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Cattaraugus Fair, Friday Night, August 1st:
Thank You!
To all the tough truck drivers who participated at the Cattaraugus County Fair this past Friday night! You were all great to work with and we thank you for working so hard to keep the show moving and put on a fast moving and exciting show. Along with a good monster truck event, you guys made this maybe the best fair show ever - and those words are from the managers of the Cattaraugus Fair!!! Thank you again. Thanks also to Wayne and Bill Solly for a fine job of staging.The stock winners were:
1st - Kris Murray
2nd - Corey Sutton
3rd - Michael Lupold
4th - Buddy Russell
5th - Bruce Weitz
Modified Winners were:
1st - Roger Cardot
2nd - Mark Noto
3rd - Ron Mertz
4th - Jake Nichols
5th - Dan Marecki
Top Eliminator was Mark Noto; Second in Top Eliminator was Roger Cardot
Please call our office at 716-652-9495 if you'd like to run with the Monster Trucks in this show.
The prize money we pay this year will be the same as it was last year. We will lower everyone's entry fees. The prizes will total $840 paid back as follows:
Top Eliminator - $300, $150
Best Modified times not making Top Eliminator run: $100, $100, $50, $40
Best Stock Times: $70, $30
There will be trophies to the top five in Stock and the Top five in Modified, as well as a Top Eliminator trophy. There will be just two classes, stock and Modified. Entry fees will be $20 for EVERYONE this year regardless of class.
Driver and one (now TWO) others will get in pits for free. Pit passes are $15 for everyone else - NO KIDS under age 16.
(NOTE: We will let TWO pit crew in for free with each driver, along with the lower $20 entry fee to help everyone out a little.)
Cattaraugus Fair entries:
You come in the "Tenth Street" gate at the west end of the Fairgrounds. Gate is open from 4 to 6 PM with sign-up open the same hours. Drivers meeting is at 6:20 PM with the show at 7:30 PM.
The following drivers are confirmed and will race each other twice timed individually, with the fastest two running for Top Eliminator
IMPORTANT: The following pairs have been assigned to run with each other, some by request and some randomly. If we have mutual requests from any of you who would like to run together because you know each other, we'll try to see if we can change the pairs. Otherwise the following will not be changed. It does not matter if you are a stock running with a mod - you will be timed individually except in the final Top Eliminator run. (The more unequal your trucks are, the better for you - you'll quickly get separation on the track!)
Meghan's cell at the fairgrounds is 716-380-6088
Tim Howard * - Norm Anderson *
Jason Bifero * - Tonka II Chris Murray *
joe marecki * - Ron Mertz *
Ken Peterson * - Mark Noto *
Jake Nichols * - Mike Lupold *
cory sutton stock * - * buddy russel stock
kevin morrisey? - dan marecki Mod
Tonka I Chris Murray / Kenny * - Tad Porter *
Pat Winchester * - Bill Hodges
Bruce White * - Chet Nickerson *
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The following names were called in but have not personally confirmed with our office - if you want to be on Friday’s list you MUST call before you come! 716-652-9495
Kevin Harrison
- Tom & Meghan
Call 716-652-9495 if you are interested.
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Update, February 17, 2008:
Hello everyone,
It's been a long time since I've posted an update here. And almost a year since I retired from promoting truck races. We will be managing the Cattaraugus Fair Monster Truck and tough truck show again this year on August 1st, but that will be the only event we promote.
Tim Howard promoted the Kane party race last May where we announced, but he is too busy with SCORR business to do it again this year. If someone else or some club wants to make the arrangements for Kane this year, Meghan and I would come and announce for you and party with you. If no one steps up, this will be about the first time in almost 30 years that there is not a Kane Mud Race.
I mentioned some time ago that I was planning to post an eBay auction for my old mud truck, 427" Chevy motor and other racing stuff. I will soon post that information here and on eBay. Probably in the next three weeks.
Click here for a listing of all the John LaFever Trophy winners. We'll be posting stories about many of the great racers who were winners when we find the time!
Now that Mr. Mud is retiring from actively promoting races, we are also glad to help or give advice to anyone interested in sponsoring a truck racing event. Even though we're stepping back from active promotions ourselves, we still love the sport. We're happy to share our experience and many contacts with would be mud race sponsors! Just call.
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Mud Hotline - 716-655-0853 |
Do It in the Mud NEWS !!!!!!
Mr Mud Retires! - Story hereTim Howard & "Dazed & Confused Productions" will run Kane May 19 - click here
New Video!
