The 2022 Best of the Best USA Blog

Updated on 30/06/22 through to and including Day 8, Wednesday June 22nd.  Very late I know and my apologies, but the flu has disabled me for many days and the erratic arrivals of all our tour guests made things a touch difficult early on.

June 16th saw the advance guard of tour members heading out of Australia for Indianapolis. They are testing the water if you like after being away for so long from our racing buddies in the USA.

This week long journey, which we have titled “The Prelude to the Best of the Best” takes in the Kevin Huntley Memorial at Bloomington (Indiana), the final round of Ohio Sprint week at Portsmouth (Ohio), the Flight 93 memorial at Stoystown  (Pennsylvania) plus an Air Bnb night on a Bison farm and finally three nights in New York City (I guess I don’t need to tell you where that is.) 

And then on June 23rd the rest of the crew fly into Harrisburg and the Best of the Best tour officially starts in earnest.

Keep an eye on this page for some updates on the Prelude, but more importantly from June 24th you’ll be able to keep right up to date as we always do with the happenings and activities of life on the road with Global Speedway Tours.  

Day 1 – Wednesday June 15th, 2022

With a racing heart and a mind that was already worn out from months of tour preparation, I sank back in the comfy Delta seat after nearly three years out of the saddle and sighed.  And then I coughed, rubbed my eyes because they were sore and finally wiped my runny nose, something I haven’t had to do for 10 years since beginning a course of regular flu vaccinations.

It was eerily similar to the Virtual Blog I had written back in 2020 when our Mega Month of Money tour failed to leave Australia. So, a Covid induced make believe 10-week blog was written every day for 70 days.  And on that “first day” back in 2020, I boarded, had a few bourbons and promptly fell asleep only to dream that people all around me were wearing masks while coughing and sniffing.

Today however it was real. I was the one wearing a mask and people were looking at me muttering such things as “what the f …”.  No it wasn’t Covid, just the good old fashioned flu that I was taking to America. I was feeling as crook as I’d ever felt before, couldn’t eat, couldn’t drink and most of the time couldn’t breathe.

Arrival at LAX saw the return of the long lines at Border Security. Eight or so international flights arriving all at once creates significant congestion made even worse by only having a dozen officers on duty to admit hundreds and hundreds of folks in the line. That’s the major reason it took 2½ hours to clear immigration and subsequently Customs.  Causing most connecting passengers to miss their flights.

Onwards I soldiered, mask equipped, to the Delta Domestic Terminal. Determined to keep on keeping on but at the same time trying my best to steer clear of healthy passengers.  For their sake. Back through security and onwards to Gate 26B which is where I needed to be to get to Gate 133.  On a bus! Quite an adventure to be honest. Driving across the tarmac with the driver skillfully dodging moving aircraft as they too tried their best to get to where they had to be. It turned out that Gate 133 was all the way back in the Tom Bradley Terminal where I had landed three hours before.

Minneapolis was next. Nothing of note happened here. Indianapolis followed and it was the last time for 42 days that I would have to board a plane. It was now 11.00pm and the local cab service took $30 from me and I was deposited at the Quality Inn in Plainfield where Terry was waiting in the lobby. A late night Whopper from Burger King formed the first food I had eaten since leaving Sydney 27 hours ago.

Day 2 – Thursday June 16th, 2022

It was about now that things began to go haywire. Not with T-Mobile, not with Enterprise Car Rental, not with the Hotel, but with Airlines who were ferrying the balance of the tour members for this first seven-day jaunt we have quaintly called the Prelude. First of all, the news flowed that United Airlines had totally cancelled their June 16th flight from Melb to San Francisco.  That put and end to Bob, Pat and Deryk’s hopes of a good start to their holiday. They simply went back home with food and taxi vouchers to try again tomorrow.

In the meantime, up in Sydney Russell and Shayne did leave but nowhere near to being on time thanks to the chaotic scenes in the Sydney Airport Immigration hall. The rest. Well they weren’t flying until next week.

In Indy Terry and I began planning our day not yet knowing that we wouldn’t have anyone to meet and greet tonight from the airport. We picked up the Ford Hi-top 12 seater from Enterprise, returned Terry’s car to Budget that he has had for a month, bought T-Mobile SIM cards, had a Starbucks coffee, (the first for me and the 79th for Terry), then drove to Dave Argabright’s house to pick up stored chairs and eskies.

