If Jamie Marra decides to put a soundtrack to his year of racing, it might feature Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Marra did not intend it to be that way

, but he racked up the frequent flyer miles.

The Delray Beach, Florida, resident this year participated in the Billings Amateur Driving Series for the first time. He figured he would race in a few events, primarily to compete at tracks like the Meadowlands, where he might otherwise never get the chance to drive, and call it a season.

Instead, Marra raced across North America. He competed at 18 different racetracks in 2010, more than a dozen of them as part of the Billings Series. He ended up winning the Eastern Region points championship and finished second in Sunday’s Eastern Region final at Harrah’s Chester.

On December 6, he will compete in the Billings championship – the $25,000 Delvin Miller Gold Cup – at The Meadows (which will be track No. 19).

“Every Billings drive for me except for the one in Florida involved an airline ticket, hotel and my bag of gear,” Marra said. “I did very well. I’m shocked at it, especially for my first year. I thought I was only going to drive a few times and I started to get addicted to it. I started doing well and accumulating all these points, so I decided to keep going.

“It’s really dug into my personal life. All the credit has to go to my wife, Paula, who hasn’t divorced me yet. She’s the only one I’ve had to worry about. I’d rather deal with an angry owner, or angry trainer, than an angry wife.”

Marra, who works as a criminal investigator in Florida, grew up around harness racing. His family, beginning with his grandfather Jimmy, was involved in the management of Batavia Downs for decades, and Marra worked in the sport for a while before turning his attention to law enforcement. He drove horses briefly in 1983, but in the ensuing years saw his participation limited to ownership.

That changed in 2008 when he returned to action with the Florida Amateur Driving Club. He hoped to join the Billings last year, but was unable because of time.

Marra has eight wins and 15 second-place finishes in 52 races this year. He needed a victory in the final Billings race at Yonkers Raceway earlier this month to claim the Eastern Region points championship. He got the win with Civil Cause, trained by Tyler Raymer. Marra also won several times with his own horses, trained by Don Glowacki.

“I just decided to start driving again and things started clicking from there,” said Marra, who is the vice president of the Florida amateur drivers’ group and secretary of the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association. “Don not only makes me look good here in Florida, but also on the road with the Billings. And without Tyler Raymer coming through, I definitely would not have gotten that championship. It came right down to the wire.”

Ironically, Marra was unable to race at the Meadowlands because of a scheduling conflict. But that was the only drawback to his first year in the Billings.

“Winning is fun, but it’s great just to be able to go to all these tracks,” Marra said. “What is really kind of cool is the camaraderie. They’re a bunch of great guys and the friendships I’ve made are great.”

This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.