Above: Click on the above box to play a high quality Revver Quicktime video of one of the greatest off-road racing crashes ever filmed. This was the Puddle Jumper wreck in May of 2000. The truck owner is not one of our fans, but he builds fast trucks, and this clip deserves to be on this site! This and other hi-lites from North American racing shows are available on DVD from our office. Kane "MudFest06" Video: Click above to view one of the all-time great wheel to wheel mud racing runs between Andy Akers and Ron Mertz at MudFest06 in Kane last year. Don't miss this year's MudFest07 for a possible rematch! (Posted on Revver Video. On Revver Video, you have a choice of watching in Flash mode or Quicktime. Quicktime takes a little longer to download but is much clearer.) Above: "Big Foot and Bob" - a very popular clip on YouTube for many months, and now here in Quicktime with much better quality! These are hi-lites from the DVD of the whole Cattaraugus Fair 2006 show, available from our office for $25. Above: "Big Foot Crash" - the title on the video says the crash was in 2005, but it was actually in 2004. At Cattaraugus Fair and one of the few times Dan Runte has ever been upside down! The time has come - Perhaps you've checked here a few times over the winter waiting for us to get up the enthusiasm to organize a 2007 NAMRA racing season. Well, I've been waiting for the same thing. And waiting. And waiting. I have spoken with some of you and told you we'd likely have a few events and a smaller circuit this year. But the inspiration and enthusiasm are not here anymore. And there's an old saying in the Special events management business. "If you don't have the fire in your belly, you shouldn't be in this business." So the 2006 NAMRA points circuit was our last. I will miss many things about the racing business. I've been "Mr. Mud" for nearly 40 years now and I have many incredible memories! But the time has come to quit while I still have those great memories. The decision is easier this year than it might have been in the past because Meghan is so busy and doing so well with my other business, the Longacres Riding Camp. If you are curious about how we are spending all our time this year, click here for details on the horse program. We hope some of our old racing friends visit us at one of our horse shows this year. I will not completely disappear from the truck racing scene all at once. We are working for the Cattaraugus County Fair running the big Monster Truck show on August 3rd. And there is a good chance that Tim Howard and "Dazed and Confused Productions" will run MudFest07 at Kane on May 19th. If he does, we will be glad to help him. I'm hoping that I can be there and have kind of a "retirement party" at that last outdoor race! There are a few other races run by good friends where we might show up to help them run one final time. But we will not be organizing and sponsoring events ourselves this year, or sponsoring a points circuit. We congratulate "Jeff Donahue" and "Twisted Metal" as the last "Driver of the Year" in North American Mud Racing history! I will be maintaining this website for some time, posting other race dates, and more and more video online. We are still very interested in video production, and may yet be involved in some important video or movie productions on truck racing. We have the most extensive library of mud racing video in the United States, probably in the world! Check in from time to time to see what's going on. We do not completely rule out the possibility of promoting a mud racing series again in the future, but I think it is unlikely. Finally, I want to say a big "Thank You". Thank you all out there for incredible memories. I have seen just about everything in my years in this business, from the most unpleasant kind of fighting and bickering, to the greatest displays of fun and good sportsmanship. And the parties, oh the parties! It has been quite a ride! I enjoy hearing from racers and race fans. Email or phone if you have time, and say "hi Mr. Mud" if you see me helping out at an event, or just sitting in my lawn chair drinking a beer and watching someone else run an race! Thanks for the memories, Tom Kranz (Mr. Mud) HAPPY HOLIDAYS! - New Video posted below! This website is now dedicated to bringing off road racing fans news from all off-road tracks in New York and Pennsylvania NEW: We will be posting more video on "YouTube" in the coming months. We've finally got broadband! Bigfoot 2005 Roll Over New Dec. 18th- click hereDale Lewis at "Da Bump". Click here
Also here is a clip of a stock Roll Over at Kane Click here "Bigfoot and Bob" - AMAZING Cattaraugus Fair video! Click here The "Big foot and Bob" video has been seen by over 7000 people already! The full length DVD of the Cattaraugus Fair is now available for $25, including shipping. One of our best shows ever! If you like the video clips, click on the "stars" below the video on "YouTube" to rate them so lots of people will check out Mud Racing! Picture of the Month: We'll be posting some of our favorite mud racing pictures of all time in this space with a new one every few months. Below - although Dale Lewis has had a new truck with a great paint job for two seasons, this is still one of my all time favorite Dale Lewis pictures. Great jump at Van Etten!!!!!!!
Dale was a great champion in 2003 and 2005. He's one of the people we'll miss most as we leave the mud racing business.
If Kane MudFest07 is scheduled, it will be Saturday, May 19th. Congratulations to 2006 Driver of the Year, Jeff Donahue and "Twisted Metal! Runner-up and $500 winner is Kris Murray and "Tonka Toy II". Jed Sorg and "Built Under the Influence" finish third. At Kane on Sept. 30th, Ron Mertz took fastest time of the day in both the Obstacle and the Drags, getting his name permanently on BOTH LaFever Trophies! Hot & fast ATV winner, Jeffery, says Missy is "Smokin"; we agree! THANKS to more than 200 great fans who showed up on a cold, often dreary day to party and cheer on the racers! Final 2006 Point Standings: After Kane, Driver of the Year standings are listed below: Jeff Donahue 740 Kris Murray 711 Jed Sorg 695 Mike Merrick 569 Roger Swansbrough 466 Howard Blake 305 Dale Lewis 265 Point Fund is now $1870.50 We announced the following payout format for the point fund at Muddy Acres and there was no objection, so this is how it will be done. Driver of the Year will get $1000, as promised all year. Runner-up will get $500. All licensed drivers taking part in the series listed above will get Trophies. Any money left over will go to third place finisher (and fourth if there is enough). If you look at the point standings, Jeff Donahue is in a very good position for Driver of the Year, but it is not a lock yet (all he has to do is show up at Kane and start two runs to clinch). The REAL battle is for the second place money between Jed Sorg and Kris Murray, with only ten points separating them and the two of them running in the same class. It will be REAL RACING that determines which of them ends up on top, just like it should be! Mike Merrick will probably not travel to Kane, since he has to drop his worst score anyway. Thunder Mountain Report: It was Jeff Donahue and "Twisted Metal" again, but not without some early drama. Jeff took it easy on his first run, knowing that the only way he is going to lose this year's