Topic: University of Nebraska- USLMRA Research Paper

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Reel Racing . . . The United States Lawn Mower Racing Association
H. Jason Combs
Assistant Professor of Geography
University of Nebraska at Kearney


“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.

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 (Figure 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 United States Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA), founded on April Fools’ Day in 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, or NASGRASS, 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.  Mr. Bruce Kaufman, President of the USLMRA, agrees that sponsorship is critical and contends that professional lawn mower racing is now “spreading like untreated crabgrass” (Wilson 2002).  Indeed, 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 multiple appearances on ESPN2.
   This project examines lawn mower racing as a sport and highlights the USLMRA’s growth due in part to stock car racing’s commercialization.  Alderman, et. al. (2003) highlight the National Association of Stock Car Racing’s (NASCAR) rise in popularity; however, as a result of commercialization and nationalization it is no longer accessible for many fans and would be participants.  Professional lawn mower racing, specifically the USLMRA, has stepped up to fill the social and competitive void.  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, origins of top drivers, and membership data are included and help explain the relationship between sport and place.  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 Lawn Mower Racing a Sport?
 
One question to address is whether or not lawn mower racing 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.  As an example of amusement or diversion from work, Michael Bonville of Peoria, Illinois, who travels the national circuit, recently stated “it 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, Weedy Gonzales, The Prograsstinator, The Mowron, Lawn Ranger, and Grasslightning) competition is fierce (Dearman 2003; 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 (2000) adds that “like stock car racing, . . . lawn mower racing is becoming a regular sport.  Local newspapers report the results.”  The most convincing argument that lawn mower racing has reached “sport status” is the fact that drivers are referred to as “grassthletes” (USLMRA 2003a).
The existence of a racing association further supports the idea 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 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 the right side and front of mower” (USLMRA 2005: 6, 7).  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.”  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” (USLMRA 2005: 4, 9).
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 IMO 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 (2000: 120) 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.”  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.”  Indeed, 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).
   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 STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals” (Table 1).  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 Stock Car Racing Connection
Professional lawn mower racing’s popularity, to some degree, is in response to NASCAR’s nationalization and commercialization.  Alderman, et. al. (2003) and Hurt (2005) both indicate that NASCAR track locations are now more geographically dispersed 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 (2005: 122) writes that due to nationalization and commercialization efforts “NASCAR runs the risk of losing its traditional fans.”  Hurt (2005: 125) continues, the “recent trend of awarding races to tracks outside the South has created discontent among traditional NASCAR fans.”  In regard to commercialization, Pillsbury (1989: 3) correctly points out that the “three piece suit fellows have seemingly 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.”  Pillsbury (1989: 10-11) adds that “family and individual racing teams are dropping out of the Grand National series as costs of competition skyrocket beyond the resources of all but the very wealthy and the well-sponsored.” 

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” (Powell 2005).  Kilborn (2000) writes 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.”  For instance, 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).  Armijo (2001) adds that some racers “get by with a couple hundred bucks.  Where else could you go to get started in racing for that little amount of money?  What a deal.”  Armour (2005) agrees and contends 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.”  In addition to the minimal expense of obtaining a lawn mower entry fees are reasonable.  According to USLMRA (2005: 5) regulations an annual membership cost $30 and race entry fees are set at a maximum of $20 for “USLMRA-sanctioned STA-BIL points and local chapter races” and “$30.00 for the STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals.”
Similar to NASCAR sponsorship plays a role in professional lawn mower racing.  The USLMRA (2004a) points out that Janet and Jim Witt “race for Carolina Footwear,” and that the husband and wife team of “Patty ‘Precious Mowments’ and her husband Tim ‘The Mowron’ Robinson” from Rhome, Texas race “for Double-H Boots.”  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).  Ask 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 (2005) contends that “money would ruin the USLMRA.   It is competitive but with a sense of true sportsmanship and camaraderie.”
Professional lawn mower racing is not only filling the void for adrenaline deprived and mechanically-inclined individuals but it plays an important social role as well.  Pillsbury (1989: 9), for example, describes 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.”  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).   Powell (2005) agrees and adds that race days are like “one big family reunion.”  Reilly (2000: 120) also comments on the social aspect lawn mower racing.  “‘It’s all a redneck could want,’ says Dubba G (a.k.a. Garrett Gray), one of the sport’s [professional lawn mower racing] grassroots leaders.  ‘You drive 1,200 miles so you can drive your lawn mower in circles, get bugs in your teeth and have cold, adult beverages afterward.’”  Additionally, many race teams are family affairs.  Cook (2004), for instance, writes 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-in-all.” 
The USLMRA (2003a) promotes the family idea, “husband and wife, father and son and ex-brothers-in-law racing teams are featured in this sod slinging saga of racing, humor, family togetherness and summertime fun.”  The USLMRA (2003a) further states 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.”  Perhaps Bruce Kaufman (a.k.a. Mr. Mow It All), President of the USLMRA, sums it up best, “we are Americana” (Joyce Julius 2002).

