Ok guys... maybe we need to move out of DE... a mass migration to Philly to avoid the locals perhaps? 
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Lawn mower racing gaining popularity
By BRIAN SMITH
Special to The News Journal
06/25/2004
For this Mother's Day, Aaron Crowl didn't give his wife, Stacey, a typical gift like flowers or candy.
No, he bought her a lawn mower. And it was just what she wanted.
It wasn't your typical grass-guzzling machine. In fact, Stacey Crowl's new riding mower might never cut a blade of grass.
The Crowls, from Bel Air, Md., are hooked on the sport of lawn-mower racing - a growing phenomenon in which people take ordinary mowers and make them capable of reaching extraordinary speeds.
"I've been clocked at 85 mph on my tractor, and they've clocked me at 79.26 mph lap speeds on a 3/8-mile banked oval," said Aaron Crowl, 38. "The biggest question I had when I got off the truck is, 'Are you crazy? You're on a lawn mower!' "
Lawn mower racers are best understood by their own kind. Even people who race other types of motorized vehicles have difficulty on a lawn mower.
"We've actually brought guys in who are semi-pro stock car drivers, and they can't drive them," Crowl said. "They're like nothing else you would ever get on. They have a high center of gravity, and they're up on two wheels a lot. Some of them handle very well, and some are ill-driving."
The governing body of lawn mower racing in the United States is the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA), which was founded in April 1992.
The USLMRA sanctions local chapters throughout the country in addition to conducting its own national tour. Delaware is part of the USLMRA's Mid-Atlantic Lawn Mower Racing Association, which also covers Maryland and Virginia.
The USLMRA has six classes of racing, ranging from the Stock class - the kind of tractors used to mow lawns - to the Factory Experimental class, which are the mowers that reach the highest speeds. Regardless of class, all mowers have the blades removed and must have a kill switch that shuts off the mower if the driver falls off.
Participants say the sport is all about bragging rights. Neither the USLMRA nor the Mid-Atlantic association offers cash purses or prizes aside from a trophy.
"It's not cut-throat because there's no money," Crowl said. "If you're not doing it for the fun and the camaraderie, there's no sense being there."
Puns are abundant in the sport. The USLMRA calls it "America's 'Grass Roots' Motorsport." Lawn mowers are given nicknames such as "Sodzilla" or "Weedy Gonzales." Stacey Crowl's new mower was dubbed the "Child Mow-tivator" after her job as a fifth-grade teacher.
Bill Hamburg, 46, of Smyrna races on two circuits - the USLMRA and a local circuit called Tri-State Outlaw Lawn Mower Racing. The Tri-State circuit has an annual event in Smyrna during the July Fourth weekend. Hamburg's attendance at that race several years ago sucked him into the sport.
"My wife [Tracy] is the one that got me into it, really," Hamburg said. "She said I should do it. I had an old junk mower, and I built it up and got into it."
The USLMRA is adamant about safety and strongly encourages people to not try racing on their own. Crowl said racing mowers are designed specifically for that purpose and have certain required features to keep riders safe. Still, drivers can get injured, as Hamburg did two years ago.
"I got tangled in a turn, and my leg went under the mower and I broke it," Hamburg said. "I didn't race [last year] - my son raced. I was just the mechanic and helped him."
The sport provides good family time for the Crowls.
"They're like mini-vacations every weekend," Aaron Crowl said of the trips his family takes to races. "The lawn mower racers have become kind of an extended family. And there's nothing else like driving a racing lawn mower. When you've got one dialed in, it's just incredible."
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Lawn mower racing gaining popularity
By BRIAN SMITH
Special to The News Journal
06/25/2004
For this Mother's Day, Aaron Crowl didn't give his wife, Stacey, a typical gift like flowers or candy.
No, he bought her a lawn mower. And it was just what she wanted.
It wasn't your typical grass-guzzling machine. In fact, Stacey Crowl's new riding mower might never cut a blade of grass.
The Crowls, from Bel Air, Md., are hooked on the sport of lawn-mower racing - a growing phenomenon in which people take ordinary mowers and make them capable of reaching extraordinary speeds.
"I've been clocked at 85 mph on my tractor, and they've clocked me at 79.26 mph lap speeds on a 3/8-mile banked oval," said Aaron Crowl, 38. "The biggest question I had when I got off the truck is, 'Are you crazy? You're on a lawn mower!' "
Lawn mower racers are best understood by their own kind. Even people who race other types of motorized vehicles have difficulty on a lawn mower.
"We've actually brought guys in who are semi-pro stock car drivers, and they can't drive them," Crowl said. "They're like nothing else you would ever get on. They have a high center of gravity, and they're up on two wheels a lot. Some of them handle very well, and some are ill-driving."
The governing body of lawn mower racing in the United States is the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA), which was founded in April 1992.
The USLMRA sanctions local chapters throughout the country in addition to conducting its own national tour. Delaware is part of the USLMRA's Mid-Atlantic Lawn Mower Racing Association, which also covers Maryland and Virginia.
The USLMRA has six classes of racing, ranging from the Stock class - the kind of tractors used to mow lawns - to the Factory Experimental class, which are the mowers that reach the highest speeds. Regardless of class, all mowers have the blades removed and must have a kill switch that shuts off the mower if the driver falls off.
Participants say the sport is all about bragging rights. Neither the USLMRA nor the Mid-Atlantic association offers cash purses or prizes aside from a trophy.
"It's not cut-throat because there's no money," Crowl said. "If you're not doing it for the fun and the camaraderie, there's no sense being there."
Puns are abundant in the sport. The USLMRA calls it "America's 'Grass Roots' Motorsport." Lawn mowers are given nicknames such as "Sodzilla" or "Weedy Gonzales." Stacey Crowl's new mower was dubbed the "Child Mow-tivator" after her job as a fifth-grade teacher.
Bill Hamburg, 46, of Smyrna races on two circuits - the USLMRA and a local circuit called Tri-State Outlaw Lawn Mower Racing. The Tri-State circuit has an annual event in Smyrna during the July Fourth weekend. Hamburg's attendance at that race several years ago sucked him into the sport.
"My wife [Tracy] is the one that got me into it, really," Hamburg said. "She said I should do it. I had an old junk mower, and I built it up and got into it."
The USLMRA is adamant about safety and strongly encourages people to not try racing on their own. Crowl said racing mowers are designed specifically for that purpose and have certain required features to keep riders safe. Still, drivers can get injured, as Hamburg did two years ago.
"I got tangled in a turn, and my leg went under the mower and I broke it," Hamburg said. "I didn't race [last year] - my son raced. I was just the mechanic and helped him."
The sport provides good family time for the Crowls.
"They're like mini-vacations every weekend," Aaron Crowl said of the trips his family takes to races. "The lawn mower racers have become kind of an extended family. And there's nothing else like driving a racing lawn mower. When you've got one dialed in, it's just incredible."
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VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
godsmoker:
I see you finally got a profile pic.
abgitatz:
Yeah I think it sucks, but it works for now.