championship is if he breaks and can't get his three runs in. Jeff turned a 1:36.23, which was only a second faster than a very strong running "Tonka Toy II" and Kris Murray for the first run. Then Kris went out on his second run and turned a 1:35.34, taking the LaFever trophy back from Jeff. Well, that got Jeff kind of steamed, and he turned it loose on his second run, blistering the course in 1:27.31, just to show Kris what "Pro-trucks" are all about!! That run and the very fast time actually had a huge affect on the championship points standings. If Jeff had only beaten Kris by a second or two, Kris would have been bumped up to Pro-Truck by rule, and would have gotten 2nd place points for his runs for the day behind Jeff. That would have put Jed Sorg into 1st for all three of his runs in Limited Mod, giving him a one point lead over Kris going into the Kane race, and putting Kris up against some very fast Pennsylvania trucks at the final Kane race on the 30th. As it is, Jed did win the final run of the day against Kris, but Kris's two 1st places in the first two runs extend his points lead over Jed to 10, making it hard for Jed to pull out enough points at Kane to pass Kris in the standings. Exciting racing! Howard Blake and "Tweaked" had an amazing run at the beginning of the day, but broke near the finish line and could not come back again. His motor sounded great. Roger Swanbrough also ran very well, but had mechanical problems on two of his runs. His 3rd was very good and was good enough to be in the trophies. Stock winner was Dan Benedict in a Chevy truck he called "Dilligaf" (Does-it-look-like-I-give-a-f---) The crowd was disappointing at this event, which usually draws many hundreds. Didn't work out well, with lots of NFL football on television and a big Moto-X Nationals a mile down the road. The new owners at Thunder Mountain do still plan to run next year. They will run on Father's Day if Kenny closes his track at Muddy Acres. But Muddy Acres may still run once next year on that traditional date. Jimmy Cornell announced that he is canceling the final event of the season at "Da Bump" because of numerous personal commitments this fall. But he said he is definitely going back into race promotion next year and will run two events in 2007. Muddy Acres Report: Jeff Donahue took top honors at Muddy Acres on Labor Day with his "Twisted Metal" truck. The LaFever trophy went back and forth between Dale Lewis & "Fast Lane Fever" and Jeff. Jeff had fastest time with a 1:19 for a while. Then Dale turned a 1:16, but broke his pinion shaft in the process and did not have spare parts. Jeff turned a 1:14 on his next run and Dale went out to give it a try in 2 wheel drive, but didn't have the stuff to match Jeff's time. Top award in Limited Mod went to "Built Under the Influence" and Jed Sorg! Cattaraugus Fair: A huge thanks to all the drivers who put on a great show at the fair last week and especially to the track crew who were right on top of the order of go. There were no delays in a great show. Bob Franks was the star of the show with two incredible flips, one of which landed him back on his wheels and the other on the side of the truck. The monster trucks were outstanding, with the return of #1 Big Foot driver, Dan Runte and his trade mark "length of the track" wheelie!!!! The fair board told us it was the best show ever, and they are talking already about making it a two day show next year. Suspension: As so often happens at big shows, there was an unfortunate incident involving several drivers getting upset. The sad thing is that it was over a trivial issue that could have been and was easily resolved at the end of the show. Young Tad Porter, an outstanding new driver and a fine young man, was entered in Limited Mod, and was beating everyone's times in all classes. By rule, he was bumped up to Pro-Truck at the end of the show, and all the other Limited Mods moved up one spot. But we had not announced that yet by the middle of the show with the non-stop action on the track. Several other limited-mod drivers got each other all upset over this and came up on stage in front of three thousand fans in a sold out grandstand to "protest". I tried to ask them not to spoil a great show and that we would take care of it at the end of the show. Roger Swansbrough, jr responded loudly, "I don't give s--t about the show." Which earns him at the minimum, a one race suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct. Everyone should know by now that if you raise your voice in public or make a scene at a big event, you lose your right to race. And it was so sad that this controversy was all about something that made no immediate difference to anyone. It was a timed event and the results could easily be sorted out at the end of the show - as they were. Our thanks to all the rest of the drivers who were great to work with and put on such a fine show. Bulliten: New race at Thunder Mountain on September 17th! - Yeah - Just when Meghan was trying to downsize our schedule, the new owners at Thunder Mountain talked us into adding a second race. They have big plans to up the advertising and build the Thunder Mountain track into a two race a year location. Other changes and improvements are in the works. We want to thank Carl and Patsy Spoonhower for many great years of racing at this track as we move into a new relationship with the new track owners. Update, June 30th: The Renegade racing wheel to wheel race in Kane on July 4th will not count for NAMRA points because it is so much different a racing style that we think it is not fair to require the few drivers following our circuit for points to travel so far to try such a different format. HOWEVER, we urge everyone interested to attend and try it out. It's a ball we're told! You run part of the dirt oval and then over jumps and part of an off road loop. You run a heat race and a feature. Both will be limited to five laps to help you avoid overheating your motor. For info call Steve Dodge at 814-366-2908. Racing begins at 4PM on the 4th, but call first if in doubt about the weather. Here is the Allegheny Mountain Raceway website link: AlleghenyFollowing is news from Eric at Freedom Raceway:
Hi All.
The Grove Grog will only be the October Show as of now with a possible August camping trip.
At Freedom we are going to continue with the July 16th show and try to make it even bigger.
We had a big mud bog truck come out at the end of our show and got him stuck a couple times in our swamp, which leads me to the next thing. We are going to use the swamp for side by side mud bog races for the 16th show and if it works we will be doing ALOT of PR on the "Big Dawg" mud bog, only 40" and bigger tire trucks will be run in it. We are turning the mud hole on the lower track into a small mud bog for the smaller trucks and continuing the Jalopy cars and tuff trucks on the lower track. It would be greatly appreciated if you could spread the word.
If you have any questions feel free to call and let me know. If you do talk to the Murrays please let them know I'm sorry for the problems they encountered at the lastrace and will be more then happy to talk with them.
Hope to talk and see you all soon.
Thanks
Eric
Getting Sideways Motorsports
MUDTHIS.com
PS: I am still interested in getting together and talking about the Kane R show soon, whenever works good for you all.
