Best Place to Live in the USA for a Club Racer?

[Tom Sprecher]

I have traveled the entire Southeast for a living since 1987. My picks are north ATL, South FL, and Charlotte. However, considering you are in the medical field and the fact that all the gray hair and rocking chair crowd from the right half of this country ends up in Florida you should look there. If you do, stick to the coast as the interior can really get hot and muggy 3/4 of the year. I lived in Jacksonville 20 years ago which was OK but I had to come back to the ATL. North Florida and South Georgia would be the same if it weren't for that line on a map somewhere.

Until recently, my brother lived in Bal Harbour which being so close to South Beach w/o actully having to live in South Beach is were I want to go when I die. The night life and babe-age is simply incredible. Like models walking down the street in bikinis and high heels. It's pretty high priced though, but renting an ocean front condo will only run you about $1600 a month. I'd be fun for a year or two that's for sure.

Now he's in Cape Coral on the West Coast, no ocean condo but a nice house w/pool on a canal big enough for a 30 footer about 5 miles from Captiva/Sanibel. Price - $295k. It's the place I want to go when I'm dead after I get tired of partying with the afore mentioned babes. Also, FL does not have a state income tax, which is 6% in GA.

The only bad point considering the reason for the thread is the tracks in South FL. I don't have any personal experience but I've heard the reason the SEDiv drivers in Area 12 don't race in Area 3 is because the tracks aren't worth the drive down there. But, did I mention the babes?

[EYERACE]

[size=2][size=3]don't move to florida....it's raining right now..........could be another of those hurricanes!! and not to mention the man eating sharks!!! and then there's the brain coral......they want to eat your brain!!!! and the jellyfish and the porteguese man-o-war..........watch out for the stinging tentacles!!!!! you could get sunburned down here too!!!!!! not to mention the gators!!!!!!! and no fooling in the keys there are crocodiles too!!!!!!!! wild boars and black bears!!!!!!!!! but whatever you do, don't move to florida because we have the most dreaded, most feared creature on the planet here: the blue haired lil' ol' lady staring out from under the steering wheel, one foot riding the brake, doing 18 mph on the streets and 30 on the interstates, she turns whenever and whenever she darn well pleases but she'll have a left turn signal on always!!!!!!!!!! .....and janet reno lives here too!!!!!!!!!!!![/size] [/size]

[rickjohnson356]

There might be room for one more racer in FL if Eye moved out of FL.

I will bet that Eye could find a good location for his practice here in ATL.

Y'all c'mon up here Eye, not as many blue-hairs as in FL.

and we are closer to more real road courses up here too

[Mark H]

In Dade co. you have to press 1 for English.

[BGP]

In a lot of places in Florida you have to push 1 for english not just Dade county! Hey Eye, you forgot to mention the Florida panthers that terrorize neighborhoods!

[Dave Welsh]

Not to mention the large population of black bears and snakes.

[EYERACE]

and wolf spiders that are as big as your hand when its fingers are fully spaced and extended!!!!!!!!!............100% of florida foxes die of rabies and 98% of all racoons die of rabies in florida!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BGP]

Clearly people should stop moving to Florida. There are way too many dangerous things going on around here. And we didn't even mention the child molesters yet!

[Mark H]

I don't like spiders and snakes but that ain't what it takes to love me?/

Oh sorry that was a flash back from parting in FL.,,, Hey most of my mind altering experinces have happened in FL!!

Im moving DOWN right now!!

I like riding the manatee's ..... Bear back (not BEER back),,,, ye ha!

+the best long island ice tea's I've ever had were in a tiki bar in FL.

Were all coming NOW.

[rickjohnson356]

Mark:

Should we caravan with our race cars and trailers too?

Maybe Stan could put us up for a couple of days at his place?

We could rent a space so we could keep the race cars together and help each other out! He has 2 cars and we each have one. maybe 1500 sq ft shop??

Waddya think?

(Boy, has this thread been hijacked or what???)

[EYERACE]

you're welcome....i've got space and a 12 pack in the fridge

[Gator]

Oh i see how it is now dad, i move out for one week and your already giving away my room. whoever gets it is going to have to let me drive their car though. i mean we can work something out, were all friends here.

[EYERACE]

No stephen [but i know you meant it in comedy], i meant there's room to park a rig and trailer or two along the driveway......i'm sure we can get at least one or two more racecars in the garage, after all there were 3 in there at one time. They sleep upstairs in the garage.....there's mattresses and A/C and a fridge for their own beer....and the plumbing's great [all the racoons you care to scare!]. I would rent out your room.....and buy tires with the $

[Mark H]

Hey Rick eye think all votes are in on the best place in the USA and its clear (you know 20/20) that EYE's shop has WON!!!

Now how do you intend to host the whole F2000 crowd with only a 12 pk EYE?
My AA buddys told me that 12 chillys would be OK as long as it was a social event?

