Reel Racing: The Geography of the United states lawn Mower

Reel Racing: The
Geography of the United
States Lawn Mower
Racing Association
H. Jason Combs
Department of Geography
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, Nebraska 68849
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
The United States Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA) formed on April Fools’
Day 1992 and now has approximately 500
members and a national racing circuit. This
paper examines the geography of the USLMRA as well as the reasons for its expansion.
Professional lawn mower racing’s popularity
is somewhat in response to NASCAR’s commercialization and nationalization efforts.
Lawn mower racing is more affordable than
stock car racing and provides an outlet for
many adrenaline-enriched and mechanically
inclined individuals. The national circuit runs
through traditional stock car country—from
Texas and Florida to Illinois, Wisconsin, and
Ohio. The majority of USLMRA members
and many of the top drivers are also from
the upper Midwest and southeastern United
States, those culture regions that have long
been known to support racing of all kinds.
Key Words: culture, lawn mower, sport.
These people are into it, as I discovered
when I went to the STA-BIL National Lawn
Mower Racing Series race at the Lenawee
County Fair in Adrian, Michigan. I saw Sue
Davis and her Briggs & Stratton easily whip
five other stock riders, including a man with
a limp name Egore, who growled, ‘I betcha
she’s messin’ with her governor,’ which is
the first time that sentence has been uttered
outside of Arkansas.
— Rick Reilly, Sports Illustrated,
October 9, 2000, Page 120.
Introduction
What originally began as a tongue-in-cheek
promotional stunt has become a well-oiled
racing association with approximately 500
members and a national racing circuit that
currently includes eleven stops in seven states
(Fig. 1). The United States Lawn Mower
Racing Association is “proving America’s infatuation with racing is not confined to fast
cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles and bicycles”
(Armijo 2001).
The Geographical Bulletin 48: 41-53
©2007 by Gamma Theta Upsilon
41
H. Jason Combs
The United States Lawn Mower Racing
Association (USLMRA), founded on April
Fools’ Day 1992, traces its heritage back to
1973 when the British Lawn Mower Racing Association (BLMRA) was formed in
the United Kingdom (Cook 2004). More
recently, the North American Society of
Grass Racers and Sod Slingers (NASGRASS),
which bills itself as “Florida’s Original Lawnmower Racing Club,” was founded in 1985;
however, Kilborn (2000) accurately states
that “lawn mower racing’s biggest boost has
come from the Gold Eagle Company in Chicago, which makes a gasoline additive called
STA-BIL” and sponsors the USLMRA. Bruce
Kaufman, President of the USLMRA (a.k.a.
Mr. Mow It All), agrees that sponsorship is
critical and contends that professional lawn
mower racing is now “spreading like untreated crabgrass” (Wilson 2002). In recent
years the USLMRA has attracted significant
media coverage and has been mentioned on
Paul Harvey’s Radio Network, in articles
published in The Arizona Republic, the Taipei
Times, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated,
and USA Today, in addition to appearances
on the Discovery Channel, ABC’s sitcom
Home Improvement, and ESPN2.
“America is one of the most sports-minded
nations on earth” and sports and their respective landscapes help to define culture regions
in the United States (Rooney and Pillsbury
1992b, 3). Abbott (1990), for instance,
examines the spatial patterning of college
athletic conference memberships and notes
that leagues create and support regional cultural identities, i.e. the “Big Ten” and the “Ivy
League.” Sports and sport landscapes also
possess symbolic meaning. Baseball’s popularity, for example, increased as America became
more urbanized. Oriard (1976, 33) notes that
“baseball is our most pastoral game, and its
relation to open space is fundamental to its
importance to urban Americans. The baseball
park with its grassy spaciousness and sunlit
diamond is a vestigial remnant of the rural
landscape within the crowded, dirty, asphalt
city.” In regard to racing, Alderman et al.
(2003) and Hurt (2005) both highlight the
National Association of Stock Car Racing’s
Figure 1—2004 and 2005 Nationally Sanctioned USLMRA Races. Source: letsmow.com
42
Reel Racing: The Geography of the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association
(NASCAR) rise in popularity; however, as a
result of commercialization and nationalization it is no longer accessible for many fans
and potential participants. Professional lawn
mower racing, specifically the USLMRA, has
stepped up to fill the social and competitive
void.