Controversial finish to Muddy Acres We had a great day at Muddy Acres on June 18th with a near record crowd! Great racing, too, with the fastest time of the day changing hands several times. It went back and forth between Dale Lewis and Jeff Donahue. On Dale's final run, he turned a time two seconds faster than Jeff. But wait - Dale came over the tabletop jump and got wide and missed most of the water hole on the landing side of the jump. Many drivers thought Dale was off course for missing the mud hole. It was a tough call, since Dale did go around most of the mud hole - but he went around the long side and made the course longer for himself, not shorter. Personally, I always like to leave the racing on the track and not get into rulings unless an off-course clearly affects the outcome of the class. There were good arguments to be made for both sides on this case. So I called for the driver's advisory committee to meet, look at the video replay which was very clear, and vote. They ruled Dale off course, giving the win to Jeff. Both drivers had great runs all day and I hated to see it end on a dispute. If I had been voting, I think I would have let the times determine the outcome, and here's why. I prefer to let the times stand unless a driver's momentary "off course" gives him an advantage. No harm, no foul. I thought a lot about this on the way home, and when we got home I watched the videos of both Jeff and Dale on that last run. I timed both drivers from the moment their trucks began coming up the far side of the tabletop until the moment they took off over the "valley of death" jump. This is the part of the course where the protested action took place. It turns out that Dale was slower than Jeff through this section by half a second. Dale did not benefit at all and in fact was hurt by going wide after the tabletop. Dale made up that half second and two more on the rest of the course, finishing two seconds faster than Jeff. So Dale has a moral victory, with the evidence showing he did not benefit by going wide around the mud hole and that he clearly was faster on the course. But we honored the Driver's Committee ruling and Jeff goes into the books as the winner of the class and fastest time of the day. In my book, both drivers are winners, and I am only sorry there was controversy. Good driving by both Dale and Jeff - - AND Ron Mertz who was having a record pace run until he spun. More details coming soon! Jeff Donahue wins LaFever Trophy at Freedom, June 11 "Big Mike" Merrick and Jeff Donahue are the two leaders in the point standings after two races. We somehow forgot to post Mike's points after the first race, but that is now corrected - Mike got 90 for the first race. Points for Kane will be posted in a day or two. Mike Merrick and Jeff Donahue are the only drivers who hit both of these widely separated races, so they are the two leaders. Mudfest06 is now history. And we were witness to some pretty amazing wheel to wheel racing for Top Eliminator. Ron Mertz won the $1000 top prize, with Andy Akers runner-up. It was perhaps the most exciting mud racing run we've ever seen, with four changes of lead and lots of contact. Jeff Donahue qualified second to Ron Mertz for the eliminations and looked like he would be a tough match for Mertz in the finals. In his first eliminator round, Jeff was easily leading when he rolled the brand new "Twisted Metal" truck - it is indeed twisted now! The weather was not kind to us this weekend. It turned out to be a decent day on Saturday when we canceled, and it rained on and off most of the day today. There were still hundreds of loyal Kane fans who turned out for the race and the party. But not nearly what we usually get at this track. We did prove to our satisfaction that if you offer race fans something special, like we did for the MudFest06 party, they will happily pay $20 for a ticket. Everyone felt they got their money's worth. We will be putting on more "value added" productions in the future.
Kane MudFest06 Race Procedure:
This event will be run with a format similar to what we used in 2005 at Kane. All drivers may make two solo runs to qualify for the Top Eliminator run-off.
Those trucks not qualifying for Top Eliminator will make a third run. The best of your three runs counts for class trophies. Of the trucks NOT qualifying for Top Eliminator, the stock truck with best time wins $50, the Limited Mod with best time wins $75, and the Pro-Truck with best time wins $100.
Top Eliminator:
1) The six trucks with the best times after the first two qualifying rounds go into Top Eliminator. You are "seeded" according to your best qualifying time. It will be a big advantage to have the best qualifying time. In Eliminator first round, the fastest qualifier races the slowest; the second fastest races the second slowest; the middle two race each other.
"On the Bubble" - after all trucks have run their first qualifying run, we will announce the top six qualified for "Eliminator". Those trucks do not have to make a second qualifying run until all other trucks have run. If you get bumped out of top six you can then make your second run if needed or if you want to try to move up your qualifying time (which means more money in finals). Otherwise, you can save your truck for eliminations.
2) Stand By List: If any of the fastest six qualifiers are unable to come to the starting line when called for first round Eliminations, the next best qualifier may take their place, as needed.
3) After the three pairs of Eliminator qualifiers race each other, there will be three winners. Of those three winners, the truck with the fastest original qualifying time will get a "Bye" while the other two trucks race each other in second round eliminator to reach final round of Top Eliminator. Big advantage to be fastest qualifier!
If any of the three "first round eliminator winners" cannot come to the starting line for the next round, the truck that lost to him may return and take his place.
4) The winner of the second round eliminator run will return to race the truck that earned the "Bye" for Top Eliminator. If his truck cannot make the run, the truck he beat can jump back in.
5) If the fastest qualifier truck that earns the second round "Bye" knows he will not be able to return for the finals, the other two first round winners will run off for Top Eliminator and there will only be two rounds.
6) In any round of Top Eliminator, if neither truck finishes, the truck that goes the farthest when "Time" is called will be declared the winner. Time limit - 60 sec after both trucks die out.
7) Top Eliminator wins $1000; Loser in the final round wins $350; 3rd place (loser of semi-finals) wins $250; the losers of the first eliminator round will get 4th, 5th, and 6th money which will be paid according to your qualifying times. 4th = $200; 5th = $100; 6th = $100.
Finally we're ready for the NAMRA season opener at Thunder Mountain! We've had a good time visiting at other club's racing events this spring, but it's time to go racing. This will be the latest start to a NAMRA season in some years. We're running fewer events this year on our regular circuit. With the sky high gas prices and the possible over saturation of the off-road racing market with so many groups sponoring events over the past couple of years, NAMRA is looking forward to an exciting 9 to 10 race series that will be a little easier on the pocket book for guys who want to make the full series. For those of you who want to be out in the mud or dirt every weekend, keep checking in with "mudhotline.com" - we'll keep you up to date on what's going on at other mud tracks between our scheduled events. Thunder Mountain Report: We had our usual great crowd at Thunder Mountain on the 28th. We were a little worried at 11am with only 3 trucks in the pits, but everyone came late and we raced until late in the afternoon. And VERY exciting racing! Jeff Donahue is back after taking a year off and he says he plans to retake the "Driver of the Year" title he won in 2004! Jeff has an all new race truck. Dale Lewis was there with his 2005 Championship truck, "Fast Lane Fever". Jason Forcier and Jeremy Radford showed up with their pro-trucks, and Howard Blake was competitive in Jeff Donahue's old "Twisted Metal" truck. Big Mike Merrick was faster than ever before and consistant in his repowered "Dog Pound". Mike Merrick took 2nd in a tough limited mod class. The Fastest Time of the Day and the LaFever Trophy changed hands several times, swapping between Jason Forcier, Dale Lewis, and Jeff Donahue. At the end of the day it was in Dale's hands! But that wasn't the biggest excitement. We take video of everyone at every race. Glenn sells a few tapes and DVD's to racers and fans, but we invest in thousands of dollars in video equipment all to try to capture very special hi-lite clips for promotional and documentary TV use. We might film 30 to 40 hours of video in a season to get 3or 4 really great video clips that go into our "all time greatest hits" archives. We got one on Sunday! Thanks to Jeremy Radford and "Loose Nutz". The truck has more than a few "loose nuts" now. The below pictures captured from the video are grainy, but the original video, shot in HDV is one of the best ever Glen has taken. Wait till you see it on HDTV at our party in the fall! Jeremy put the hammer down driving up the take-off side of the Big Tabletop, and he took off like it was a ski jump. Timing the video frames, he was airborne for about 1.7 seconds. That doesn't sound like much, but it is when you are taking a 3200 pound truck straight up and nearly straight down again!
