http://www.paragoulddailypress.com/articles/2008/06/06/sports/doc4848b2c60d193864421575.txt Sports
Ellington, Callantine to join other ‘sod warriors’ in nationals
Paragould residents Marty Callantine, left, and Chandler Ellington display their machines and the trophies they’ve won while competing in lawn mower races. Both men are set to compete in this weekend’s National Lawn Mower Racing Series event ��†the Mow Down Show Down ��†at the Equine Center on the campus of the Arkansas State. Saturday’s races begin at 2 p.m. Mike McKinney/Daily Press
Two Paragould men to compete in Mow Down Show Down
By MIKE McKINNEY
sports@paragoulddailypress.com
Published: Friday, June 6, 2008 8:14 AM CDT
This weekend, lawn mowers and their owners from all across the nation will invade Jonesboro, but they’re not coming there to cut the grass. They will be competing in the STA-BIL Arkansas Mow Down Show Down at Arkansas State’s Equine Center.
The two-day event, presented by the Arkansas Lawn Mower Racing Association (ARLMRA), will get under way at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
“The U.S. National Points Race Series has gotten so popular that we need two days of racing,†noted Glen Bridger, president of the ARLMRA. “This is our fifth STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series event in Jonesboro, and it’s going to be our biggest ever.â€
Among the “sod warriors†hoping to mow down the competition will be two Paragould men and their machines. Marty Callantine and Chandler Ellington have been competing in ARLMRA events for about two years now in racing mowers they built themselves.
“We’re members of the Arkansas Lawn Mowers Racing Association and you have to be a member of that and the U.S. National Lawn Mowers Racing Association to run in the U.S. Nationals,†Callatine said. “You have run two races in the nationals to place in any capacity.â€
Ellington said he got the idea to build his own racing lawn mower after attending one of the races at the Equine Center.
“We saw it one year down at Jonesboro and they ended up having races out at the (Greene County) Fairgrounds and I built one,†Chandler said
“We built his and I got interested in it, built another one and went from that,†added Callantine, a mechanic at Ellington Small Engine Repair in Paragould.
As ARLMRA members, both Callantine and Ellington competed in several races last year in Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri. The state competition is based on a points system and Callantine ended up winning first place in his class and Ellington came in third in his division.
“You get so many points for winning and if you have the most points you’re the state champion,†Callantine said.
Both men said they are looking forward to the weekend competition, one of more than 16 STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series events held throughout the country each season and sanctioned by the Glenview, Illinois-based U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA).
“There’s going to be people from all the United States there. There’s going to be some fast mowers,†Callatine said.
The Jonesboro Mow Down Show Down will feature racing in six classes with speeds reaching 60 mph with all cutting blades removed. Callantine’s mower will run in the CP 18 horsepower class and Ellington’s in the SP modified 12 HP division. Both are Briggs and Stratton engines.
According to Callatine, his mower can top 60 mph and Ellington’s mower can run 45 mph in competition. These mowers aren’t for the backyard; they have been modified specifically for racing competition.
“You have to change pulleys on the engine. Instead of a small one on the front and big one on the back, it’s the exactly opposite — the big one in the front and small one in the back. His will do about 45 (mph) and mine will do about 65,†Callantine said. “If you modify your engines you can only use Briggs (parts). If you use a new carburetor, you’ve got to use a Briggs carburetor.â€
Compared to other motorsports, lawn mower racing is a relatively inexpensive pursuit. Callantine said he invested about $500 to modify his mower for racing.
“Other guys put a lot of money into it (lawn mower racing). You can put thousands of dollars into it if you want to,†Callantine said.
The races are held on a dirt track oval and National Lawn Mower Racing Series rules are similar to NASCAR’s with some notable differences, according to Callantine. Lawn mower racing has a Le Mans start, and once the race begins, mowers aren’t allowed to bump each other.
“If you do you’re black-flagged and out of the race,†Callantine said.
In a Le Mans start, the drivers line up and “the mowers are in the infield and you run and jump on it, start it and go. The first one can (win) it because it’s hard to pass. If your mower starts fast, you have a good chance,†Callantine said.
The USLMRA was created in 1992 and tremendous response quickly turned the program into one of the largest growing grass roots sports the country has ever seen. Racers in the STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series travel across the country each season competing for points, trophies, glory and bragging rights.
“Other than a trophy we usually don’t win anything other than being able to say we won,†Ellington said.
But there’s another reason the two Paragould men compete. “All of our (winnings) go to charity, to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). That’s the main reason we race for,†Callantine said.
Ellington also owns a 4-wheel “monster†mower which has the American flag painted on the back of the machine. He drives it out onto the track for the national anthem at lawn mower races and may do so again this weekend at the Mow Down Showdown, if he get permission from USLMRA officials.
Those interested in more information about the sport of lawn mower racing or joining the ARLMRA may contact Ellington or Callantine at 236-7498.
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