Archive for August, 2011

It’s time to start packing (if you haven’t already!) for STA-BIL Nationals Weekend including the STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals and the U.S. Open, so we wanted to give you a few reminders of things to bring with you, and things you will not be allowed to bring. We also wanted to let the newbies to the Finals and U.S. Open know what to expect when you arrive. It makes everything go a lot smoother at Registration and Paddock if everyone is on the same page.

2011 STA-BIL Nationals Weekend Event Schedule

Friday, Sept. 2

• 5:00-7:00 PM: Seafood Throwdown* (Sponsored by EOP Pro)
• 5:00-7:00 PM: Registration

* WE NEED YOU TO RSVP FOR FOOD if you plan on attending the Seafood Throwdown!  Please send an e-mail to Bruce@letsmow.com and let us know how many in your party.  We do not want to run out of food! Meal tickets must be presented.

Saturday, Sept. 3

• 9:00-12 :00 AM: Registration & Tech Inspection – Any Mower
• 10:00-12:00 AM: Practice (Only After Racers Register & Pass Tech)
• 12:15-12:45 AM: Driver’s Meeting – All Racers
• 1:00 PM: Lunch – Trackside
• 1:00-4:00 PM: Time Trials / Practice – Any Mower
• 4:00 PM: Qualifying / Elimination / Heat Races If Needed – Finals Racers Only
• 7:00 PM: STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals*

*Taping for Fox Sports Net

Sunday, Sept. 4

• 9:00-11:00 AM: Racer Breakfast*, Awards Ceremony and Hall of Fame Inductions (Merchants Building)
• 11:30-12:30 AM: Registration & Tech Inspection (For Late Arrivals, or Racers Coming Sunday Only)
• 12:30-12:45 AM: Driver’s Meeting
• 1:00 PM: Qualifying / Elimination / Heat Races – U.S. Open
• 2:00 PM: The U.S. Open

* WE NEED YOU TO RSVP FOR FOOD if you plan on attending the Racers Breakfast!  Please send an e-mail to Bruce@letsmow.com and let us know how many in your party.  We do not want to run out of food! Meal tickets must be presented.

Things To Bring

1. Bring your photo ID for registration and so that we can issue you a transponder.  You must leave your Driver’s License with us when we give you a transponder.  We will return your License when you return the transponder.   Also, have a valid ID that states that you are of legal consumption age (if you are so inclined).
2. Bring your medical and auto insurance cards, just in case.
3. Bring a spare set of car keys.
4. Bring sunscreen and bug spray.
5. Spare Parts?

Things You Can’t Bring

1. Do not bring any weapons, fireworks, nitrous oxide, illegal substances or anything else that is dangerous or illegal.
2. Don’t bring firewood unless you live in the immediate area. The highly destructive Emerald Ash Borer is transported on firewood, and it has already invaded some parts of the state. Please buy firewood that comes from the area.

What Happens When You Arrive

View USLMRA Local Chapters & Affiliated Clubs in a larger map

Entering the Delaware County Fairgrounds or parking lots from US 2:  Bear to the right through the Main Gate of the Fairgrounds and you will see pits and track on your right.  Proceed to the pit area and setup in an orderly fashion. We are expecting a large participant turnout so be reverent when setting up your pit area (size).  But don’t worry, we have plenty of pit area and overflow parking and pits.  If you arrive in an RV and need electrical hook-up, stop by the Registration Table at Kerry Evans’ EOP Trailer.  Kerry’s trailer serves as Race Command.  Look for someone wearing an official laminate Staff Grass Pass and they can help you.

One Driver and Crew are free, all others must pay for insurance. You can purchase additional insurance wristbands at the registration table.

We are anticipating a large participant turnout so please, please, please, if you want to pit/camp together, arrive together or within a reasonable amount of time.  If this is not possible, you can save a reasonable put space for your buddies.  We understand that this may not always work out that great but it will reduce the amount of jockeying around trucks trailers and vehicles to accommodate everyone.

What to Expect

• Bathrooms
• Showers M&F are available onsite.
• Power
• Pump Station
• Food
• Water

Pit speed 5 mph. regardless of what you are driving.

What Is Expected of You

• Everyone, including Drivers Track Staff and Spectators, are expected to adhere to all aspects of the USLMRA Rule book at all times. See: Code of Conduct
• Mutual respect of others, including: Drivers, Track Staff and Spectators.
• We are anticipating participants from all walks of life and racing let’s be respectful of  each other.