Mudder's Day Report:
We had a great time visiting out at the Grove Grog event Saturday. Click here for an album of pictures taken at the event. Our two favorites are below -
Above: This captures the spirit of mud and fun at the "Grove Grog" - if you look VERY closely, you may find a sign of a hand or foot here and there. This is actually an ATV rider finishing up a full flip dive into the deep mud bog (not the ATV - the rider!). He got a 9.9 for style points, as he disappeared in the splash!
Above: This was more typical of "Grove Grog" action, with trucks of all types out playing on the course with numerous mud pits from easy to nearly impossible. It was a fun day, and many are still out there playing on Sunday. There are several more Grove Grog events planned this year - check on the Non-NAMRA schedule page!
MUDFEST-06! - Kane, PA, June 4th (changed due to weather) - Don't miss this show with many special events including tug-of-war, Deep Mud Bog, $2000 Prize money with $1000 to winner, "R" rated and much more! Special event admission of $20 for this show. (rain date is Sunday, June 4 - call hotline if in doubt or check here) Tug-of-War: We are looking for guys who would like to put on a tug of war. Best if two guys who know each other do it. Call us if you want to put on a show! Deep Bog: We have the dozer lined up for all day, so we will offer the deep bog challenge - the deep bog has only been conquered once in the past 15 years! Open mike singers - we think we have a line on a couple of performers to entertain before the show and at intermission, but not confirmed. If you are a performer or know someone who would like our kind of "atmosphere", phone us (716-652-9495). Bring your Mardi Gras Beads - you know what they're for!! Directions: take US #219 south from New York or north from central PA; about 20 miles south of Bradford, turn west on US #6. Go about 12 miles to Kane, go right through the city of Kane on US #6; about 1 mile west of Kane, turn right on Northwest Road and the track will be on the right about 1/4 mile down. About 1/2 mile west of the hospital and just past the big car dealership on the right. Directions to Mudders Day at the Grove Grog: Here are the driving directions Eric sent in: Directions from rt 400 (near Buffalo) take rt 400 south until it becomes rt 16 south. follow rt 16 south until you reach Yorkshire, NY rt 39 east. make a left on rt 39 from rt 16 south take rt 39 east into Arcade, NY (good landmark if you are coming from the south) make a right onto rt 98 south stay on rt 98 until you come to Freedom Rd on the left it will be about 1 mile past the Freedom Gravel Pit. turn left onto freedom Rd Stay on Freedom rd until the end, will be about 10 miles. the road gets real curvy towards the end. Turn Right at the end and stay on this road until you come to the light in Fillmore, I believe this is rt 19 or rt 19A. (Note: coming from Ithaca area, get on NY#19 and come to Fillmore and follow the rest of these directions) Hub Farr lives just up the road from here, i guess it is Gretchens place perhaps??? Go straight through the light and follow this road until the end. this will be Short Tract Take a left at this intersection and about 2 -3 miles up on the right side there will be a sign for pine tree plantation I believe. I will do my best to put a sign with an arrow the day of the race. turn right onto this dirt road at the sign follow this dirt road for about 2- 3 miles, watch for stop signs they can sneak up on you. the Mud Race track will be on the right side up a small driveway. There will be a sign out front. I don't know if I can get anymore Redneck with the directions except you need to turn left at old man jones barn and turn right at the truck that USED TO be in the field. Im sure there may be a quiker way from up north, perhaps do a mapquest search into Fillmore? If anyone needs to unload in the lower field just be sure not to block the driveway. Hope to see you all up there. Eric Glen Ellis came all the way up from Elmira for the practice day to take pictures and video for his collection. Check in with us again soon for a whole page on Glen Ellis video's! Below are some action shots taken on the very muddy Freedom track today. This will not be a dry track for most events this year!
These four pictures are all of Devan Stover and his "Monster Jeep"
April 15th: Congratulations to the "Renegade" four wheel drive club in Pennsylvania on running their first event at Allegheny Mountain Raceway today. They're trying something quite new to truck racing in our part of the country - true wheel to wheel racing on a modified dirt stock car track. Seven trucks showed up for this first event, which was run along with a traditional stock car Enduro event. The trucks ran two heats and a feature. The start is all side by side about 150 feet off the stock car track coming onto the track in turn four and running 3/4 of the way around the oval track and exiting on the back straight. Then the trucks run through a series of small jumps and mud holes off the stock car track, before returning to the track over a jump on turn four. Below are pictures taken this afternoon. Below - Steve Dodge was feature winner
Below - Tim Holt was runner-up
Below - Chuck Williams and Craig Fox
Below - Wheel to wheel racing action!
Drivers taking part in this first event were Steve Dodge - S & S Express, Chuck Williams - The Rock Chucker, John Shelander - More Mud, Tim Holt - Silver Bullet, Craig Fox - Strictly Business, Brian Bahaneey - Hog Hunter, and "the guy in the black truck" (sorry!).