It was at Dave’s that we realised our duties for the day had nearly come to end. Russell and Shayne were stuck in San Francisco for 18 hours (please send photos of Fisherman’s Wharf) and would arrive at 6.00am tomorrow morning. Bob, Pat and Deryk had been found seats on Qantas planes to Los Angeles and were due in Indianapolis at 10.46pm Friday night.

So with that Terry and I had four hotel rooms to share between us …..

Day 3 – Friday June 17th, 2022

Friday morning started with a bang on the door at 4.30am. ‘Twas Terry who I’m sure must have forgotten the airport was only eight minutes away. I shoo’ed him away and he went and had his 81st coffee and I had another hour’s sleep. At 6.30am the two lads appeared at the arrivals’ door haggared and worn out. But never mind they each had four’s sleep time in the two empty hotel rooms in Plainfield.

The Whittles and Deryk meanwhile had arrived in LA, but they too missed their connecting flights, thanks to the complete arrogance of the Border Protection authorities who decided to only schedule eight officers to process thousands of arriving passengers.

So after the San Fran holiday makers woke up, we checked out and made our way back uo to  Dave Argabright’s home to this time leave him with two seats out of the Ford, reducing it to 10, but creating loads more luggage space. And then, because it was a speedway trip, we headed for Bloomington and the Kevin Huntley Memorial races.

Parked the hi-top up on the grassy banks of turn 4 where Randy Kinser, Speedy and plenty of others had stationed themselves for a big night. We joined in and made it bigger still. Except for the driver who was scheduled to drive back to Indianapolis (100 kms) to pick up the laggard ones who were due in at 10.15pm. But that kept on blowing out hour by hour until eventually it because a fixed 1.16am. So we all drove up after Kevin Thomas won the sprintcar feature, picked ‘em up and returned to the Hampton Inn in Bloomington for five hours sleep.

Day 4 – Saturday June 18th, 2022

So finally we were now seven. A beautifully picturesque drive from Bloomington to Columbus (Indiana) on a delightful summer’s day brought us out at the race shop of the KKR (Keith Kunz Racing) midget racing team. Planned yes, did we expect it to happen? 50/50. The only car parked outside the shop was a Corvette C8, one I had seen before but couldn’t remember why.

Inside in his office was Pete Willoughby, Keith Kunz’ silent partner. He looked up surprised at the sight of me coming towards his office through the open front door. But he wasn’t fazed because entertaining visitors is now part of their mantra. In the past they were quite a secretive organisation and shunned the spotlight but not now as fame has well and truly come their way on the racetrack.

Pete took us into the work area and mouths dropped as at least 28 midgets (probably more) were in various stages of assembly. Up on racks the Chili Bowl cars were even counted in that number. Pete talked with pride about his operation as he did the Corvette out the front.  His one and only show of extravagance.

We said our goodbyes and hoped that we would catch up with each other again at Huset’s for the USAC Nationals, July 8th, 9th and 10th.

The balance of the drive to Portsmouth in Ohio was without incident and pleasant enough. Portsmouth Raceway Park is a new track for everybody on board and eyes were eager to see the All Stars in action in the find round of Ohio Sprintweek.  Regretfully, we and the entire crowd would see very little of the racing tonight. Not because of rain, but blindingly bad dust across every inch of the racing surface. The spectators couldn’t see. The drivers presumably couldn’t see but the speeds they carried suggested they were either mad or very, very good at their craft.

Cars in the parking lots were caked in layers of dust. Surely more than half the track surface was spread out across the streets of Portsmouth after the race. Car washes would have done an amazing trade.  Here’s some video to prove how bad it was ….

Day 5 – Sunday June 19th, 2022

After leaving most of Portsmouth Raceway Park in the bathtub and on the nice white hotel towels, we headed further east hugging the Banks of the Old Ohio. Not unnaturally the appropriate audio floated from the back of the bus with Olivia belting out her signature tune. Pretty much every town along the route had its own Pittsburgh steel bridge to allow its citizens to get across the river. And every one of them was different. almost as though a competition had been run and every design got approved.