See you there! BRING IT!

What is done is done, what will be is excitement! The United States Lawn Mower Racing Association STA-BIL Lawn & Garden Mower Racing Series heads to MOWHIO. Yes, the grass has settled on the regular season and the STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals are upon us! Shops, garages, sheds, porches and driveways across the nation are in full swing in preparation. One race left to culminate a years labor. 229 drivers entered 20 races over 5 months and in a few short days 7 Mowchines will carry their helmet clad turf warriors to glory. A permanent place in the history of lawn mower racing will be owned by the racer who finishes atop their class. Many drivers have earned their spots at the top of the leader board, but in the end there can be only 7!

How did these soon to be legends of the year 2011 get here? Let’s look first at how the points are set. Quick and dirty it is like this: 600 points go to the winner of each event. Top 5 places drop 50 points with 5th place being awarded 400. Anyone who enters and completes a race earns 300 points. Each driver’s top 4 scores of the regular season are combined with the points received at finals to determine a racers final points for the season. Simply enough the driver with the most points in each class becomes the champion.

Already the first “What if” has hit us! What if there is a tie? Well then we look back at the season and things like who attended the most races, placed the best, etc. are taken into consideration. The scenarios I am about to give you do account for those considerations. A national champion is a driver who performs at the top of the field consistently. You will notice I did not say the top of “their game”, this is a case where “doing your best” will not always pay off! To be a champion you cannot be your best, you must be THE best!

So now you understand a little better how the system works, let’s start looking at classes and who is, who could be, who has a chance and who just doesn’t! There are some assumptions that will be made simply for the sake of brevity, to cover every possible “what if” would be insane and we would all be at home still reading this instead of cheering on our favorites in Ohio! We are going to assume for the most part that the drivers at the top of the standings are going to show up & finish the race, after all they usually do, that’s how they got to the top of the list! With that assumption made, and the fact that they will receive 300 points simply for finishing the Finals there is no reason to consider any driver more than 300 points behind the leader as even a contender for the top spots. Usually these points updates talk about what happened last weekend, who did what, what effect that had on the Series points standings, yadda, yadda, turf, turf Cocka Doodle Snoozy who cares it doesn’t matter now! So, On with the MOW!