This paper analyzes lawn mower racing as
a sport and highlights the USLMRA’s growth
due in part to stock car racing’s commercialization. Additionally, much of this assessment
follows the pattern set by scholars who “have
been long interested in the spatial aspects
of sports” (Alderman et al. 2003, 238). The
geographical distributions of lawn mower
race locations at the national and state levels,
origins of top drivers, and membership data
are included and help explain the relationship between sport and place (Bale 2003). In
this particular case, the connection between
professional lawn mower racing and old stock
car country in the upper Midwest and southeastern United States is examined.
Is Lawn Mower Racing
a Sport?
One question to address is whether or not
lawn mower racing (drivers are referred to
as “grassthletes”) is actually a sport. Carney
(1995, 227) states that sport is “that segment
of popular culture by which humans divert
themselves from labor. As we look to the
future, one observation appears certain–humans will play as long as there is time called
leisure after work is done.” Bale (1989, 8-9)
adds that all sports are “games but their additional characteristic is that they [sports]
exhibit physical prowess and skill,” and that
“in addition to its physical quality, sport is
also typically characterized by competition.”
Professional lawn mower racing seems to
meet these criteria. The sport clearly meets
Carney’s definition; in the words of one racer
who travels the national circuit, Michael
Bonville of Peoria, Arizona, “[the trip to the
race] was 1,742 miles one way, but it’s worth
it. Even though I didn’t get paid for the four
days I took off from work. You can’t beat
the experience” (Armijo 2001). Despite the
fact that humor is a key component (racer
names include Mr. Mowjangles, Sodzilla,
Geronimow, Hedge Hog, Weedy Gonzales,
The Prograsstinator, The Mowron, Lawn
Ranger, and Grasslightning) competition
is fierce (Dearman 2003; Kaufman 1998;
The Jonesboro Sun 2004; Wilson 2002). For
instance, USLMRA member Jim Witt contends that “all the funny stuff stops when the
green flag goes down. . . . It’s serious then”
(Associated Press 2004). Kilborn adds that
“like stock car racing . . . lawn mower racing
is becoming a regular sport. Local newspapers
report the results” (2000).
The existence of a racing association further advances the notion that lawn mower
racing is a legitimate sport. Rooney and
Pillsbury (1992b, 4) discuss sports associations and state that organizations “produce
credibility in the American mind. If a sport
has a sponsoring organization, codified rules,
and sanctioned playing fields, it is real. If it
doesn’t, it isn’t.” Professional lawn mower
racing has the USLMRA which publishes
regulations and guidelines that participants
must follow. According to the USLMRA’s
regulations (2005, 5), “events are open to
all self-propelled rotary or reel-type [multiple blades in a cylindrical form rotate on
an axle] lawn mowers; the main provision
being that the mower must originally have
been designed, mass-produced, and sold
commercially through a dealer network to
mow residential lawns.” Additionally, cutting
blades must be removed completely from all
mowers and a STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer and/or
a STA-BIL Series sticker must be displayed
in clear view on each mower. The USLMRA
(2005, 4) further states that all races will
start “LeMans style, with engines off. On the
green flag, drivers will cross the track on foot,
start their mowers and start racing” (Fig. 2).
Wilson (2002) agrees and adds that “agility
is just as important” as “good equipment,”
and that with LeMans races the “quickest
starters have the best chance of winning.”
Finally, it is important to note that “nitrous
oxide, alcohol or water injection systems,”
and “turbo or superchargers” are prohibited;
however “victory laps are permitted” (Fig. 3)
(USLMRA 2005, 4, 9).
43
H. Jason Combs
Figure 2—LeMans Style Start, Arkansas Rice Festival, Weiner, Arkansas. Photo by author,
October 2005.
Figure 3—Victory Lap at One of the Arkansas Rice Festival Races, Arkansas Rice Festival,
Weiner, Arkansas. Photo by author, October 2005.