Onwards we continued across Ohio and into Pennsylvania avoiding the turnpikes (fancy name for a toll road) until we reached the tiny town of Shanksville which up until September 11th 2001 was just a sleepy village minding its own business. And then a commercial airliner fell out of the sky, upside down at 563 miles per hour into oblivion with 33 passengers and seven crew on board.  All of whom wanted to go to San Francisco but in time knew they were going to die for 25 minutes before they did. These were the people who overcame the four hijackers whose intention was to fly the plane into the US Capitol Building in Washington.

The bravery of the passengers didn’t allow that to happen.  Instead they overpowered the al-Qaeda terrorists by storming the cockpit, thereby leaving the plane with no one knowing how to fly it and destined to end in a hole in the ground that held nothing larger than the size of a dinner plate.

Sombre scenes indeed for all our tour guests who firstly inspected the newly built memorial and secondly walked the distance out to the crash site to pay their respects.

From the solemnity of Flight 93 we switched off from the thoughts of the passengers, as we again alighted from the bus 20 km down the road at Schellsburg which is where we would sleep the night. On a Bison Farm with Ann, Richard and son Austin – hard working farmers on their 1,400 acre property which has quite a few residences on it, including the three story red brick Airbnb house we slept the night in.

Ann was delightful as she jumped up into the bus and took us for at least a 30 minute tour of the farm. We saw the bison herd (250 at least of them), we saw the cattle, we saw the bulls who couldn’t take their eyes of the cows (well it was that time of year), we saw Terry take a selfie of him and the cows, we saw the magnificent pond at which many a BBQ has been had, I’m sure. Fish in it by all means, but the snapping turtles ruled out any potential swimmers entering the water.

Coming back from the pond at a leisurely 15mph we were confronted by the magnificent sight of a deer crossing our path from the right. He/she appeared from nowhere (as they do on the interstates and country roads at night), leapt across the track we were on and then hurdled the property fence on the left never to be seen again (by us anyway). Far too quick to get a photo ….

That evening we cooked up Bison burgers from the well patronised store on Highway 30 that pays quite a few bills for the family. An interesting delicacy that of course resembled beef but was much, much leaner and required three times as much cooking time. Tasty but not quite “my cup of tea”.

Thank you so much Ann, Richard and Austin for your hospitality and at dinner where we educated both groups about each other’s country.

Day 6 – Monday June 20th, 2022

Although we had loads of bacon and eggs in the fridge for breakfast, time did not permit us to undertake a big cook up and then clean up afterwards, so we decided to donate the food back to Ann for her family.  Instead, we departed the big red brick house, that was once their home, until next time.

We chose McDonalds in Everett on Highway 30 to do our breakfast washing up for us.  Much easier and quicker, but certainly not as tasty and eggs and bacon on vegemite toast with a steaming hot cup of tea. We were on a deadline this morning as we needed to be on an AMTRAK train out of Harrisburg at 12.05pm. Prior to that we had to pull into the Holiday Inn Express Hotel on the Carlisle Pike at Mechanicsburg to drop off our large suitcases. Small roller board carry-on bags were the order of the day for New York City. As you’ll see the tour leader toed a hard line on arrival at Penn Station!

All of this was accomplished with ease and at 12.05pm and one second, the electric locomotive pushed out of Harrisburg on Track 9. I say pushed because that is exactly what it did. It fooled us who were all sitting in the wrong direction when it moved out. Yes the powerful loco pushed the eight cars all the way to Philadelphia where it glided gracefully into the William H Gray 30th Street station.  Underground of course.

Here it disgorged many passengers and took on others for the ride to New York. Some of our Global Speedway Tours’ folk decided they would take this opportunity to swap seats so they would be facing the right way on the second leg. Little did they know that this time the train would leave the station the way it came in. Yep, for the next two hours or so they sat backwards again while the train sped along at speeds up to 200 kph, this time pulling the carriages J.

As the New York skyline came into view phones clicked away taking those all important early shots of a city that is pretty much indescribable. And then all of a sudden we disappeared underground and stayed that way until stopping at 34th Street and Seventh Avenue, underneath Madison Square Garden at Penn Station. The challenge had started. Pulling the bags along on wheels we made our way out into the open air for the first sight, sounds and smells of New York City.