+ yall have a little racin going on at the beach today and the rest of the weekend so whats for supper EYE?

Now lets RACE!!!!!!!!!!

[EYERACE]

ok, let's see - we've got lights to light the course, just not timing/trip lights, just a couple of stopwatches and someone must bring flags.....ah, staging area, chute length plus shut down area......we can race 50+ yards with a very mild turn midcourse, might even get into 3rd gear so maybe we should set the gearing up right instead. the really great thing is ...the neighbor works nights. Now about the 12 pack - an analogy - like Jay Leno said in the Doritos commercial "go on eat 'em, we'll make more".....so we'll get a keg but only if enough of ya'll show. what's for supper?......well backstretch roadkill of course..."hit a possum for me tony, i'm hungry!"

[DanW]

Stan,

Someone snapped a pic of your new puppy scratching at the door to get back in the house yesterday...

[EYERACE]

hey Dan......like eye said, the plumbing out back behind the tree is great. and it works much better after the sun goes down.....all the racoons you care to scare.....or gator's too.

[Mark H]

Man that dude wants in Dan!!
I take back all that I said about Calf, the critters out there wanna race, or at least eat?

And that gator has manners too, he (or she?) is ringing the door bell, must wanna borrow a cup of flower to make some biscuts? Or just hang out in the shop and talk racing?

[J Mabee]

Looks like sippin on a margarita in your back yard in Florida is more dangerous than a weekend of racing.

[reisertracing]

Lexington KY, good people good hospitals. Univeristy of Kentucky, medical needs area. 4hours to Mid-ohio, 6 hours to Memphis, 6 hours to Atlanta, 8 Hours to Nelson Legdes, 4 hours to IRP, 5 hours to St. Louis, fine women, horses, good commerce, SR racing in Lexington, fine engine bulders and knowledge of racing, parts, supplies, prep services,
7 hours to Beaver Run, 5 hours to Barber, Realtively mild winters.

8 hours to Blackhawk, close to Summmit point.

Good luck!

[Lee Racing 8]

Florida has Hurricanes??? Never heard of such things. Yea stay away from here theres not enough room as it is, EYE you forgot the flesh eating skeeters that are the size of pidgeons...FLORIDA KICKS ASS...WOOHOOOO

[enjoythetrack]

Rebumping and adding to this instead of continuing another thread.

I asked the same question a while back and got some GREAT replies.

The good news is, my job is where there is high-speed Internet so need no physical location. Frankly, could live out of the enclosed trailer and use my cell phone G or Edge or satellite Internet. So yeah, massive freedom to live virtually anywhere in the world. For now want to stay Stateside, though may choose somewhere in Europe or the Islands at some point.

It is interesting to note i just came back from a visit to Charlotte and really enjoyed the place. Like what PurpleFrog did with the analysis. Living in NH now and, frankly, have grown tired of the winters and -56F to -63F temps (not a typo). How is the FC / open wheel community around the relatively near Charlotte tracks?

Many thanks as ALL help is ALWAYS appreciated.

[Purple Frog]

Some could say Charlotte is the center of racing in the U.S.of A. Not a bad location for club racing.

30 minutes to Lowes
1.5 hours to VIR.
4 hours to Road Atlanta
3 hours to Roebling Road
6 to Daytona
6+ to Barber

Richard Morgan is there if you need a prep shop.

Major airline hub = less expensive fares.

Major interstate hub.

[Stan Clayton]

Stan,

Someone snapped a pic of your new puppy scratching at the door to get back in the house yesterday...

Dan, one of my neighbors has a sign on his gate that reads "My Rottweiler can reach the gate in 5 seconds, can you?" The sign on my gate says "Trespassers will be eaten!"

Stan

[DanW]

Dan, one of my neighbors has a sign on his gate that reads "My Rottweiler can reach the gate in 5 seconds, can you?" The sign on my gate says "Trespassers will be eaten!"

Stan

I found that pic about 5 years ago from the Orlando Sentinel when I was working in Orlando as a consultant on a gas turbine project.

Eyerace said the owner of the house was cooking chicken...

I told Eyerace to be careful with his fingers when he gave the puppy his treat after going outside....

[Mark H]

Charlotte dose seem to be in a very central location. You can be up north or down south in not to much time? Its kinda the gateway to the south.
Some nice track around there too.

Maybe the NC region could buy the old North Wilksboro Speedway and add a road circuit?
Or just run the oval!
There are a lot of tracks in that area being vacated by "You know who" for venues out west.

[jattus]

Hands down- Charlotte
Change of seasons although winter is fairly mild
Up and coming city + clean
Mountains 1.5 hours or the beach in 2.5 hours
Richard Morgan Racing for prep work & access to other motorsports facilities even Mike's wind tunnel if you have the spare change.