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The Geographical Distribution of Race Venues, USLMRA Members, and Top Drivers
   The USLMRA currently host a number of events in regions that have long been known to support all kinds of racing--the upper Midwest and southeastern United States.  In regard to the professional lawn mower racing circuit, Wilson (2002) accurately points out that it “runs through rural stock-car country, from Texas and Florida up to Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio.”   The 2004 race schedule included stops in fifteen cities in ten southern and Midwestern states, and the 2005 schedule includes many of the same venues (Figures 1 and 2).  The distribution closely follows the regional racing cultures identified by Rooney and Pillsbury (1992a and 1992b).  Rooney and Pillsbury (1992b: 22 and 24) comment in the Atlas of American Sport that “dirt tracks and short-paved tracks dot the landscape” throughout the southeastern United States and refer to the American Heartland as the “automobile/small-engine capital of America.”  Rooney and Pillsbury (1992b: 22) continue, 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.”  That list today should also include professional lawn mower racing.
   The notion of a southern-Midwestern race culture is also supported by USLMRA membership data.  Similar to Hurt’s (2005) use of NASCAR membership data, nearly 500 USLMRA member zip codes were plotted using ArcGIS software (Figure 3).  The pattern demonstrates that lawn mower racing is indeed most popular in rural stock car country.  Most of the zip codes are found 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.  Membership clusters also appear in the “race happy” 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, two data sets have been evaluated—the 2003 USLMRA final standings and the top five finishers at ten 2004 races (Tables 2 and 3).  Table 2 list driver origins by state for all classes during the 2003 season.  A total of 223 drivers are identified on Table 2 and

*** Footnote not all drivers listed a “home” state.   

Conclusions
   The USLMRA formed on April Fools’ Day 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 increasingly become more expensive and for many fans and would be participants it is less accessible.  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.  Powell (2005) compared race days to “one big family reunion,” an idea that the USLMRA (2003a) promotes itself as a “sod slinging saga of racing, humor, family togetherness and summertime fun.”
   The upper Midwest and the southeastern United States have long been known to support racing of all kinds and professional lawn mower racing adds to the list.  The national circuit runs through traditional stock car country and supports the notion that the American Heartland is the “automobile/small engine capital of America” (Rooney and Pillsbury 1992b: 22).  Membership data also demonstrate an affinity for racing in the upper Midwest, southern United States, and along the eastern seaboard.  Finally, top driver origins ****Finish.
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).  Although, Rick Reilly (2000: 120) of Sports Illustrated warns that the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute’s call for an all-out 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.”

 

Table 1–USLMRA Points Structure

*100 Points Each for Registration, Starting and Finishing a Points Race.

