30(I had DO and Eleanor Vogler to help keep me awake during the trip home) and I thought I could sneak a few hours sleep before the Colts playoff game against the Chargers. I woke up during the second game to find the Colts had lost
__________________
John Hoover

“To whom little is not enough, nothing is enough.” Epicurus
 
2 members like this post: Grocery Guy, jdull99
Reply Indiana Open Wheel > Indiana Open Wheel Forum > How Far is Too Far





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:50 AM.


Make IndianaOpenWheel.com your homepage
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
© 2005-2024 IndianaOpenWheel.com
Mobile VersionLinks: Dave Merritt - Chris Pedersen - Carey Fox - Carey Akin - Joe Bennett - Brandon Murray - Dave Roach - John DaDalt - Racin; With D.O. - Jackslash Media