Track tally
Lowes - 20 Minutes
CMP- 1 Hour
Rockingham - 2 Hours
VIR - 2 Hours
Roebling Road - 3 Hours
Road Atlanta 3.5 hours
Daytona - 6 or 7 hours
Barber - 6+ hours

[6FOR1]

Hands down- Charlotte
Change of seasons although winter is fairly mild
Up and coming city + clean
Mountains 1.5 hours or the beach in 2.5 hours
Richard Morgan Racing for prep work & access to other motorsports facilities even Mike's wind tunnel if you have the spare change.

Track tally
Lowes - 20 Minutes
CMP- 1 Hour
Rockingham - 2 Hours
VIR - 2 Hours
Roebling Road - 3 Hours
Road Atlanta 3.5 hours
Daytona - 6 or 7 hours
Barber - 6+ hours

I agree. Charlotte is Awesome. We're moving there in May.

[FC63F]

BUT, when do you do all that major maintenance. The natural order of things is to race in the summer and rebuild over the winter -- its the cycle of life. I vote for Detroit - yes really - warm but not oppressively hot, wet springs to test your rain skills and great dry falls with fabulous colors- and only a few short months of cold and snow to encourage you to tear down the entire car and really get into things. Then as spring comes around you get to perform a mad scramble cause you thought you had all kinds of time...

Waterford hills - 40 minutes
Grattan - 2 hours
Gingerman - 2 hours
Mid Ohio 3 hours
Nelson Ledges - 3 1/2 hours
Beaver Run 4+ hours
Road America - 7-8 hours
Autobahn - 6 hours +/-
Blackhawk Farms - 6 Hours
Watkins Glen - 10 hours - for those who need a long tow

and probably more tracks that don't come to mind at this point

David Keep

Reynard 90SF

[Garey Guzman]

I live in Tennessee although it wasn't a planned move (my company made the decision for me). The upside is that there are lots of tracks within a days drive. The downside is that outside of the Roval at Nashville Motor Speedway, nothing is close:
Tracks, Track Length, Miles (from work), Tow time (from work)
Nashville Superspeedway, 1.4, 24 (home), 30m (home)
Barber Motorsports, 2.3, 213.75, 3h 15m
Memphis, 248.41, 3h 55m
Road Atlanta, 2.54, 269, 4h 16m
Indianapolis Raceway, , 326.85, 5h 15m
Gateway, 1.25, 332, 5h 16m
Lowe's Motor Speedway, , 428.34, 6h 50m
Roebling Road (Savanah), 2.02, 464.41, 7h 15m
MidOhio, 2.4, 466.65, 7h 36m
Kershaw (CMP), 2.235, 484.61, 7h 47m
VIRginia Int'l, 3.27, 493, 8h 9m
Gingerman, 1.86, 517.73, 8h 32m
Nelson Ledges, 2, 566.65, 9h 15m
Blackhawk Farms, 1.95, 598.31, 9h 29m
Grattan, 2, 615.41, 9h 33m
Summit Point in WV, 2.2, 613.83, 9h 37m
Waterford Hills, 1.5, 600.02, 9h 56m
Heartland Park, 2.5, 658.6, 10h 5m
Hallett, 1.8, 695.43, 10h 27m
Road America, 4, 655.31, 10h 48m
Mid-America (IA), 2.23, 748, 11h 29m
Sebring,, 728.53, 11h 32m
Moroso, 2.25, 806.82, 12h 17m
Watkins Glen, 3.45, 842.65, 13h 34m
Homestead Raceway,, 914.97, 13h 56m
(Not sure where Lowes is and I didn't see it on a schedule).

In northern Los Angeles, I was a little over an hour from Willow Springs and California Speedway, 2.5 hours form Buttonwillow Raceway, 4.5 hours from Laguna Seca and about 7 hours from Sears Point, Thunderhill, Phoenix International and Firebird.

[Roland V. Johnson]

And remember Gary, we race year round!

[Garey Guzman]

Roland,
I remember.... (sigh)

I remember....

[Mark H]

Garey, Lowe's is the old Charlotte Motor Speedway, it is a roval but very fast due to the high banking and lack of a "bus stop". The SeDiv SARRC series has a stop there in June. Believe it or not the infield has some elevation change, that makes it kinda fun to drive. Also there's the T-3/T-4 banking that seems to be faster (150 mph.?) than, even Daytona, since you can really get wound up down the back w/o the chicane.

Ive never been but if Nashville would run their roval that way it may improve the fun factor alot?

[D.T. Benner]

San Francisco bay area. 3 Great Tracks. Lots of up-hill/down-hill racin. I love it when the Flat Landers show up Their the ones who overslow the car in the uphill braking zones and lock the brakes in the down-hill brake zones. I just got back from Florida (took a cruise ship trip) and I think if you like boats and flat racetracks you would be in Hog(or is that Gator?) heaven. Hey,it's all good if we can find a place to race!