Editor’s Note: Through the magic of electronic communication, the third installment of Ron Hedger’s four-part SuperFans series was skipped, with part four running in its place. Here is part three, and this does, in fact, conclude the SuperFans series for 2008.

SuperFans, our annual review of America’s top race fans, continues with a look at the second five in the amateur or “ticket buyers” feature, won by Bob Schafer, who saw 269 races in 2007.
Ben Trask attended 118 races at 50 speedways in 13 states, nine of which he’d never visited before. He says the late models were great at K-C Raceway, Midway and East Bay Raceway Park, but put the Chili Bowl on top of his list because “the racing is great and so well organized.”
Dwight Bucks was hot on Trask’s bumper, logging 114 races at 35 tracks in nine states. His favorite was the Lucas Oil LM’s at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway in April, with “no time trials, an awesome track surface due to early showers, passing galore and winner Scott James coming from 14th.”
Bucks says the biggest disappointment was Susquehanna Speedway Park in Pennsylvania, pulling the plug on their Sunday night ASCS sprint shows, which he loved. He feels Hagerstown has the best weekly show, while Big Diamond tops the nearly as important “best food” standings.
Kevin Babcock marked his 32nd year in the bleachers with 106 races at 36 tracks in seven states while losing 22 to bad weather. His favorites were the Lucas Oil LM’s at East Bay and the LM Nationals at Knoxville, Iowa, with South Dakota’s Park Jefferson Speedway earning “most improved” honors for 2007. “The three classes of modifieds on their weekly show put on the best three features in a single night event that I’ve seen in years,” says Kevin.
He’s less pleased with developments at Buena Vista Raceway, near his childhood hometown, which seems destined to be shuttered in 2008, bringing an end to his Wednesday night racing at a track that has given him a wealth of memories.
Joe Scholtisek saw 105 races to earn ninth in the standings and SuperFans Rookie of the Year honors. He rated a LM show at Little Valley, N.Y., the best of the year after the lead changed six times in the last three laps, while his worst show was the ill-fated DIRT-style modified race on the Oswego Speedway asphalt.
On the statistics side, Joe drove some 17, 900 miles and spent $2,730 on gas, another $1,445 on admissions and $570 on race track food.
Despite a hospital stay that shortened his season, 85-year-old Art Peacock still saw 97 races in eight states, good for 10th. A successful sprint-car owner back in the ’60s, Peacock still loves the sprinters and says the only thing better than the sprints at Gas City, Ind., and Kokomo, Ind., are the Badger midgets at Sun Prairie, Wis.
While Art’s friend, Lon, often goes with him on his racing jaunts, he drives his old Cadillac himself when faced with a choice of going alone or missing a race, with the Caddy also serving as his motel many nights.
Peacock also holds the distinction of being the only SuperFan with a “pr man,” as Ray Robinson contacted us twice when he feared Peacock would not be healthy enough to file his entry himself. That others think that much of Art makes him a winner beyond any honors we can bestow.