Contact: Bruce Kaufman / Brooke Barnes/Dave Silbar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phone:  (847) 729-7333; E-mail:  letsmow@aol.com

100 Racers:  “The Mow the Merrier”

12th ANNUAL END OF SUMMER LAWN MOWER RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS SET FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND IN MANSFIELD, OHIO

Michigan Lawn Mower Racers To Hold Wedding Ceremony Atop Their Racing Mowers

Glenview, IL - August 13, 2003 - The “mow the merrier” will be the call for sod slingers from across America this Labor Day weekend as the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA) presents the 12th annual STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals and Challenge of Champions, Saturday-Sunday, August 30-31, 11:00 AM-4:00 PM at the Richland County Fairgrounds, 750 N. Home Rd. in Mansfield, Ohio.

The annual Labor Day Weekend Turf Battle will also feature the special wedding ceremony for lawn mower racers Jodi Keech and Jayson Mikula of Sparta, Michigan. The bride will wear a custom dress made out of faux grass and will be given away by her lawn mower racing father, James. The groom will wear a green sequined jacket with his hair accented in green.  The rings will be presented atop the world’s first “Monster Mower,” which features a V-twin, custom racing engine that puts out 40 horsepower; 31” x 15.5” x 15” tires and full four-wheel drive independent steering.  The couple will race off to their honeymoon atop the groom’s supercharged, 60 mph racing lawn mower.

The STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals is the culminating event of the 18-race STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series. Points Champions in four racing classes will be crowned, with the STA-BIL Challenge of Champions matching the nation's fastest lawn mower racers at speeds up to 60 mph in deck-to-deck bladeless competition to determine the ultimate Titans of the Turf.  Races will be televised on ESPN2 in the Fall.

"It's wonderful to see love bloom on the lawn mower racecourse this Labor Day Weekend," said Bruce Kaufman, "Mr. Mow It All," president of the 400-member U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association. "We are thrilled that these two sods have chosen the STA-BIL Nationals to show their love for each other in front of their lawn mower racing friends from across the country.”

The Labor Day Weekend mow down is presented by the News Journal Newspaper in Mansfield, Ohio, with proceeds benefiting the Newspaper in Education (NIE) Program. The STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series features riding lawn mowers racing in four road track classes including Stock (10 mph), IMOW (25 mph), Prepared (50 mph) and Factory Experimental (60 mph). All cutting blades are removed for safety.

The STA-BIL Nationals, which began in 1992 as a single event, has grown into a two-day lawn mower racing extravaganza due to the nationwide growth of lawn mower racing via a network of 20 USLMRA Local Chapters. One hundred racers from 22 states are expected to mow ‘em down in the Buckeye State including Turfinator, Sodzilla, Mr. Mowjangles, Weedy Gonzales, Prograsstinator and Geronimow.

There is no purse money as racers compete for trophies, glory and bragging rights. The STA-BIL series is sanctioned by the USLMRA, which has more than 400 members across the U.S. as well as Australia, Canada, England and New Zealand.

The STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series began as a promotional vehicle for STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer, an engine additive that keeps stored gas fresh for quick, easy engine starts in power equipment, cars, trucks and boats. As a result of its title sponsorship, STA-BIL has been on the "cutting edge" of America's most affordable family-oriented amateur motorsport.

Additional sponsors include 104+ Octane Boost, HEET GasLine Antifreeze, No Leak Automotive Sealers, Alumaseal, Carolina Footwear and Double-H Boots.

STA-BIL Lawn Mower Racing has been featured on The Discovery Channel, ABC-TV's Home Improvement, CNN, CBS Early Show, The Disney Channel, ESPN 2, the Paul Harvey Radio Network, and in The New York Times, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Wall Street Journal, Autoweek, Brand Week, Modern Maturity and The Southern Lawn Mower Dealers Newsletter.

For information contact the USLMRA at (847) 729-7363 or visit www.letsmow.com.

-30-

INTERVIEWS, PHOTOS AND B-ROLL AVAIALBLE.