44
Reel Racing: The Geography of the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association
Lawn mower racers compete in six different categories. Wilson (2002) writes that the
six “classifications range from the 10 mph
stock competition—basically, your everyday
lawn mower—to the over 60 mph and much
more souped-up Factory Experimental (or
FX) class.” In the Stock category, “replacement parts used must be exact replacements
for original” and the goal is to “provide an
entry-level, low cost opportunity to all competitors” (USLMRA 2005, 10). The IMOW
class allows for minor modifications with the
goal that mowers will be “nearly identical”
so that the class is “based on driving ability”
(USLMRA 2005, 10). These slower classes
are described by Reilly as the only motorsport
races in the world “in which you can watch
competitors drive by, go get a corn dog and a
Schlitz, and be back in time for the next lap”
(2000, 120) The Prepared division has three
subclasses—A/P, S/P, and B/P. The three subclasses result from differences in wheelbases
and wheel size, and in all three categories
the engines may be internally modified. In
the F/X category engines may be internally
and externally modified. Additionally, exhaust and driveline systems are “open,” and
the wheels may be of any “origin, made of
metal” with a “10 [inch] diameter maximum”
(USLRMA 2005, 12). The USLMRA regulations (2005, 13) add that “F/X machines
are mowers that no longer function as lawn
mowers, but maintain the appearance that
they do.” Armour (2005) writes that in these
categories mowers go so fast that “even NASCAR enthusiasts have to appreciate these
‘mowchines.’” For example, George Herrin, last year’s USLMRA’s driver of the year,
“averaged 70 mph” in one race which means
Herrin was “running about 89 [mph] on the
straightaways” (Armour 2005).
Similar to other professional motorsports,
the USLMRA (2005, 13) also has a point
system “designed to encourage and recognize participation. Points are awarded for
all STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing
Series (a.k.a. “Regional”) races, and the STABIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals.” The finals are
“not an open race. Participants must qualify
by class competing in a minimum of four
USLMRA sanctioned races during the 2005
race season, including STA-BIL National
Points Races or Local Chapter races, but at
least one race must be a STA-BIL National
Points Race” (USLMRA 2005, 14).
The Geographical
Distribution of Race Venues,
USLMRA Members, and Top
Drivers
The geography of the professional lawn
mower racing circuit is similar to the distribution of early stock car races (Figs. 1,
4-6). Hurt (2005) discusses NASCAR track
locations by decade and notes that during the first decade of racing (1949-1959)
events were held in 117 different venues.
Approximately half of these races were in the
South; however the upper Midwest (Illinois
to New York and Pennsylvania) also hosted
a large number of races. During the 1960s
and 1970s, the majority of tracks were more
geographically concentrated in the southeastern states with a number of races along the
eastern seaboard and a handful of events in
the upper Midwest. In comparison, the 2004
USLMRA national race schedule included
stops in fifteen cities in ten southern and
Midwestern states and in 2005 the USLMRA
held eleven national races in seven states (Fig.
1). Of the twenty-six lawn mower races held
during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, 23 were
held in states that hosted a stock car race
during NASCAR’s first decade. Moreover,
during the 2005 racing season, 127 state
chapter races were held primarily in culture
regions where racing is most popular (Fig. 5).
Out of the 127 state races, Tennessee hosted
the most of any single state with nineteen
contests, followed by Alabama and Texas
which each held twelve races, and Georgia
with eleven (Highline 2006).
In recent years there have been few professional lawn mower races in the western
United States, and despite its popularity in
“old stock car country” North and South Carolina have not hosted races either. Kaufman
(2007), however, states that there are pockets
of lawn mower racing enthusiasts in the West
and that the sport is gaining momentum in
45
H. Jason Combs
Figure 4—NASCAR Track Locations, 1949-1959. Source: Hurt 2005.
Figure 5—USLMRA Sanctioned State-Level Races for the 2005 Season. Source: Highline
2006.
46
Reel Racing: The Geography of the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association
Figure 6—Sports Regions in the United States. Source: Rooney and Pillsbury 1992a.
the Carolinas. California in the early 1990s
hosted a number of professional lawn mower
races and one of the earliest mower races
in the country still running is the Loggers
Jubilee in Morton, Washington. Moreover,
Arizona is home to one of the most active
state chapters in the country. Additionally,
the lack of professional races in the Carolinas
is about to change. Kaufman (2007) contends that the delay of lawn mower racing in
the Carolinas was simply a matter of finding
the right person or people to organize local
chapters and coordinate events. The recently
announced 2007 national schedule has two
races in North Carolina—the Hog Fest in
Historic Edenton and the North Carolina
Turf Classic at the Hog Happnin’ in Shelby
sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club.
