How far do you drive for racing?

I live in Sisters,OR. A po-dunk, artsy-fartsy, little town. It's three hours to PIR. And that's over a steep mountain pass that's dangerous in the winter. Then there's grass valley raceway. It's also about three hours away, middle of nowhere, no hotel, no amenities, nothing for the wife to do, and tent camping is the only of staying the night before. Not to mention high desert, so cold as hell at night.

There is autocross in Salem, that's also an hour and a half, but it's also the same direction over the Santiam mountain pass. Rallycross is almost always in Washington, several hours away.

Am I a complainer? How far away are you guys from racing? All I want is an event on this side of the mountain. I don't mind the drive if it's not dangerous, daunting, or looong. I have to drive my car too, no trailer. So I can't do breakdowns.

The closest non-kart track is High Plains Raceway. 5 hours each way, two 10,000' passes. Or Pueblo, about the same but with more two-lane. Granted, I trailer these days. But I have driven over and back and hit snow.

I'm currently in California for a Laguna Seca event. That's about 14 hours one way. I've also driven that solo in a rally car with worn RA1s (hit snow, too, in the dark) and a header that had fallen off.

I drive an hour to race... in Canada.
(I am most definitely not Canadian)

Was all set to go to Packwood (4 hours South) when a combination of autocross and my ex conspired to blow my clutch.

My closest autocross is 45 minutes. Then 1.5 hours, and 2.5 hours. Track is 2.5 hours, so I've ruled it out because it's further than I can get a free tow. Rallycross is looking like it will be 1.5 hours away, just inside AAA free tow range.

If I had a tow rig, or was a better driver, I like to think I wouldn't have a problem going 4 to 6 hours away, but since I suck and am still learning, I don't see it being worth the expense and risk to the vehicles.

RallyCross is generally 2:15 away. I have gone 6hrs for a stage rally or for a RallyCross school. I don't mind the 6hrs occasionally, I just have a hard time getting the extra time off from working.

This is in a hot rally car without AC or any sound deadening. Tow rigs are for people who don't live in a place where parking spots run $200 per month... AAA Platinum is my friend.

What do you pay for aaa platinum?

Also, thanks for the perspective Keith. Guess I should count my blessings again.

Closest track to me and my favorite is 25 minutes to Grattan. In the other direction is Gingerman at about an hour. If I wanted to head east there are more tracks within 2.5-3 hrs. That's the road courses, drag strips are mingled in there too. I have local and within an hour autocross and other events but sadly have not attended one yet.

Farthest I have gone is 3 hrs for a Lemons race at Joliet.

We drove 6-hours each way to the Challenge last weekend, but that's damn near local by that event's standard.

The closest the SCCA holds autocrosses to me is the Central New York region and all sites are an hour away for every venue, and we do crossover events with the Finger Lakes Region, which are two hours from home. I also have driven the 4 hours down to the Northeast Pennsylvania region to run at Pocono Raceway events.

I have mid-Ohio just about an hour and a half from me but have never raced on it. Instead I ended up following lemons around and have driven as far as Alabama to race, about 9 hours. I was doing about 4-6 events a year. Now that we have a baby that's changing and I'll be racing at mid Ohio here in a couple weeks.

I run in LeMons and live in Atlanta. I'm flying to Boston in less than three weeks for a race at New Hampshire Motorspeedway. I have also run races in New Jersey and Connecticut.

I don't do autox anymore, but when I did, one hour was as far as I was willing to drive for it.

I tow my car to events.

Currently drive just under an hour for autox.
Just under 3 hours for one "local" RallyCross site. The other local RallyCross site is only 35 mins from my house.

I just got back from RallyCross nationals that was 16+ hours away.

I run SCCA Majors and live near Gettysburg, Pa. Most events are 3-4 hours away, with a couple 7-8 hours. My only close event is Summit Point, 75 miles from my house. I have traveled as far as Homestead, Fla., a 2 day trip each way.

Lucky enough to have three tracks at about 1.5 Hrs away each (NHMS/Loudon, Palmer/Whiskey Hill & Thompson CT). Used to do 6-10 TT's & DE's a year. Unfortunately have done exactly none in the last 3 years since Palmer & Thompson opened up.

Move to Atlanta! We have more to offer than just rust free cars! I don't race, but I do track days. I've got at least 9 tracks within 6 hours and the mountains to get to them aren't that bad. Plus, you only have to deal with snow a couple of days a year.

These are just courses I have driven or I'm planning to drive and does not include drag strips or autocross sites.