• JP – John Michael Bell has to be the hands down favorite with 7 season wins and his only finish not a win being a 3rd place in Englewood, Tn. If #497 from Tennessee keeps one of the top2 places he is Champ! However should he fall back to the #3 spot or farther, things can happen! Should Hayden Martin or Lauren Filos beat John Michael by 2 places or more, they will take his big Trophy home with them. JP Rookie sensation Wyatt Sullivan could do it with a 3-mower spread over John Michael so long as Lauren is behind him and Hayden is at least 2 back. Mariah Peeler has an outside chance at it but it is a real long shot, and the final driver with even a glimmer of hope is another Rookie, Jordan Brown from Maryland. For Jordan to take top honors she would have to win and about every other top driver finish outside the top 5. As always the JP Class will boil down to who gets out fast and doesn’t mess it up!
• IMOW – Wally Bender is going to win, Unless Pat Sullivan or Chris Van Maastricht beat him, other than that do we really even need to talk about it? Dawn Filos does have a chance, but she has to win and none of the 3 drivers who own 14 of 20 wins can finish better than 5th! Though Jim Keech and Tommy Hawley are mathematical possibilities, for Jim to be Champion he would have to win and all 3 top dogs finish outside of the top 5. Wally Pat and Chris would have to all break down for Tommy to take the Championship! IMOW is going to be a 3 way race, which ever one finishes in front of the other 2 inside of the top 5 will be champion!
• AP – Wally Bender is going to win, unless Pat Sullivan beats him (where have I heard that before?). If Tommy Hawley beats Wally by 3 or the Outside chance that Pete Sullivan beats Wally by 4 and Pat by 2 . Pretty cut and dried isn’t it? However, AP is a class full of Spoilers this year, Tony Thompson, Lee Grover, Dan Mongan and Matt Tucker are all outside the top 5 and all have found the winners circle this year. It would be easy for the top qualifiers to find themselves unseated in Mowhio!
• SP – Wally Bender is going to win, if he beats Richard Webb and he needs to beat Jason Brown by 2 spots. Should Wally beat Jason by only one spot, the championship would actually boil down to the drawing of lots! Michael Paccione needs to gain 100 points on Wally and 150 on Webb and Brown which would be a tall order indeed, but we are playing “what if” remember! Jackie Andrews is our long shot here; if them rambunctious boys up front get too rambunctious Jackie could capitalize!
• CP – Lee Grover comes in with the only quad in CP and 66% win average making him the bookmaker’s man. However with his low race count even though he has a 50 point advantage over 2 time and defending class champion Pete Sullivan, Pete only needs to finish in front of Grover and no more than one spot behind his Rocket Man Racing Teammate Michael Paccione to become Three-Pete! That would have Mike really hating that one fall out of the top five in McDonough Georgia early this season! If Mike is able to keep only one mower between both Pete and Lee, he does have a valid shot at the Title. Tom Hawley would need 2 spots on Paccione with Lee and Pete behind him to get the job done. Bill Campbell could be a wild card win and Tommy Hawley has had an up and down season but managed to keep himself in theoretical contention for the Trophy he let slip away after leading the points most of the 2010 season. It would take several top-notch drivers having low rung days to put one of those two in the books!
• BP – How do you not call Jayson Mikula the man to beat? We could start with the fact that Ronald Rollman has finished in front of Jayson 3 out of the 4 times they met this season, Chuck Miller has gone 50-50 with the 5 time champ, as a matter of fact the Boogie Woogie Man gained 3 of his quad by beating the big target! So we have the USLMRA’s most experienced veteran, most accomplished BP Champion and the Class rookie battling for this years top spot in the top class! Jason Brown and Jim Mikula could be champ, assuming a 3-mower pile up and Jamie Maurice would need the race scored in reverse!
• FX – Wally Bender is NOT going to win! OK, so he might win Finals, but he is the last man possible for the Championship, and some good guys have to go down for that to happen! OK I called AP the class of spoilers, well FX should have everyone on their feet! USLMRA newcomer Chris Cox shares the top spot with Crafty Veteran Greg Honchell. Either one of those two have an excellent shot at the championship. But I think FX will not be about who is in contention, but about the guys who are not! Manny Torres is coming off an injury in Bowles Farm, will he be able to race? We will most likely have to wait until Saturday for that answer! Mark Moran has a very viable shot at glory being only 100 points back. But look at who does not have a shot at the title…Kevin Penne, Mike Miller, Tony Hinson, Matt Tucker and Dan Mongan all know how to find the fast way around Delaware blind folded! It would not be surprising at all for the points leaders to find themselves running outside the top 5! I would not want to take bets on that class but if I must I would call Honchell the Odds on favorite.

As in everything, you get out of racing what you put into it. The drivers sitting on top of the class at the end of the day will be the ones who worked all year for it and did not slow down for anyone. There is a reason we call them Champ, and it is always a title earned the hard way. We all go to Mowhio with less than we take away from Mowhio though! Win lose or draw you are guaranteed to have more friends and better memories on September 5th than you did On September 2nd and that makes us all winners. If that were not true, I wouldn’t go! So pack up the trailer, tell the boss to go eat grass and I will see you in MOWHIO !!!

It’s hard to believe Labor Day Weekend is coming up!  With the STA-BIL Lawn & Garden Mower Racing Series and USLMRA Chapter and Club Racing Programs still in full swing, Mid Summer is time to start thinking about the 19th STA-BIL Nationals Weekend in Delaware, Ohio.

The Who, What, When and Where, have been blasted here, the USLMRA Facebook Page and the Heymow Forum for months now, and it’s just about Mow Time!

Again in 2011 for the U.S. Open, we are inviting everyone from everywhere, USLMRA member or not! All that been to a STA-BIL National USLMRA event in the past few years has seen the awesome Timing & Scoring system that Kerry Evans of EOP Pro provides to the USLMRA. Kerry and staff have assured me that they have us covered for the weekend, no matter how big the race field gets.  We will also have enough race stewards, tech inspectors, flaggers, track maintenance people and support staff on hand to deliver a well-run event.  The weekend will include:

• 19th Annual STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals*
• 4th Annual Performance Mowersports Expo**
• 3rd Annual National Lawn Mower Racing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies
• 2nd Annual U.S. Open (Pre-register here!)

* The STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals will be taped for Fox Sports Net, and will air in October with exact dates to be announced.

** PME Vendors will set up in or adjacent to the Race Pits with easy access for racers. There will be no set hours for the PME this year, as it will now take place all weekend at the discretion of the vendors. The Performance Mowersports Expo will bring together manufacturers, suppliers, builders and related product and service providers in the lawn mower racing industry.

STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals: September 3rd, 2011

This event crowns Points Champions in each class and is the culminating Event in 2011 STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series!

Racers in the STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals must qualify by class competing in at least one (1) lap in each of two (2) USLMRA STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series US Points Races. Note – competing in Local Chapter races no longer factors into qualifying for Nationals Weekend.

The Top Ten racers in points in each class will grid by descending order, 1^st – 10^th in Points. The remainder of the field will qualify through elimination or qualifying heat(s).  If elimination heats are not required for a particular class, a gridding heat may be ran.

In the event of a tie for the Top Ten point positions, the following tiebreakers will be applied in this numerical order:

1. Most STA-BIL Series US Points Races competed in.
2. Highest top five finish at a STA-BIL Points race
3. Most top five finishes.
4. Drawing of “lots”

2^nd Annual U.S. Open: Sunday, September 4th, 2011

On Sunday, September 4, 2011, the USLMRA will host the 2^nd annual U.S. Open, an Open Invitational. The U.S. Open will afford a wide range of lawnmower racers an opportunity to participate in USLMRA Nationals Weekend without having to qualify for the USLMRA STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals. The U.S. Open is a free event!  Racers will pay no race fees, and USLMRA membership is not required to participate. We will feed racers and families all weekend and we will provide each racer with a cool souvenir. 1^st-5^th Place trophies will be awarded for the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open will have full computerized Timing & Scoring provided by EOP Pro.  There will be no transponder fees.

At U.S. Open racers must have participated in organized/sanctioned lawnmower racing of some sort within the 24 months previous to the US Open. These racers may be required to provide proof in the form of official results from previous races. The U.S. Open is open to any USLMRA-legal mower, USLMRA Local Chapter (LC)/Affiliated Club (AC) mower or, any mower deemed safe by USLMRA Tech Staff. No roll cages. Open to all mowers that meet all USLMRA Safety Standards, see USLMRA Rule Book – No Exceptions!

We want ALL groups out there to be allowed to compete in the U.S. Open.  We have created a set of rules designed to allow just about any reasonable type of mower to compete. Please contact us with any questions about your mower’s eligibility, or your participation in the weekend!

2011 STA-BIL Nationals Weekend Event Schedule

Friday, Sept. 2

• 5:00-7:00 PM: Seafood Throwdown* (Sponsored by EOP Pro)
• 5:00-7:00 PM: Registration

* WE NEED YOU TO RSVP FOR FOOD if you plan on attending the Seafood Throwdown!  Please send an e-mail to Bruce@letsmow.com and let us know how many in your party.  We do not want to run out of food! Meal tickets must be presented.

Saturday, Sept. 3

• 9:00-12 :00 AM: Registration & Tech Inspection – Any Mower
• 10:00-12:00 AM: Practice (Only After Racers Register & Pass Tech)
• 12:15-12:45 AM: Driver’s Meeting – All Racers
• 1:00 PM: Lunch – Trackside
• 1:00-4:00 PM: Time Trials / Practice – Any Mower
• 4:00 PM: Qualifying / Elimination / Heat Races If Needed – Finals Racers Only
• 7:00 PM: STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals*

*Taping for Fox Sports Net

Sunday, Sept. 4

• 9:00-11:00 AM: Racer Breakfast*, Awards Ceremony and Hall of Fame Inductions (Merchants Building)
• 11:30-12:30 AM: Registration & Tech Inspection (For Late Arrivals, or Racers Coming Sunday Only)
• 12:30-12:45 AM: Driver’s Meeting
• 1:00 PM: Qualifying / Elimination / Heat Races – U.S. Open
• 2:00 PM: The U.S. Open

* WE NEED YOU TO RSVP FOR FOOD if you plan on attending the Racers Breakfast!  Please send an e-mail to Bruce@letsmow.com and let us know how many in your party.  We do not want to run out of food! Meal tickets must be presented.