Place                          Points                                                                                                           
5th               100
4th         150
3rd         200
2nd         250
1st         300

Source: USLMRA 2005: 14.
Table 2—2003 Driver Origins According to the USLMRA National Points Standings, by State

State                  Number of  Drivers               
Florida                  42
Illinois                  33
Michigan               33
Tennessee               33
Texas                   21
Maryland                18
Connecticut               11
Kansas                8
Arizona               5
Arkansas               4
Indiana                  4
New York               3
Alabama               2
North Dakota               2
Ohio                  2
Wisconsin               2

Source: USLMRA 2003b.
Table 3—2004 Top Driver Origins         

State                  Number of Top Drivers            
Tennessee               52
Illinois                  32
Florida                  30
Georgia               26
Michigan               25
Ohio                  25
New Jersey               11
Wisconsin               11
Pennsylvania               10
Alabama               7
Maryland               6
Indiana                  4
New York               4
California               3
North Dakota               3
Texas                  3
Connecticut               2
Iowa                  2
Minnesota               2
Virginia               2
Delaware               1
North Carolina            1

Source: USLMRA 2004b.

Figure 1—2005 Nationally Sanctioned USLMRA Races

Source: www.letsmow.com
Figure 2—2004 Nationally Sanctioned USLMRA Races

Source: www.letsmow.com
Figure 3—2004 USLMRA Members by Zip Code


Source: Powell 2005.
 
References

Alderman, Derek, Mitchell, Preston, Webb, Jeffrey, and Hana, Derek. 2003. Carolina Thunder Revisited: Toward a Transcultural View of Winston Cup Racing. The Professional Geographer 55: 238-249.

Armijo, Mark. 2001. Riders on the Cutting Edge. The Arizona Republic, June 9.

Armour, Nancy. 2005. Mow-tor Sport. The Modesto Bee, June 18.

Associated Press. 2004. Some Lawnmower Racers Prove to be Cut Above the Rest. Taipei Times, June 6.      

Bale, John. 1989. Sports Geography. New York: E. & F. N. Spun.

Carney, George. 1995. Fast Food, Stock Cars, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Langham, Maryland: Roman & Little field Publishers, Inc.

Cook, Harold. 2004. Lawn Mowers Race into Town. The Jonesboro Sun, June 25.

Dearman, Dustin. 2003. Mowers Race into Jonesboro. The Jonesboro Sun, June 28.

Hurt, Douglas. 2005. Dialed In? Geographic Expansion and Regional Identity in NASCAR’s Nextel Cup Series. Southeastern Geographer 45:120-137.

Joyce Julius and Associates. 2002. Ready, Set, Mow! A Second Look, March Newsletter.

Kaufman, Bruce. 1998.  Still Mowing, Still Growing. Autoweek, September 7.

Kilborn, Peter. 2000. Gentlemen, Start Your Lawn Mower Engines. The New York Times, June 12.            

Pillsbury, Richard. 1989. A Mythology at the Brink: Stock Car Racing in the American South. Sport Place: An International Journal of Sports Geography 3: 3-12.      

Powell, Charles. 2005. Interview with author, June 15.         

Reilly, Rick. 2000. Mower Power to ‘Em. Sports Illustrated, October 9.

Rooney, John, and Pillsbury, Richard. 1992a. Sports Regions of America. American Demographics 14: 30-39.

_____ . 1992b. Atlas of American Sport. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.

 
The Jonesboro Sun. 2004. Lawn Mower Race Set for June 26. The Jonesboro Sun, June 19.
United States Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA). 2003a. Discovery Channel Airs Lawn Mower Racing Documentary Feb. 2 on America’s Cutting Edge ‘Mowtor’ Sport! USLMRA Media Release, January 17.

_____ . 2003b. 2003 USLMRA Season Points. www.letsmow.com. Date Last Accessed August 4, 2005.

_____ . 2004a. National Lawn Mower Racing Series Set to Mow in Northeast Arkansas. USLMRA Media Release.

_____ . 2004b. 2004 Drivers’ Points Standings. www.letsmow.com. Date Last Accessed August 4, 2005.

_____ . 2005. United States Lawn Mower Racing Association Racing Handbook. Glenview, Illinois: USLMRA.

Wilson, Craig. 2002. Gentlemen, Start Your Mowers. USA Today, August 8.

www.letsmow.com. Date Last Accessed August 22, 2005.