Atlanta Motorsports Park - 30 min

Road Atlanta - 30 min

Atlanta Motor Speedway - 1.25 hrs

Talladega Gran Prix Raceway - 2.25 hr

Barber Motorsports Park - 2.75 hr

Roebling Road - 4.25 hr

Carolina Motorsports Park - 4.25 hr

National Corvette Museum - 4.75 hr

Virginia International Raceway - 5.5 hr

Trackmouse wrote: What do you pay for aaa platinum?

It's around $120 per year. You get 1 200mile tow and several (I think 3) 100mile tows.

I haven't done it myself, but I've heard from friends that if you need to go 300 miles you can get a tow for the first 200, get dropped off and then call them again for another tow...

Also, sorry for calling it Platinum. I think they call it "Premier" nowadays.

I am in Arlington TX, have a couple non-thrilling tracks around.

MotorSports Ranch Cresson is 45 minutes from me Eagle's Canyon is about an hour Texas Motor Speedway is 30 minutes Texas World Speedway is about 3 to 4 hours COTA is 4 hours

Ive driven to Road America, Road Atlanta, Barber, Watkins Glen. All have stories too haha

Only recently started racing again. Rallyx is a pain in the ass where I live as the closest event is 1.5hours away and only once per year. Autox I would struggle to go more than 1.5 hours unless it was a divisional/tour/etc.

Driving to far away events kinda sucks

I'm just outside of Baltimore and have driven to Sebring, COTA, Road America, Mosport and Tremblant amongst others, COTA was one of the longest drives ever for a track that felt rather soulless

The regular stuff in striking distance for me is:

Pocono - 45min
Montecello - 90min
Watkins Glen - 2.5hrs
NJMP - 3.5hrs
Summit Point - 4hrs
Lime Rock - 4hrs
Palmer Motorsports Park - 5hrs
Calabogie - 6hrs
Mosport - 7hrs
Nelson Ledges - 7hrs
VIR - 8hrs
Mid-Ohio - 8hrs

Which, looking at it laid out like that - NE PA is central to a lot of fantastic venues and has afforded me an opportunity to drive them in exchange for it's awful winter. That is about the most I can pull off without taking an extra day off work for travel. Even then, the Canadian tracks, VIR and Mid-O are special occasions because of the time towing. Barber, RA, CMP and so on are all further than 12hrs to drive so a full day down and back and I've not had a 2nd driver to share the towing so I just haven't got there. I have always meant to try to schedule a vacation loop of the south to hit some track days and learn them - same for the west but - it just never happened. If I could trade with TomTom there... we would have better than half of NA covered. Maybe when I retire.

Hallett is 305 miles from Little Rock. High Plains, about 1000.

I drive my car and am usually fairly broke so track days aren't happening as often as I'd like but for me in Central KY:

autocross site is 3-5 minutes from my house

NCM is 2 hours

Mid Ohio is 3 hours

I think I could autocross in Cincinnati in 1.5 hours but I'm not enthusiastic about driving my car that far for a local event.

There is nothing "close" to me but within 1.5-2.5 hours I can autocross literally every weekend from March-November with 6-8 different clubs. In fact I just took a look at my calendar, and there was at least one event (usually 2-4) every weekend from March 26 thru November 13th. One nearby track. Two local rallycross regions, one mostly dead, one with ~4 events per year.

Tracks:

• Pocono 1:00
• NJMP 2:15
• Summit Point 3:00
• Watkins Glen 3:30

AX:

• Susq/Hershey 1:15
• PCA/Hershey 1:15
• Susq/Harrisburg 1:30
• Phil/Warminster 1:15
• Phil/WFC 1:30
• NEPA - 5 or 6 different sites, 1:30-2:30, plus 4 autox/year at Pocono with them
• NNJR/Meadowlands 2:00
• BMC/Glasgow 2:00
• BMC/Philly/Dover 2:20
• SJR - 2:30
• WDCR - 2:45
• There are actually a few MORE - smaller sites/clubs that I have never made it to because there were multiple closer/better events the same day. LCCC. PCA - BWI. Etc.

RallyX:

• BMR - various questionable sites, sometimes none - 20-40 minutes
• Susq/Harrisburg 1:30

Everyone should move to the Lehigh Valley. No, wait, don't, we're starting to have this thing called "traffic" occasionally. Go away!

Six hours west to Edmonton, or eight hours east to Gimli. 16 hours to Brainerd, 20 plus to anything in Wisconsin, British Columbia or Washington.

I live an even thousand miles from anyplace cool.

I drive between 4h (Thunderhill or Sonoma) and 6h (Laguna Seca). Willow Springs, Buttonwillow, Utah Motorsports Park et al are 8h+ each way.