2011 Season Awards

The USLMRA needs your vote and essay for our prestigious awards, which are determined by vote of the membership. Click here to vote online, or click here to print a form. Rookie of the Year, Adult and JP racers must have raced during the 2011 racing season and must be his or her’s first racing season. Rookie of the Year Candidates for JP and Adult Classes can be found by clicking here. Here are the voting categories:

• Most Improved
• Dave Hertel Mowtivational Award
• Charles Powell Mr. Mowjangles Award
• Dubba G Everyman Award
• Mace Mullins Crew Chief Award

THE DEADLINE FOR VOTING IS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2011, AT 9:00 A.M! Please note, ONLY one voting sheet for each USLMRA registered member. If you vote twice, both votes will be disqualified. Winners of each category will be announced at the USLMRA Awards Ceremony on Sunday morning.

Track Location and Venue Info

The USLMRA will return to the Delaware County Fairgrounds, in Delaware, MOWhio, Sept. 2-4, Labor Day Weekend, for the 19^th annual STA-BIL Nationals Weekend.  Visit delawarecountyfair.com for mow info on what a great facility this is.

View USLMRA Local Chapters & Affiliated Clubs in a larger map

Round 8 of the 2011 STA-BIL Lawn And Garden Mower Racing Series found the top names in the USLMRA traveling to Bowles Farm in Clements, Maryland on the 5th and 6th of August. There were some major movers as chances for the top spots rapidly disintegrate. Almost every time a checkered flag fell this weekend someone’s fate was sealed. Championship leaders protected leads by taking top spots and a couple of class “mid pack racers” made major moves. Someone forgot to tell Lee Grover and Chuck Miller it was too late in the season to make their move! With only one weekend of racing left before the STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals some things seem shored up, however even if Jayson Mikula Goes to Pennsylvania and posts a pair of wins he still cannot stop Ronald Rollman from picking up a win in Tennessee and we may very well go to Ohio with a Class rookie having the best shot in 5 years of stopping the 5 time class champ! There is no such thing as a safe lead! Here’s how the points mowed down after Maryland.

John Michael Bell mowed down the competition once again with back-to-back wins, leaving 2nd place Hayden Martin as the only JP driver with even the possibility of scoring 4 wins before finals. Wyatt Sullivan only managed a 4th on Sunday allowing Mariah Peeler and Lauren Filos to move within 50 points of knocking him out of 3rd. Lauren’s 2nd on Saturday and Mariah’s 3rd on Sunday kept Jordan Brown out of the top 5, though a 3rd and 2nd on the weekend was enough to put her in striking distance of the top 5.

A 6th and a 10th for Dawn Filos did not help her points standings but what hurt it was Jim Keech’s 3rd place finish on Sunday.  Jim’s dandy driving put him 50 points up on Filos for 4th place in IMOW. Wally Bender did what Wally does best and flopped a pair of W’s matching the pair from Georgia early in the season puts him in a 3-way tie with Michigan’s’ Chris Vanmaastricht and Florida’s Pat Sullivan. One of the USLMRA ‘s most Senior Veterans The Rocket Man did not have a good weekend, failing to start on Saturday and only pulling an 8th place finish on Sunday, however another one of the USLMRA’s favorite veterans Bobby Cleveland did have a great weekend. A 4th on Saturday followed by a 2nd on Sunday propelled BC from his 20-something “who cares” position to 8th. Another class mover was Tina Paccione, her 3rd place finish on Saturday lands her a 6th place seed. While all of this makes for exciting racing the fact is nothing short of wins is going to give anyone a chance in Ohio with three of the best holding 4 Aces!

Wally Bender maintains his lead in A/P but it is not near as comfortable as it used to be. Tommy Hawley may have finally chased all the gremlins out and posted his 3rd win of the season on Sunday, making him and Matt Tucker the only drivers capable of catching Wally before Finals. Sliding back from tied for second, Pete’s win on Saturday coupled with Pat’s 2nd saw both Sullivan’s gaining 50 points but now sharing 3rd and 4th spots. Mathew Moran’s 4th and 3rd place finishes leaves him trailing Tony Thompson by only 50 points for 5th place. Matt only needs a 4th to tie or a 3rd place finish to jump passed Tony to gain one of the coveted top 5 positions heading to Finals.

Though the top 6 spots were unchanged, Michael Paccione finally took a Win in S/P Saturday which gained him 100 points moving him within 50 of Wally Bender who cannot seem to figure out that 2nd place finishes do not a championship make! After his mowchine failed him on Saturday, Jason Brown stole 600 points he did not need on Sunday to keep the crowd away. Barring major problems, someone is going to have to win everything left to keep either Jason or co-class leader Rich Webb from taking top honors this season. Matt Strine pulled a pair of 3rd place finishes to shore up his 5th place standings.