Unlike contemporary stock car racing,
lawn mower racing venues are more flexible
and change frequently. Bale (2003, 131)
notes, for example, that in modern sport
racing’s early days, “racing took place on
open country.” Now, however, “sports have
become increasingly more spatially confined
and have been ‘played’ on increasingly artificial surfaces” (Bale 2003, 131). In contrast,
Kaufman states that “lawn mower racing is
very fluid, all you need is a grassy field or
dirt track, hay bales, PA system, trophies,
and a sense of humor” (2007) Additionally,
lawn mower races are generally supported by
local fairs and festivals, which often “move
on to another form of entertainment after a
few years” (Kaufman 2007). For instance, the
2007 schedule includes stops at the Redbud
Festival in Barbourville, Kentucky, the Spam
Town USA! Race at the Mower County Fair
in Austin, Minnesota, and the Arkansas Mow
Down Show Down in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
While it is strongest in the old stock car
racing heartland, the USLMRA is also quite
popular in areas that should not be referred
to as just old stock car country. Professional
47
H. Jason Combs
lawn mower races are found in culture regions
that have long been known to support all
kinds of racing as identified by Rooney and
Pillsbury (1992a and 1992b). Rooney and
Pillsbury have commented that “dirt tracks
and short-paved tracks dot the landscape”
throughout the southeastern United States,
and they refer to the American Heartland
as the “automobile/small-engine capital of
America” (1992b, 22, 24) (Fig. 6). They
also argue that the American Heartland is
the “center of flat-track motorcycle, go-kart,
midget-auto, and even snowmobile racing
. . . The residents seemingly race any motorized vehicle available to test their mettle
and mechanical skills” (1992b, 22). That list
today should also include professional lawn
mower racing.
The notion of a southern and Midwestern
race culture is also supported by USLMRA
membership data. I plotted nearly 500
USLMRA member zip codes from 2004 and
the pattern demonstrates that lawn mower
racing is indeed most popular in rural stock
car country (Fig. 7). Most of the members
are located in the eastern United States with
dense concentrations in the upper Midwest, southern United States, and along the
eastern seaboard. Illinois, Michigan, Ohio,
and Wisconsin in the upper Midwest have
significant concentrations, as do Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas in the
southern and southeastern United States.1
Membership clusters also appear in the
racing-addicted states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and further north in
Connecticut and Maine.
Bale (1989, 185) states that one way of
analyzing the “geographical differences in
sporting or athletic ‘production’ would be
simply to consider place-to-place variations
in the birthplaces or school origins of elite
participants in different sports.” With this
in mind, I evaluated two additional data
sets—the 2003 USLMRA final standings and
the top five finishers at ten 2004 races (Tables
1 and 2). Table 1 contains 243 driver origins
by state for all six classifications for the 2003
season. Florida produced the most drivers
on the list (forty-two, or 17.3 percent), fol-
Figure 7—2004 USLMRA Members by Zip Code. Source: Powell 2005a.
48
Reel Racing: The Geography of the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association
Table 1—2003 Driver Origins According to
the USLMRA National Points Standings, by
State. Source: USLMRA 2003b.
Table 2—2004 Top Driver Origins at Ten
Randomly Selected Races. Source: USLMRA
2004b.
State
Florida
Illinois
Michigan
Tennessee
Texas Georgia
Maryland Connecticut
Kansas Arizona
Arkansas
Indiana
New York
Alabama
North Dakota
Ohio
Wisconsin
Total
State
Tennessee
Illinois
Florida
Georgia
Michigan
Ohio
New Jersey
Wisconsin
Pennsylvania
Alabama
Maryland
Indiana
New York
California
North Dakota
Texas
Connecticut
Iowa
Minnesota
Virginia
Delaware
North Carolina
Total
Number of Drivers
42
33
33
33
21
20
18
11
8
5
4
4
3
2
2
2
2
243
***55 Drivers did not list a home state.
lowed by Illinois, Michigan, and Tennessee
each with thirty-three (13.6 percent). These
four states along with Texas and Georgia
comprised the top six and accounted for 74.9
percent of all drivers. The 2004 top driver
data set demonstrates a similar geographic
distribution (Table 2). Most of the top five
finishers in all categories at 10 randomly
selected races also came from southern and
Midwestern states (top driver data was not
available for all races). A total of 262 racers
were identified and of that number Tennessee
led the way with 52 drivers (19.8 percent).
Rounding out the top five are Illinois with
32 drivers, Florida with 30, Georgia with 26,
and tied for fifth are Michigan and Ohio with
25 apiece. These top five states collectively
produced 72.5 percent of the sample’s elite
drivers. These two data sets further uphold
the idea that lawn mower racing is most
popular in traditional stock car country and,
to a lesser extent, in racing culture regions
in general.
