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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Racing enthusiasts take love of sport on the road


The Food City 500 NASCAR race was April 3 at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.
 (Photo courtesy of Sandra Ledgerwood / The Spokesman-Review)
Julianne Crane The Spokesman-Review

‘The wind is blowing really strong here,” crackled Linda Shiflett’s voice over her cell phone, “but the sun is shining and it’s about 80 degrees.”

Fulltime RVers Linda and Mike Shiflett were hunkered down in the Texas panhandle town of Amarillo, waiting out the high winds before continuing their journey to Las Vegas for the National Hot Rod Association’s drag races last weekend.

They were traveling west along Interstate-40 from Tennessee where they had met up with Sandra and Chris Ledgerwood of Spokane for the Food City 500 NASCAR race at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Ledgerwoods stayed with the Shifletts in their 2005 40-foot Fleetwood American Eagle coach at the Thunder Valley Campground about a mile from the track.

“We couldn’t get our RV anywhere close to the track,” said Linda. The town of Bristol has a normal population of 10,000; but the NASCAR races swell those numbers to over 160,000.

“The sound is totally incredible,” said Linda. “We had to put on earplugs before we entered the race track. Bristol is a big bowl. You get such an adrenalin rush with the noise and vibration.”

The Shifletts, formerly of Otis Orchard – now of the open road and San Carlos, Mex. – love motor sports.

“Actually,” laughed Linda, “Mike and I are watching the NASCAR race from Martinsville, Va., right now on TV. Then it will be a little drag racing from Texas.”

The Shiflett family motor sports tradition goes all the way back to their courting days in the early ‘70s when Mike was racing stock cars around the stateline and Deer Park tracks.

“It was great fun,” said Mike, “but I quit driving in 1976 when my son was born.”

After leaving Las Vegas earlier this week, the Shifletts headed back to Mexico for a month before returning to the Pacific Northwest for the summer. They already plan to take in one or two NHRA drag races and NASCAR events in the fall.

Working the motor sports circuit

The big 89th running of the Indianapolis 500 is just a little over a month away. While millions of us will be watching it on television, dozens of RV work campers will be at the Brickyard helping with the parking and ticket taking.

According to “Workamper News” editor Greg Robus, an avid motor sports fan, there are lots of seasonal jobs for RVers who want to satisfy their craving for motor sports and work part-time.

“Most of these positions are support jobs at the tracks – before, during and after each event,” wrote Robus in an e-mail.

“Workampers have a myriad of options when it comes to these jobs,” he said. “For instance, they can work an entire season at one venue, or they can follow their favorite series from track to track. They can work one event or dozens.”

Jobs such as ushers, concessions and security might allow some workers to see parts of some events, but most jobs will not be conducive to race viewing.

The majority events, however, “include several days of practice and qualifying before the big crowds arrive on the weekend,” said Robus. “Workampers can soak up quite a bit of the racing atmosphere even when they are not able to see the big race.”

• To learn more about Workamper News go to www.workamper.com or call (501) 362-2637 or write 709 W. Searcy St., Heber Springs, AR 72543-3761.

• Motor sports related jobs at Workamper News are listed online at www.workamper.com/WorkamperNews/TWNMotorsports.cfm

• Articles on motor sports Workamper jobs are available at: www.workamper.com/WorkamperNews/TWNMotorsportArticles.cfm.

Casino nights

Last week’s Wheel Question asked for experiences from RVers who have parked overnight in a casino parking lot.

Several folks have responded, including Dorothy and Jim Brown of Spokane Valley and Gene and Barb Barber of Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

I’d like to hear from a few more. Therefore, if you have stopped overnight at one of the many casinos that dot the countryside, please send in your experiences including which casinos, and if you spend any time at the shows, in the restaurant or gaming rooms.

Other upcoming articles

Over the next three weeks I will be writing about solo fulltime RVer and author Joei Carlton Hossack, RV historian David Woodstock and horse trainer Dan Sumerel. All three of these RVers will be making their way to the Inland Northwest soon.

If you have a question you would like for me to ask them about their RVing life, call it into (509) 459-5435 or e-mail juliannec@spokesman.com. Please include your name, telephone number and town.