Can I call it or what? Lee Grover jumps from 12th to 1st after posting a win on Sunday and 3rd on Saturday Grover joined Michael Paccione for the top spot in C/P, but they are not alone. Pete Sullivan Posted his 2nd win of the season on Sunday gaining him the precious 50 points he needed to join his Rocket Man Racing teammate in what is now a three way tie in what is still the only class that has no driver topped out!  The classes’ top 3 swapped the top 3 spots keeping other drivers from gaining those precious points. Only managing 6th & 7th place finishes for the weekend Tom Hawley is still 50 points behind the championship trio, but to get that 50 points will take a win. Bill Campbell slid back to 5th and Jon Lewman fell out of the top 5.

I don’t know where the Woogie was, but I can tell you exactly where the Boogie was in B/P! Chuck Miller broke into the top 5 in Maryland by running lap times ½ a second faster than the rest of the field posting a pair of wins and joining Ronald Rollman for the 2nd place position in the USLMRA’s Top Class. Rollman and Bobby Cleveland managed to stay off the B/P class’s royal family with neither Mikula posting anything better than a 4th place finish. Jayson still owns the lead by 50 points but Jim slid to 4th.  Jason Brown just cannot find the end of a race but despite not finishing in his last 4 tries he managed to hang onto 5th place on the leader board and Larry Benning fell out of the top 5 into 6th place. Being the fastest of that other class of mowers who shared the track with Chuck on Sunday moved Bobby Cleveland again from oblivion into the top 10 landing him in 9th.

Chris Cox out of Georgia put “Rusty” out front and left him their on Saturday gaining his 3rd win of the season moving him into a tie with Manny Torres for the #2 spot in F/X. Greg Honchell still owns a quad of wins and Penne and Hinson held on to their 4th and 5th place spots respectively but Wally Bender’s win moved him into 6th and just a blade off of Hinson’s grass for 5th. With only 3 good scores for the year Wally has an easy shot at moving into the top 5.  James “Old Goat” Klauss sits in 7th with a pair of 2nd place scores and could easily be a contender as well.

Wally Bender ran 6 races at Bowles Farms. Wally Bender had 3 wins, 2 seconds and 1 “Oops I broke it!”  Wally Bender is leading the points in IMOW, is 100 points out of the Lead in  S/P and though sitting 6th he has the most viable chance of giving the leaders headaches in F/X. Wally Bender has 18 Feature Starts in the USLMRA STA-BIL Lawn And Garden Racing Series for 2011. Wally Bender has 7 wins, 7 second place finishes and the only races that he finished out of the top 2 spots was one 3rd and one 4th. I have a feeling I am not the only one who will repeat Wally Bender’s name this season!

When Tina Bowles called me about three weeks before Bowles Farms race weekend and told me to call her husband Tommy because he had something important to tell me, I immediately dialed his number, while picturing him atop his tractor or backhoe tending to his family farm. “We’ve brought in 30 loads of clay, big super bleachers and the place looks like a NASCAR race track,” said Tommy. “I want you to tell everyone we are putting in 120% effort this year.” And with those words, I knew the 2011 Bowles Farms event was going to be the best ever, because Tommy Bowles always puts in 120% effort, so when he says 120%, it really means 150%! GAME ON!

After a record-breaking heat wave the previous weekend, Southern Maryland enjoyed a break in the weather during the August 5-6 weekend, with temperatures in the mower 90s a welcome respite from the 100+-degree days the week before. The USLMRA / STA-BIL team arrived on Thursday, with USLMRA VP / Director of Timing & Scoring Kerry Evans; Chief Steward Rodney Peeler; National Tech Director Manny Torres; Engine AnswerMan Bobby Cleveland and Yours Truly enjoying the hospitality of Tina, Tommy, Nancy, Ricky, Cindy and crew during the day. Ronnie Mattingly of the Seventh District Rescue Squad and St. Mary’s County Optimist Club was on hand to make sure event set-up moved along at a good pace. Maryland crab cakes and scallops were plentiful as the relaxed day on Thursday and dinner on Thursday night saw members of the DelMarVa and East Tennessee Lawn Mower Racing Associations enjoy some pre-race socializing.

Friday, August 5 was Day One of Bowles Farms Weekend. The event was part of our new U.S. Open Program, billed as the U.S. Eastern Seaboard Open. New racers from across the area were expected and anticipation to run on the excellent Bowles Farms Track was high.

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