Number of Top Drivers
52
32
30
26
25
25
11
11
10
7
6
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
262
The Stock Car Racing
Connection
Professional lawn mower racing’s popularity, to some degree, seems to be in response
to NASCAR’s nationalization and commercialization. NASCAR track locations are
now more geographically dispersed than in
the past and races are well-attended; however, NASCAR’s nationalization efforts have
alienated some fans, and for many fans and
former participants it is less accessible from
a financial standpoint. Hurt has argued that
due to nationalization and commercialization
efforts “NASCAR runs the risk of losing its
traditional fans. . . . [The] recent trend of
awarding races to tracks outside the South
has created discontent among traditional
NASCAR fans.” In regard to commercialization, Pillsbury correctly points out that
the “three-piece suit fellows have seemingly
49
H. Jason Combs
taken the sport [stock car racing] and made
it into an industry. And one accepts it because the money is good, competitive cars
expensive and the fame isn’t too bad either.
The South is changing and good ol’ timey
Southern stock car racing is changing right
along with it” (1989, 3). He adds that “family
and individual racing teams are dropping out
as the costs of competition skyrocket beyond
the resources of all but the very wealthy and
well sponsored” (1995, 293).
The USLMRA has stepped in to fill the
void and provide an inexpensive outlet for
many would-be stock car drivers who have
the mechanical know-how. Kilborn has written that the “mowers are cheap, opening a
vast new horizon for the adrenaline-enriched
and mechanically inclined. Racing mowers
cost a fraction of the $10,000 or $20,000
spent to buy and prepare a stock car racer”
(2000). This figure is clearly on the low end
of entry into stock car racing; a professional
racing car would obviously cost much more.
Chuck Miller of Marion, Ohio, a six-time
champion in the high-speed FX classification, states “I’ve always been interested in
small engines, but growing up, I didn’t have
the money to buy a go-cart. . . . But the
fact that you can race without spending a
lot of money is one of the young sport’s biggest lures” (Wilson 2002). Armour agrees
and adds that with the “high cost of motor
sports . . . the average fan was being priced
out of participating in the sport,” and that
lawn mower racing is an “affordable way to
get their fix” (2005) In addition to the minimal expense of obtaining a lawn mower, in
comparison to purchasing a stock car, entry
fees are reasonable. According to USLMRA
regulations an annual membership costs $30
and race entry fees are set at a maximum
of $20 for USLMRA-sanctioned STA-BIL
points and local chapter races and $30 for
the STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals.
Similar to NASCAR, sponsorship plays a
role in professional lawn mower racing. The
USLMRA has pointed out that Janet and Jim
Witt are sponsored by Carolina Footwear
and that the husband and wife team of Patty
‘Precious Mowments’ and her husband Tim
50
‘The Mowron’ Robinson from Rhome, Texas
are supported by Double-H Boots (2004a).
However, the difference is that while stock
car organizations compete for multimillion
dollar awards, USLMRA participants compete for “trophies, bragging rights and glory”
(Kilborn 2000). Asked if the lack of purse
money might limit professional lawn mower
racing’s expansion, executive board member
Charles Powell, a.k.a. Mr. Mowjangles, does
not think so. Powell (2005a) contends that
“money would ruin the USLMRA. It is competitive but with a sense of true sportsmanship and camaraderie.” Kaufman agrees, and
adds that the “lack of purse money impacts
growth in a positive way. . . . Purse money
would precipitate the wrong kind of growth.
Keep purse money out of it and you keep it
friendly, safe and affordable” (2005).
Professional lawn mower racing is not only
filling the void for adrenaline-enriched and
mechanically-inclined individuals, but it plays
an important social role as well. Pillsbury, for
example, has described a once-typical stock
car race at Lanier Raceway in north Georgia:
“most of the drivers and spectators are regulars who come every week to cheer on their
friends and acquaintances. . . . The crowd is
friendly. The mood is a family one where all
are here to have a good time” (1989, 9). A
similar social scene is found today at most
USLMRA events. Folks of all ages attend
the races and Bobby Cleveland from Locust
Grove, Georgia speaks for many participants
with this comment “we just use the event
for an excuse to socialize” (Associated Press
2004).2 Powell agrees and adds that race days
are like “one big family reunion” (2005a).
