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There are a number of lasting memories that I will forever remember about my first trip to the IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa.

Perhaps the very first one is that the term "farming" has taken on a whole new meaning. I had been told about the practice but even the most definitive explanation of the process hardly prepared me for the phenomenon.

An army of the familiar green and yellow John Deere tractors enter the track as the last heat of ten is still exiting the track.They chase a water truck around the track as they tear it up.

Right on their heels is another group of tractors that are wheel packing accompanied by two school buses to one of two songs, "Tiptoe through the Tulips" or "Green Acres." The entire process takes about 10 to 14 minutes.

The other thing that immediately catches one's eye is the incredible ebony soil. The dirt is as black as the soil in Utah is red.

The black is in stark contrast to the beautifully re-skinned modifieds. Many of the mods could easily be displayed at a custom car show. In addition to the racing, there is also a contest for best appearing car.

If there were an award given for the total number of cars sponsored, it would have to go to Team Harris, the chassis people, whose shop is just down the road from the track.

These late season events with guaranteed purses usually bring out the cream of the crop when it comes to drivers. It is doubtful many of the racers would make the tow from their hometowns to Las Vegas for the Duel in the Desert.

With this in mind, I was in awe of the drivers I read about in "Inside the IMCA" newspaper. I knew Johnny Saathoff would be there, as well as, Troy Cordes and, of course, they will probably be at the Duel.

I wanted to see Jeff Shroyer from Marshalltown, Iowa; Jerry Hoffman of Oronogo, Mo.; Jerry Muenster from Green Bay, Wis.; Benji LaCrosse from Luxemburg, Wis.; Joren Boyce from Minot, N.D. and John Logue from Boone.

I wanted to see how the Nevada contingent would fare against what is arguably some of the best IMCA Modified drivers in the nation.

They did us proud!

Camaraderie and the friendliness of racers is another aspect that will stick with me. Perhaps Kathy Root, president of IMCA said it best, "It's a social affair almost as much as an event, with a racer-friendly format that gives racers as many as four opportunities to qualify for the main event."

It's thrilling for most drivers just to win a heat race that puts them in a qualifying feature.

This is also a time where help comes from many different sources when a driver needs help to make a heat or a main.

Shawn Zelenka from Surprise, Ariz., was scheduled to appear in the All-Star race, but his car had been used up. Eric Center from Mesa, Ariz., stepped up and allowed Zelenka to use his modified.

Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of the Super Nationals is that drivers snake their way through mountains, prairies, back roads and interstates to compete for what really is a paltry sum of $2,000.

To a driver they were in unison that it's not about the money (many said it never is) but about the competition, the trophy and the title.

To win the $2,000, there has been more spent on fuel for the haulers or for rooms at one of the local hotels, which have to be reserved months in advance. On top of that the winner may have all the goodies but he also leaves without his engine.

Levi Kiefer had a new engine awaiting his arrival at Boone.

I'm quite sure that it wasn't cheap, so you can imagine what he would have had to forfeit if he had won. I'm sure he would be the first to agree it would have been worth it to become a winner of the IMCA Super Nationals.

The heartland is truly the center of racing action. I cannot recall how many vehicles I saw with sprint car stickers on their back windows or haulers headed to other parts of Iowa besides Boone. In Pahrump, the most you'll see is one of several numbers of a favorite NASCAR driver, I saw very few of those.

Racing t-shirts are everywhere and at every price. The bleachers were overflowing not only with people, but almost everyone was displaying their favorite modified, stock, sprint or late model driver.

Leland Hibdon once told me that he buys enough t-shirts at the Super Nationals to last him the entire year.

Sales at the IMCA souvenir trailer were brisk. Everyone wanted to take home a 25th anniversary t-shirt or cap. To be perfectly honest, I thought IMCA could have done a little bit better on their shirts.

The loyalty of the fans was exceptional, especially when you take into consideration the weather conditions on Thursday evening. Very few spectators were leaving their seats in the metal bleachers, even though there were bolts of lightning around the track.

What is even more startling is that not once did the announcers suggest it might be in everyone's best interest to seek shelter.

Said Kathy Root, "We've been through flooded pits, with tents floating away in the campgrounds; the wild Wisconsin tent, with kegs of beer and booze-soaked cherries; rain delays when Lawty (the promoter) hauled in tons of wood chips so the pit area was passable; heat and cold."

Perhaps the most asked question by those who know me, "Are you going to move there and did you look around while you were there?"

Well, I did look around and was amazed a community as small as Boone seemed to have many of the amenities we are still waiting for in Pahrump.

And even though Ames is close to Boone and Knoxville plus racetracks in any direction on the compass, if I want to see the scenery of pigs, cows and corn fields, I'll move back to Michigan.

This is beautiful country and Kathie and I will never forget our lunch at Hickory Park, a must-stop eatery if you're ever in the area or have the opportunity to go to the Super Nationals.

This truly is America's Racin' Vacation.