Our hotel for the next three nights was the Manhattan on Seventh Avenue at Times Square. Quite a mouthful indeed and an address that was 17 blocks away uptown. The tour leader wouldn’t permit a tax, nor the subway. This journey must be made on foot, straight through the bustling crowds on the sidewalks, all of whom are going somewhere, but never (of course) in the same direction. Onwards we went like good troopers with one leading and the other sweeping at the back to make sure no one disappeared into the ether never to be seen again.

34th St (Empire State Building), 35th (Macy’s), 42nd St, (Times Square begins), 44th St (Jimmy’s Corner), 48th St (Times Square ends), 51st (the Manhattan Hotel). And tons of stuff in between. Checking in was super easy, rooms were allocated and an agreement to meet at 5.30pm in the foyer was put in place. The order of the day now was for people to go back out on the streets and locate some diners to have breakfast at over the next three mornings.  Nothing better than eating with the locals.

Following which we walked further uptown to Central Park (ate ice creams next to the horse and buggies), walked further into Central Park coming back out at 5th Avenue and the Palace Hotel. (“Now this is a knife” territory).   Then down 5th past Tiffany’s (sorry girls, didn’t stop) all with the intention of landing at Rockefeller Centre on 50th Street at 7.20pm, our appointed time to visit the Top of the Rock at sunset to watch the city slide from day to night from the 70th floor.

The Rock had been pre-selected by all as their preference over the Empire State, the Freedom Tower and the brand new (and clearly terrifying) “The Edge”. A glass bottom viewing platform 100 stories high in the brand new Hudson Yards precinct of the city.

It was good fun and we stayed as long as we could to do exactly what we came for. To see the city transition into darkness. From there, the length of the day began to catch a few out, besides we were hungry so a late night snack at Applebee’s on 50th near the Hotel was in order.

Day 7 – Tuesday June 21st, 2022

Hop on Hop off bus time today, although we would ignore the second option. We just hopped on and stayed on for the duration of the trips around Manhattan. First up it was the Downtown tour leaving from Eighth Avenue at 49th St. It takes you south from Times Square and meanders along all the way to Battery Park stopping at all the iconic places to offload folks and pick up others who have completed their inspection of that particular attraction.

From Battery Park (which we will be coming back to tomorrow), the bus made a schedule change from previous years when it returned uptown via the Hudson River, instead of tracking back along the East River. Lots of stuff along there that I hadn’t seen before, include the newly developed Hudson Yards around 30th Street. It’s a large scale redevelopment program of what used to be rail yards, amongst other things. Eventually 19 new skyscrapers will be built there over and above the rail storage areas which are vital to the city’s transportation needs.

Back at Seventh Avenue we did eventually hop off pretty much right outside our Hotel, not to retire and rest, but to board the Uptown bus that commences its journey to Harlem from the front door. Away it goes, negotiating endless streams of traffic all of whom are constantly jostling for every available piece of asphalt so they can get to their final destination at least three seconds quicker than otherwise.

This time we travelled north up Central Park West, essentially the continuation of Eighth Avenue up along Central Park. A shorter journey than it used to be, the bus now doesn’t show you the famous landmarks such as the famed Apollo Theatre, preferring instead to return to Manhattan down Fifth Avenue once it has reached 110th Street. Apparently I was snoozing about this time, so missed everything from 110th Street back to 59th.

An R&R break was due at this time so a 90 minute lie down on the Hotel bed was required until we met again in the foyer around 5.30pm to make our way on foot to Jimmy’s Corner on 44th. It’s a bar that isn’t on a corner at all, but is the longest narrowest establishment you could imagine. Budweiser beers in ice cold bottles are just $3 (cheapest in town) and folks pack the little joint for a glimpse at Jimmy’s career in pictures up on the walls. He was a boxing trainer and promoter from the end of WW2 (hence the term “Jimmy’s Corner”). A most loved man in New York history, he sadly died of Covid in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Fortunately his family have vowed to keep the bar going and the donations to the homeless kids of New York who show a prowess in the pugilistic stakes.

The rain started as we emerged from Jimmy’s, so instead of making the trek down to Little Italy, we chose Rosie O’Grady’s right next to our hotel. (Hello to Heath and Gerard if you are reading this Blog today.) Some terrific Irish food was on the menu and a very pleasant meal was enjoyed by all.