Many lawn mower race teams are family
affairs, similar to how early stock car teams
functioned. Pillsbury has argued that “family [stock car] racing teams with Bill driving
the car on Sundays, brother Ernie acting as
engine builder and crew chief, and brother
Dan working in the shop and on the crew
have all but passed from the scene” (1995,
281). Not so with lawn mower racing. The
USLMRA promotes the family idea and
atmosphere, “husband and wife, father and
son and ex-brothers-in-law racing teams are
Reel Racing: The Geography of the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association
featured in this sod slinging saga of racing,
humor, family togetherness and summertime
fun” (2003a). Cook writes, for example, that
David “Da Thrill” Hill travels with his wife,
Julie, who is, according to Mr. Hill, “my film
crew, pit crew, everything; she is my one-inall” (2004). The USLMRA adds that “racing
lawn mowers embodies the core values of all
that is American: family, ingenuity, too much
leisure time and the warm spirit of camaraderie that makes this country great” (2003a)
Perhaps USLMRA President Bruce Kaufman
sums it up best, “we are Americana” (Joyce
Julius 2002).
The importance of family racing teams
should not be overlooked. Culture is often
described as a learned behavior and the presence of family race teams helps to create and
support racing culture regions (Jordan-Bychkov and Domosh 2003; and Zelinsky 1994).
For example, at the 2005 Arkansas Rice Festival a USLMRA-sanctioned event was held
and one family race team—grandparents to
toddlers—was dressed in matching uniforms.
Moreover, at the same event during an intermission pre-school aged children were given
the opportunity to race their battery-powered
Barbie Jeeps and monster trucks, essentially
grooming the next generation of race fans
and participants (Fig. 8).
Conclusions
The USLMRA formed in 1992 and now
has approximately 500 members and a national racing circuit. Professional lawn mower
racing’s surge in popularity is in part due to
NASCAR’s commercialization and nationalization. Stock car racing has become increasingly expensive making it less accessible for
many fans and potential participants. Lawn
mower racing has filled the void by giving
individuals the opportunity to race competitively at an affordable price. Lawn mower racing is filling an important social niche as well.
The USLMRA (2003a) promotes itself as a
“sod slinging saga of racing, humor, family
Figure 8—Pre-School Aged Children Racing Barbie Jeeps and Monster Trucks, Arkansas
Rice Festival, Weiner, Arkansas. Photo by author, October 2005.
51
H. Jason Combs
togetherness and summertime fun,” and race
days are akin to family reunions.
Professional lawn mower racing is not
popular just because it is a cheaper alternative to stock car racing. The majority of the
national and state chapter races are held in
the upper Midwest and the southeastern
United States, culture regions that have long
supported racing of all kinds. Membership
data also demonstrate that lawn mower racing is most popular in the upper Midwest,
southern United States, and along the eastern
seaboard. Finally, Tables 1 and 2 highlight
the fact that most of the elite lawn mower
racers come from traditional racing country
and those states that strongly support all
types of racing—Florida, Georgia, Illinois,
Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas.
Despite the USLMRA’s growth and popularity there are those who do not share in the
excitement. “The idea of a lawn mower race
not only defies common sense–even with the
blade removed–but also goes directly counter
to the safety steps that (we’ve) worked over
the past decades to promote,” says Bill Harley, head of the Outdoor Power Equipment
Institute (Wilson 2002). “Lawn mowers
were manufactured specifically to cut grass.
They are not race cars. Publicity about lawn
mower racing could lead to imitation of the
so-called ‘sport’ by young people or irresponsible adults who do not remove the blades.
This could lead to serious accidents” (Wilson
2002). However, Rick Reilly (2000, 120) of
Sports Illustrated warns that the Outdoor
Power Equipment Institute’s call for an allout ban of lawn mower racing might backfire.
An all-out ban only adds intrigue and “there’s
nothing chicks dig more than outlaws on Toros” (Reilly 2000, 120). It appears as though
Reilly’s assumption about lawn mower racing’s
popularity is correct. Since the creation of the
local chapter network three years ago, the
number of USLMRA members has grown by
54 percent and the number of local or state
races continues to expand—a trend that will
likely continue as other motorsports become
increasingly expensive (Powell 2005b).
52
Notes
1. Avon Park, Florida is the site of the first
permanent lawn mower race track in the
United States. The USLMRA first raced
at Avon Park’s Florida Mower Plex in
2002 (Kaufman 2005).
2. Reilly describes Bobby Cleveland, a
Snapper design engineer, as the sport’s
“Jeff Garden.” Cleveland did “wheelies
in the town’s [Locust Grove, Georgia]
Christmas parade and has hit 85 mph.
Bobby says it was ‘scary as hell!’” (Reilly
2000, 120).
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the editor
and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which vastly improved
the paper.
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