SO MANY CHECKERED FLAGS HAVE FALLEN
By Jack Taylor

(4/20/03)The first race I ever witnessed was as a youngster with my father,
probably in the 1940's, at the old Vermilion County Fair Grounds in Danville, Illinois. My father was a Don Branson fan, who was from Champaign, and one of the most prominent Indy car drivers of that era.

Throughout the years, spanning over 60 of them, racing has been a large part of my life whether it be as a spectator or reporting. And whether it was asphalt or dirt surfaces, I have enjoyed it all and the memories and friendships acquired over those many years will last forever.

Growing up in the 40's in northern Illinois while watching midget racing at Joliet Memorial Stadium and dirt track racing at the old Mazon Speedway, my racing horizons were broadened as a young man into excursions to check out the action at tracks such as Blue Island's Raceway Park ( always labeled as the world's busiest racetrack racing on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), Sante Fe Speedway, O'Hare Stadium, Illiana Speedway, Waukegan Speedway, Grundy County Speedway, and periodic trips to the Milwaukee Mile.

This wide variety of racing allowed me to observe my favorite drivers of the day as they etched their names in the history books of oval racing. Fred Lorenzen, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, A. J. Foyt, Roger Ward, Dick Trickle, Dick Nelson, Ken Schrader, Bud Koehler, Bob Pronger, Jim O'Conner, and many others were among the favorites in the 50's and 60's. Seen many dirt Late Model drivers race when they were young and just starting out including Billy Moyer and Bob Pierce at Sante Fe.

Along came the 70's and 80's and the good ole boys from NASCAR began to whet my appetite for the big shows, and I reluctantly departed the short tracks of old racing history. Probably television and the great promotional work of the NASCAR people were mainly responsible for changing fans and mine enthusiasm more than anything in my lifetime.

By the time the 90's rolled around, my lungs had already accumulated enough real dirt and dust to send me back out to the local dirt tracks once again and I began reporting on local track happenings for various publications in the Midwest. This is where I have met some of the nicest drivers and fans and promoters one could ask for.
67 feature articles and over 250 race stories and summaries are the culmination of my life at the tracks.

This steady diet of reporting on dirt racing, mainly in the Midwest, has brought me a satisfaction that my small contribution to the media  was a worthwhile venture and hopefully added something to the sport.

HERE ARE MY TOP TEN
ALL-TIME FAVORITE TRACKS

NUMBER 1- BLUE ISLAND RACEWAY PARK
NUMBER 2- THE MILWAUKEE MILE
NUMBER 3- ELDORA SPEEDWAY
NUMBER 4- INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK
NUMBER 5- TALADEGA SUPER SPEEDWAY
NUMBER 6- THE SPRINGFIELD MILE
NUMBER 7- VERMILION COUNTY SPEEDWAY
NUMBER 8- BENTON COUNTY SPEEDWAY (KAMP)
NUMBER 9- FARMER CITY RACEWAY
NUMBER 10- FAIRBURY SPEEDWAY

MY LEAST FAVORITE TRACKS
FOR ENJOYING A RACE

1- INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
2- MACON SPEEDWAY
3-RED HILL RACEWAY
4- CHARLESTON SPEEDWAY
5- TERRE HAUTE ACTION TRACK

HERE'S WHERE I'VE BEEN IN 60 YEARS
(Countless times at many of them)
TALADEGA MOTOR SPEEDWAY, INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK, THE MILWAUKEE MILE, THE SPRINGFIELD MILE, THE DUQUOIN MILE, ELDORA SPEEDWAY, BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY, INDIANA STATE FAIR MILE, TERRE HAUTE ACTION TRACK, VERMILION COUNTY SPEEDWAY, VERMILION COUNTY FAIR GROUNDS, CHARLESTON SPEEDWAY, BENTON COUNTY SPEEDWAY, FARMER CITY RACEWAY, FAIRBURY SPEEDWAY, WINCHESTER SPEEDWAY, HENRY'S SPEEDWAY, WAUKEGAN SPEEDWAY, CHAMPAIGN COUNTY FAIR GROUNDS, ANDERSON MOTOR SPEEDWAY, BROWNSTOWN SPEEDWAY, KANKAKEE MOTOR SPEEDWAY, MACON SPEEDWAY, KAMP MOTOR SPEEDWAY, RED HILL RACEWAY, KENTUCKY LAKE MOTOR SPEEDWAY, GRUNDY COUNTY SPEEDWAY, BLUE ISLAND RACEWAY PARK, ILLIANA MOTOR SPEEDWAY, OHARE RACEWAY, LASALLE MOTOR SPEEDWAY, JOLIET SPEEDWAY, MAZON SPEEDWAY, AND SANTE FE SPEEDWAY