ROAD TRIPS are an integral part of racing in the north west. The I-5 is essentially the sole north/south route and everyone knows limited options bring obvious challenges, namely congestion.
At 550 miles a trip from Deming Speedway in northern Washington to Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford is going to cost you the best part of ten hours factoring in a couple of stops. Skagit to Elma at the very least means traversing Seattle traffic.
North west scenery is stunningly gorgeous, but seemingly endless; and if getting through Washingtons biggest city is a coin flip on the best of days then heading to Oregon through Portland is practically Russian Roulette. By the end of summer nothing seems close.
Thankfully we’re a hardy bunch out here and while many do stay close to home (and have plenty of fun doing so) there are plenty of north west racers ready to hit the road.
Led by the North West Focus Midgets who make 35 appearances at almost every track in the region there is no shortage of travelling to be done. NARC’s Fastest 5 Days is the king of speedweeks in the area; five tracks and five straight nights of 410 sprint car racing all leading in to Super Dirt Cup is a full on marathon of drive, race, maintenance and repeat.
This year SCCT will make their first foray into Washington, extending 360 Western Sprint Tour Speedweek to include new areas and tracks.
Though trimmed down from last season the much anticipated High Limit swing in August brings national touring teams to fans in the region for the one and only time all year.
In my experience the greatest reward of travelling has been the camaraderie. Time on the road is time away from real life priorities and everyone out there is making some kind of sacrifice in another aspect of their life. Whether they admit it or not, deep down we all know it’s true.
Being a part of a Speedweeks or a series, or even just jumping in the truck with buddies and heading down the highway to a race you quickly find yourself becoming part of something bigger within the community.
It’s addictive, no question. And it’s more than intoxicating enough to convince this photographer that living out of your hatchback Mazda for a week (on more than one occasion) is a great idea.