Tim Holt won the first heat race, and Steve Dodge won the second. The feature was hotly contested between the two heat winners, Steve Dodge and Tim Holt, from beginning to end. "Silver Bullet" held the lead for the entire race, until Steve Dodge and the "S&S Express" were able to slip by on the bottom corner of the last lap for the victory! It was a great race! All seven trucks finished. Full results: Steve Dodge, Tim Holt, Chuck Williams, John Shelander, "Mystery Guy", Brian Bahaneey, and Craig Fox. April 14th: At our open truck racers convention in Hornell last fall, North American promised to use our website and the "Mud Hotline" to help spread the word about many other clubs and racing organization's truck racing events for 2006. As North American changes over time (see news article coming soon!), we'll be working to make this site a useful clearing house for mud racing and truck racing information. Click on the "Non NAMRA events" link at the top of this page. EVENTS This Month: Renegade Racing will be running their season opener at Allegheny Mountain Raceway outside of Kane, PA this Saturday, April 15th. Check their website at amraceway.com . This new organization has been put together by racers like Steve Dodge, John Shalander, and Chuck Williams in association with Allegheny Mountain. They will be doing wheel to wheel racing on numerous dates this season. On April 30th, Sunday, the Smudders 4 by 4 Club will be holding a tech and time trial event at Freedom Raceway. More info to come. The first NAMRA event is not scheduled until May 21st at Thunder Mountain. March 17th: This has been a busy day on the phone confirming monster trucks for some of our big shows and touching base with various track owners. 2006 is shaping up to be a season with a fewer over-all number of events on our schedule, but all of them will be the bigger, more successful races that we have run in previous years. Click on the above link to the 2006 schedule for the currently planned NAMRA events. We have nine or ten confirmed now, and almost surely will add a couple more. We will also be cooperating with a number of other clubs and track owners to publicize events not part of our own points circuit on off weeks when we are not managing our own races. Check the hotline and the "non NAMRA Mud Race events" link above.
You NEED a Video iPod!! Do any of you have video iPod's yet? They are the greatest toy in the world for a mud racer. You can put one of your favorite runs on the iPod and pull it out of your shirt pocket to show off your truck to anyone who will watch and listen at the drop of a hat. We'll be glad to help you get started. We may post a few sample clips on the website soon. The audio and video quality is amazing for such a tiny device! January 25th: Thunder Mountain is on the schedule. We did not hear from Carl at Thunder Mountain earlier in January and we were beginning to think that his other businesses might keep him too busy to host a mud race this year. But it turns out he was just on a long and well deserved vacation. Carl is back and there will be a spring Thunder Mountain race. The date will be determined once we get final word on the plans for Muddy Acres (which we still do not know). January 16th: Thanks to the management of both Cattaraugus County Fair in Little Valley and to Chatauqua County Fair in Dunkirk for once again signing North American to manage 2006 Fair shows. Click on the above link for discussion of our 2006 racing schedule. Things are beginning to come together. We had a good time at the convention of County Fairs this past weekend. We signed two out of the three fairs we most wanted on our schedule. We will not be having a show at New York State Fair this year, nor will anyone else have a tough truck show there in the near future. We all know that the show there last summer did not go smoothly. It is understandable that the State Fair board feels they gave our sport a try and, "Thanks, but no thanks." The rest of our schedule is discussed at the above links. The big remaining question marks are Thunder Mountain and Muddy Acres. After we get the final word from those tracks, all other dates will be finalized. We expect to have 10 to 13 events on our 2006 Championship Series. We also plan to follow up on our promise made at last fall's Off Road Racers Convention to post an extensive schedule on this website of truck races run by other clubs and organizations. It will be posted during the next few days. October 18th:
October 4th: "Red Neck" Off Road and Mud Racer's convention and Party, Sunday, Oct. 16, Noon at Italian Villa restaurant in Hornell, NY. Video's, 2006 racer information, much more! $5 cover, 716-655-0853 - 2005 Champions presented at 1:30!!! Call 716-652-9495 to reserve seats for lunch; just leave a name and number of seats needed if we are not here! October 3rd: "That's the most FUN I've had at a mud race - Ever!"
Jed Sorg, after the Kane Race Oct. 1st (and he didn't even win!)
Finally, a weekend of mud racing like it should be! With controversy and some hard feelings at the last two county and state fair events, Meghan and I were not looking forward to the final weekend of the season the way we usually do. But we should not have worried. We had great groups of racers at both "Da Bump" and at Kane this weekend and we had just as good a time as Jed Sorg.
