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Ok, ok......

My goal for this renovation was not to end up with a new track. I wanted to retain the originality and history of this track, but make a few improvements. On my list were: 1. more room for driver's at the driver's stations and an indicator light to let them now they had power at their controller hookup. 2. Redo the wiring to make it more easily diagnosable in case of electrical problems. 3. Eliminate the "hole" needed to turn marshal the esses. 4. Move the deadman's or hairpin turn further away from the banked curve to save wear and tear on the braid and the slot. I feel I have met my goals.

Inside or outside?

Well it's been a long four month process but today at 11:00 A.M. I made the final electrical connection. Inslot's Checkered Flag Raceway is now again operational!

After completing hundreds of solder and mechanical connections I threw the switch and the track was up and running with no issues. I ended up rewiring the entire track, excluding the main control panel. Was it really necessary? Probably not. Is it over kill? Definitely, but I really HATE having problems during a race!

Originally the track had 2 power taps. It now has 7. All the wiring has been color coded and designed for ease of diagnostics just incase of an issue. The use of terminal blocks will ease the reconnection of any necessary braid replacement in the future.

Power tap 1 and driver's station connections for Yellow & White lanes:

Power tap 2 and driver's station connections for Red & Blue lanes:

Power tap 3 at the downhill exit straight off the bank:

Power tap 4 at the start of the lower straight after the esses:

Power tap 5 at the end of the lower straight at the entrance to the chicane:

Power tap 6 at the beginning of the back straight after the lead on curve:

Power tap 7 at the end of the back straight at the entrance to the bank:

This is the wiring for the lap counter section:

Thanks for the update Chris. Fantastic news for your folks. I'm sure the fact that your Dad stays in such great shape helps a lot with his recovery! I don't think I could have kept up with your Dad when I was 30. Your Mom is probably just as fit I would imagine.

Sounds like you're making progress on all fronts Doc!

Thanks Chris, and Happy Turkey Day to you and all NASTE folks!

By the way...........what the hell is "tryptophan"????

Today I finished up the track braid replacement. It took 800 feet of new braid to replace all of the old stuff. After I finished up with the braid I took time to install the track side boards using some of the old existing material as well as a section of new material.

I think the Murder Hornets are transmitting it and we all know how well they hide!!!!

Definitely!..........I say we pretend it never even happened!

With the next "shut down" looming, I thought it might be a good time to touch base here again. Except for the running of the Annual NASTE Halloween Race, all NASTE racing is still shut down. My track is still in the renovation process but, I am getting closer to having it operational again. Howie still has Rapid Raceway up and running, Bob Nakamura has shut down Springwater Raceway temporarily, and Tom Street's track in Bend is still holding races. I have not talked with any of the other NASTE track owners about their near future plans. Once my track is complete I plan to hold some select races through 2021, and possibly one or two races in December. I do have one OSCAR race scheduled for December 12th.

At this point there are no NASTE Point Races scheduled for the 2021 season. Normally we would have started the 2021 season in September, or with the Halloween race. At this point I am not sure exactly what the 2021 NASTE schedule will look like. I am open to suggestions and comments. At a minimum I will schedule a few races on my track to compete for the title for those interested. Depending on what this COVID situation has in store for us, the Point Series Champion may be determined by as few as four races, but there will be a 2021 Champion!