Day 8 – Wednesday June 22nd, 2022

Meanwhile back in Australia, the balance of the touring group proper were now in the air on their 18 hour journeys to Harrisburg in Pennsylvania to meet up with us tomorrow. Little did we (or they) realise that none of them would arrive on their scheduled flights and most had upwards of a 40 hour experience in front of them to get to where they wanted to be.

At the corner of Broadway and 50th is the subway station for the 1 Red line. Using the included Metro passes supplied to all tour members, we disappeared underground and into the fascinating world of very fast and noisy trains. The ones which stop at every station are what we wanted, but the experience of seeing the express trains surge through the station at tremendous speed, carrying people who do it every day just to get to their workplace, is special indeed.

Anyway, we had 19 stations to count off while totally surrounded by people of all shapes, colours, religions and sizes. The latter is surely a matter for concern to the US Health authorities!! Seats gradually became available as we neared South Ferry which was our stop for this morning’s Statue of Liberty Cruise. Those homeless who had spent the night sleeping on the trains as they criss-crossed the city all night gradually began to wake up and instead of occupying six seats horizontally, diplomatically let others sit beside them. Although not many wanted to.

At South Ferry most subway passengers hopped on the Staten Island Ferry, but we walked out into Battery Park for the short walk to the Statue of Liberty ferry terminal for our 9.00am cruise out to the old girl. We were passed by numerous bicyclists who offered helpful advice as they passed by us like “get the f*ck out of the way.” After all, we didn’t know we were walking along a designated cycle path through the park. Besides, they didn’t say that to the squirrels who were following us hopeful to receive some stray peanuts thrown their way.

The airport style security at the boarding point was easily negotiated and by 9.05am we were on board waiting for the first ferry of the day to slide out into the Upper New York Bay. I had paid extra for these tickets after seeing an offer on the website to include a journey to the top of the massive stone pedestal upon which stands. The offer was too good to refuse so I lashed out impulsively and bought them without consulting the guests. After it was only an extra 53 cents.

And it turned out to be well worth it, although the 195 steps to the top brought a few undone. We waited for the small three person lift instead. An excellent view across the Manhattan is provided but in particular there is the opportunity to inspect close up from the inside how they constructed the giant gift from France.

Liberty Island was quickly filling up as more and more boats disgorged their contents at the dock, so it was time for us to head back.  The boat always returns via Ellis Island, but there is no real point in getting off there, so we don’t.

A stroll around the Financial District was next seeing Wall Street, the NY Stock Exchange, plus the bull’s balls on constant display and with access to everyone to caress and fondle them.  The brass wore off that part of his anatomy years ago. Crossing Broadway at this point takes you into the World Trade Centre precinct and in particular the two very large 911 Memorial Reflection Pools which stand on the exact footprints of the north and south towers.

The (now) world famous underground National Museum is curiously shut Monday, Tues and Wednesday since Covid hit, so consequently our visit for this “mandatory” two hour stroll had been purchased for tomorrow. The spectacular new Oculus Transportation Hub is now complete and wow what a spectacle this is. Home to 12 subway lines and with underground access to every building within the 16 acre World Trade Centre complex, the Oculus also has dozens and dozens of retailers inside all managed by Westfield.

Rain had begun to fall and tonight was our night tour on the Hop on Hop off bus so we didn’t get wet as we simply used the Oculus to get us to the 1 Red line and back to 50th St up town.  That’s when we got wet, as we emerged back up onto the streets of New York. A spell in the Hotel came next before venturing out again for dinner which tonight would be in a terrific Irish pub called McHale’s on 51st.   Highly recommended is the Bangers and Mash.

Still raining, we ummed and ahhed about the night tour, but decided it was a required experienced. We boarded, struggled with putting on the ponchos supplied, sat down up the back of the open air double decker and the rain stopped. It only started again the moment we arrived back .from where we left two hours earlier ….

Our night trip was complete and a big success. The bus still goes into Brooklyn, but it now uses the Manhattan Bridge over the East River as the NY authorities have banned busses from the Brooklyn Bridge. Unlike the day buses, the night version still returns to Times Square along the East River path up First Avenue which takes in the massive Stuyvesant Town (110 red brick apartment buildings on an 80 acre tract of land) and the United Nations Building.

And that completed Wednesday in New York.  Tomorrow we leave, but not before an enlightening visit to the 911 Memorial Museum.

Day 9 – Thursday June 23rd, 2022