A friend from Raleigh recently called me and said I might want to read the Sunday issue of the News and Observer. There, on the Internet, was a snapshot of the Spring Mow Down, complete with pictures and sound in the form of a slide show.

There was Jerry Perry, getting a big smooch on the jaw from Geraldine, a big smile on his face. The story and photos paint a nice picture, for the most part.

Although I enjoyed the article in the Raleigh paper, I must admit that every article I have read still misses the main point. This is racing, not just a family fun night or “something to do on a Saturday night.” Some of these fellows would race camels if they could figure out how to speed them up. The drivers and their friends work all winter just to get a mower ready, just for the opportunity to compete. That’s the whole point — it’s the thrill of racing, the excitement of victory and the bitter gaul of defeat. It’s danger and cheering crowds, good friends and rivalries. It’s the same stuff that started out on the dirt tracks of North Carolina that eventually became NASCAR, a sport that seems to be forgetting where it came from. Small tracks are the stuff NASCAR started with, but seeing another race in Wilkesboro doesn’t seem likely. Lawnmower racing hasn’t been around long enough to get above it’s raising, but I hope that day doesn’t come.

Since the first time I saw the mowers flying around the track at the fairgrounds, I knew it would run. I started thinking back to the first lawnmower races, trying to remember the beginning. All I can really remember is going to a meeting of the fair committee and mentioning lawnmower racing as an option in late 1999 or early 2000. I looked back at my old records and pulled out the dates after remininscing with the current fair chairperson, April Caudill. April, who wasn’t on the committee back then, has stepped in and does most all the leg work on our behalf. These days, I’m more of a spectator.

Everyone except Bob Edwards probably thought I was crazy to start with, but it worked out all right. The first race involved bringing in some ‘pros’ from the National Mower Racing Association to do a demonstration race. The price was dear and the risk, at the time, seemed great. But the committee agreed to try and Bob said he would help me put the thing together.

Gerald Leftwich and Andy Royal were two of the first inspectors, while Tommy Calhoun cut out jigs the next year to make sure the mowers fit the size specificiations in our newly fabricated rule book. A version of those rules, albeit far more lengthy and complex, are still in use today. Tommy also helped run the trackside, keeping times and race order. Brad Bedsaul and Ben Bottomley flagged. Ben’s still doing it. There are too many others to name; I hope I haven’t hurt any feelings by not naming everyone. After all, it really did seem like a family affair.

The ‘pros’ told us about putting hay bales around the track to keep the mowers from careening into the crowd, but we still made everyone sit one or two rows up back then, just in case. We didn’t really know what might happen. We also had a fence around the track as an added barrier. Our racers could likely run with anyone now, provided the rules are compatible. Back then, we managed just two homemade local entries in that first race, Dickie McKnight and Larry McCann. I don’t think either races now. Just to fill out the race, Mike Tompkins, who was there to help out, agreed to ride one of the pro’s mowers. He came in third, but claimed a first-prize backache on our bumpy track that was made with the aid of little more than the fairgrounds’ tractor and numerous laps by our own private vehicles to pack it all down. Mike is the reason I never raced. His week of complaints would have been enough to scare anyone. These days the organizers have road grading equipment and steam rollers. We smoothed the track with a piece of chain link fence with telephone pole peices for weight.

I can’t recall the size of the crowd, but it was less than 800. Races now draw more than 1,600. Near race time, we realized that we didn’t have flags to mark the cautions or the end of the race. We ended up using a broom handle with an orange trash bag for cautions and a piece of bunting on a tomato stake for a checkered flag. Larry McCann won the race, despite Dickie being the crowd favorite.

Those out there who might not realize what a humble start we had would be amazed by our utter lack of understanding at what we were unleashing. Before the race, there was very little buzz around about lawnmower racing. After the race, locals were down in the pits looking over the mowers and some were trying to learn how to get started on their own.

By 2001, the races were sponsored and the attendance and number of people involved increased greatly. It really has grown every year since then.

I guess I remember best how we used to all gather for cookouts, just a small group of men from Alleghany County who loved racing. About three years ago, the AMRA (Alleghany Mower Racing Association) was formed and took over the race duties. They have really taken our ‘good old boy’ race and turned it into a highly professional event. They have uniforms, radios, lots of volunteers and a smooth-as-silk operation. The stuff they’re doing to check engines, we wouldn’t have thought of or even understood.

I’m really glad that the folks running it now are taking this thing and running with it. I’m also glad they still race twice a year for the County Fair to help pay the costs there. The fairgrounds racers and organizers really are doing a service to their community, besides just providing entertainment.

It’s a great thing getting better. Now they’re going to the Dixie Classic Fair this year. What’s next? Lawn mower racing trading cards? Driver celebrities?

Well, we might have to wait a few more years on that. I just hope they don’t try to graduate to asphalt anytime soon and move all the races out west somewhere.

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