The Pro-Drag car drivers that show up at "Da Bump" are a fine group of guys to work with. We always enjoy doing the special dirt dragster shows for them, and this weekend's was one of the best ever. After the race, nearly everyone stayed for Jimmy's pig roast and there was nothing but the sound of happy laughter and joking around the bonfire as it got dark. It was the way things should be after a race. Top Eliminator was Kelly Odell and "Under Pressure", running three passes all within 10 one thousandths of a second of one another. That's consistent driving! Dale Lewis had top Obstacle time with "Fast Lane Fever". Kane the next day was no different. We have some great friends among the drivers from western Pennsylvania, and the Kane fans are the best. There was a big crowd and great racing. The format was a little different. Everyone ran two runs solo. Then the top four raced head to head, two at a time for the biggest prize money. The losers of the semi raced each other for 3rd place. None of this "first truck goes around a loop to get separation" pussy side by side racing; this was head to head, fender to fender! It was VERY exciting, and that's what Jed was talking about when he said he had never had so much fun mud racing! Top Eliminator was Andy Akers and "American Bad-ass" followed by Chuck Williams and Bert Hart. Chuck Williams took the fastest time of the day and won Pro-Truck and Dick Woomer was top Limited Mod. Meghan is Wasted! The only down side to the weekend is that after flying across the United States on a red-eye flight Thursday night to prepare for the weekend and then running two big races back to back, Meghan finally wore down on the way home Sunday night. She is pretty sick, but now (Monday night) is just beginning to show some signs of coming to life again after sleeping most of the past 18 hours and downing some hot soup. Send her a get well e-mail or leave a "get well" message on her phone (716-652-7397) if you have a chance. Congratulations, Dale, Patty, Kris and Bert! Dale Lewis is Obstacle Driver of the Year, and Patty Siegard is our high point Drag driver. Bert Hart has already won the County Fairs Championship, and we also honor Kris Murray as our 2005 Stock Driver of the Year! Awards will be presented at the Italian Villa Restaurant in Hornell on Sunday afternoon, October 16th at noon. You can check out the restaurant and the menu on their website, www.italianvillaonline.com . The Mud & Off Road Racers "Red Neck Style" trade show and Awards Party! That's the best way to describe our special event open to all racers interested in the sport, from many different tracks and racing associations on October 16th. It will be an awards presentation opportunity for our regular racers, but much more. It will feature presentations and printed information about many mud racing and dirt drag tracks and racing associations. We'll finish the afternoon with a free wheeling discussion and question and answer session about where this sport is going in 2006 and about opportunities to race with different groups. Plan to come. More details posted here in the coming days. Cover charge is $5 per person. Cash bar and full food service off the menu. Sit down luncheon beginning at noon. Video's of many of the season's events, including this past weekend's drag and wheel to wheel racing. Full points to be posted by the end of this week when Meghan feels better. Call 716-652-9495 to reserve seats for awards lunch; just leave a name and number of seats needed if we are not here! September 7th: Congratulations to our 2005 County and State Fair Champion, Bert Hart and "Money Pit"!! Bert was the points leader going into the finals at NY State Fair and he was Top Eliminator again, clinching the $1000 Championship Award with 999 points. Bert was North American "Driver of the Year" in 2002 and we're proud to have him back racing with us! Reserve Fairs Champion is Dale Lewis and "Fast Lane Fever", finishing with 963 points. Rounding out the top five are Kris Murray with 959, Tim Howard with 943, and David Woodworth with 864. Final Races: We are off for a month now, giving everyone a chance to heal their wounds, both mechanically and emotionally. It has been intense sometimes during the past few races. The final events scheduled for 2005 include : Saturday, October 1st - "Da Bump" Outlaw Drag cars and full obstacle show- points Sunday, October 2nd - Kane, PA "R" rated adult show and party - points Saturday, October 8th - Maple Shade, PA Hurricane Relief charity fund raiser (this is not a NAMRA points event, but an exhibition event being planned by Bert Hart, Tim Howard and others. Already there is Television coverage planned and it may be the largest crowd of the season! For info, call Bert at 814-484-7365. Sunday, October 9th - Thunder Mountain; points (still tentative)Sunday, October 16, noon to 4 - Awards Party and 2006 Drivers Informational Meeting - location Hornell, NY central to all racers.
2006 County Fairs Ideas: A number of meetings are taking place, and it looks like we will be doing even more fairs in 2006. Fairs are fun to attend and mostly pull very good crowds. But fair shows also seem to result in more problems and hard feelings than regular outdoor shows. It's not hard to understand why. Only at fairs are we committed by contract to run a show on a very tight time schedule and finish by a set time. There have been more than a few driver complaints about the race procedure changing at each fair, the number of runs each truck can make changing sometimes from minute to minute at a fair, and about how many are qualified for "Top Eliminator". You don't have to explain to us at North American why this is frustrating for drivers. Imagine how frustrating it is for us running the show to have to make decisions on the fly trying to keep the show fast paced and on schedule. We are often under contract or direct order from a fair board or managing promoter to finish by an agreed time. And in case some of you wonder why North American was able to sign up five fairs this year, it is because we have a track record of beginning exactly on time and finishing when we promise. Hard as it may be for some drivers to accept, the fairs are not buying a race; they are buying two hours of entertainment and they want that show to finish on time. Much of the frustration for some drivers has come from the effort they have to make learning a new race schedule at each fair and then in the middle of the race find a big change being made. For 2006 fairs, we will print in CAPITAL LETTERS on each fair entry and each fair newsletter a clear statement explaining the very good chance that changes might be needed during the show that could result in fewer runs or more runs being scored. Drivers should each consider how well they can handle sudden changes. Some drivers are more inclined than others to get upset by change. If you feel that this is a problem for you, then stick to our regular events where time schedules are much less of a problem. We will take into account the same considerations when accepting drivers for fair events. We would rather have ten drivers who are there to have fun and understand that the show is more important than anything else than have 25 great drivers with half of them arguing when something changes unexpectedly. But we at NAMRA also will have an obligation to make sure that fair participants know in advance that changes during a race are not only possible, but LIKELY. We will try hard to make sure that 2006 fair participants know in advance what they are getting into and are prepared ahead of time for possible running changes at the event. Better driver communication will be required on our part. With that said, we want to express our deep thanks to the majority of you who kept your cool at all times and were a credit to the sport these past few weeks. You will have first chance at the desirable, big money events in 2006! Points will be posted soon - hopefully. Meghan and Tom going on a very much needed vacation and maybe it won't get done until we get back. (Meghan is paranoid about doing her job right, and prefers to work late tonight and get the points up. Tom wants to say, "F--- it. Let's leave for vacation." You will know by late tonight who got their way. PS - It is now Thursday evening, and Tom was on his way out the door when Meghan blocked the way and said, "No points posted, no vacation." So the points are now posted and we are off with no races for a month. Perhaps that's a good thing. With another driver quitting or being suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct every other race, we'll soon run out of drivers! Point Fund is now $5354.00 August 30th: Ready for a big weekend? Muddy Acres "R" rated party race is on Sunday at 1PM, and the New York State Fair Tough Truck State Championships are at 2PM in Syracuse on Monday. All are welcome at Muddy Acres. At State Fair, you must be pre-registered. Here are your instructions for arrival at State Fair: Special note: No one under 16 will be allowed in the pits at State Fair - no exceptions. Take the New York Thruway to the Baldwinsville/#690 exit and take #690 east towards Syracuse and the fair. Get off at State Fair Blvd: From the Binghamton area, take #81 north and then #690 west to the fair.
Please enter the State Fair off State Fair Boulevard using Gate #6 (Livestock Gate) between the hours of 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM, then proceed to Gate 11. JM Productions will provide free gate passes for your crew providing they purchase a pit pass at Gate 11 for their Participant Medical Insurance.
Drivers who would like to enter the New York State Fair prior to the Pit Gate hours must pay fair admission and parking. Parking will be available at Turn 3 and 4 on the race track. All Drivers and Pit Crew members arriving early must report to Turn 4 when the Pit Gate opens.
COMPOUND AREA: Turn 4 of the Race Track. Please follow the Gate Attendant's directions to this area.
Gary Delue pulling a bigger wheelie than he wanted on his second run. On his first run, Gary held a wheelie for the entire length of the track! But it wasn't enough. Mike Schiefly and "Over the Top" won the fastest time with a 2.990 second time!
June 6th: Check the picture from the top of the motorhome taken at Freedom, below:
Update June 5th:
We just got home from Freedom late tonght. There are many good stories and we'll post several updates over the coming two or three days. I'll start with three of the biggest story lines from today's race. First is the great success we are starting to have in getting more new stock drivers interested in the sport of mud racing. As you know, we have lowered the cost of racing stock substantially. We are even letting first timers with street trucks race for free to encourage newcomers. Well, at Freedom today we had more stock obstacle trucks than we've had at any race in ten years. TWENTY-SEVEN stock obstacle trucks!!!! Some of those guys are going to get hooked and build modified's and eventually pro-trucks! Second is the fact that all of us at Freedom today got to see one of the most exciting wheel to wheel races I've ever seen. I've been running mud races for almost 35 years and it takes a lot to get me excited. Today I was excited watching Dale Lewis and Jason Forcier run head to head. They are VERY evenly matched! Dale got the hole shot on the front straight on the drag strip, but Jason closed in almost even at the end of the front straight. They went around the first full 180 degree turn side by side almost scraping paint. The crowd went wild. Jason had the inside and took the loop while Dale went straight. The sound of these two powerful trucks running together was awesome. Near the end of the course, the two trucks came together again almost side by side. Dale had put a locker rear axle in his truck after breaking his limited slip last week, and "Fast Lane Fever" was a little squirrely. They swapped leads diving into the final mud hole and Dale came out just ahead going into the final turn to the home stretch! Dale slid sideways around the turn, then suddenly his ouside tires hooked up hard and over he went upside down as Jason and "Sycko Child" went by and finished first! The very large crowd was beside itself! It was one of those times that the air was filled with the excited buzz of hundreds of fans asking, "Do you f--king believe what we just saw?" We did not have our own camera running today, but the Rip 'n Tear racing team may have it on their video. Third story line is our regular stock drivers, Kris Murray and David Woodworth. David has had bad luck for the first several races. NOT today! David Woodworth and "Crock's Rocket" held fastest time of the day for much of the race until the pro trucks began running. Then on his second run, our stock points leader, Kris Murray turned in a run so fast that we assumed there was a mistake and that he had gone off course. And his driving was so smooth that we said, "It couldn't possibly have been that fast." So we announced that he had missed a turn, but his family had the run on tape and was sure that Kris did the course right. Remember, now, all the pro trucks and limited mods had run once by now. This was a second run. Dale Lewis, Jason Forcier, Jed Sorg, Mike Elder, Jeremy Radford, and many more had put in their best attempts. The best time ANYONE had run was a 1:38. Kris Murray in his stock "Tonka Toy" turned a 1:36.03 beating ALL the pro's!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally on a later run several of the pro-trucks did get down to 1:29. Still, it was an incredible run by 16 year old Kris Murray!! The final results in stock? Kris Murray 1st place and David Woodworth 2nd place - - - - - out of 27 stock trucks!!!!! Jason Forcier and "Sycko Child" took the LaFever with fastest time of the day for the second week in a row. If he can do it again at Da Bump on Saturday, he will retire the trophy. Not bad for a guy who had trouble finishing the course just a few weeks ago! The Rip 'n Tear racing team had an exciting day. Jeremy Radford and "Loose Nutz" put his racer up on two wheels on a turn and held it there for almost three seconds as he kept driving looking just like a stunt car driver at the state fair!! We will post some pictures soon. The first will be one I took from the top of the motor home across the crowd and over the pits. Trucks, spectators, and racers as far as you can see! It was a fine and successful race! The Votes: Which brings us to the ballots we collected on several questions from licensed drivers at the first race. Thanks to Karen Petronio for helping Meghan tabulate and verify the votes. Here are the results: On question one, the Drivers Advisory Committee shall be the current top Ten drivers in this year's point standing. On question two, only a driver's best class will count towards Driver of the Year, just like last year. This way, ten different drivers will share the Point Fund money. On question three, the NASCAR model with a dash for the points at the end of the year was rejected, and points will be cumulative and will all count, just like last year. And on question four, a big majority chose option "b" out of three options for the pay-out percentages at the end of the year. Here is the pay-out schedule as voted: b) 1st - 24%; 2nd - 17%; 3rd - 12%; 4th - 10%; 5th - 8%; 6th - 6%; 7th - 6%; 8th - 6%; 9th - 6%; 10th - 5%. Note that if we have $10,000 in the pay-out fund at the end of the season, the Top scoring Obstacle driver would take home $2400, and the second place in the point standing (drags or obstacle) would take home $1700. That's something worth driving for, but we like to think big - let's shoot for a $15,000 point fund and a $3000 pay-out for Driver of the Year!!!! Yeah! Other news: We are still working on the best wording for some of our 2004 rules, but we can now tell you some of the most important changes. 1. Stock will have its own separate high score awards, including a $$cash Stock Driver of the Year award open to the highest scoring stock truck (drags or obstacle). Stock trucks will not be eligible for the over-all Driver of the Year awards. 2. At the suggestion of several drivers, we are considering allowing BOTH your best obstacle class and your best drag class to count for the high score awards. This is still open to discussion, but more of the folks who have talked to us approve of this change than oppose it. 3. The exact formula for disbursing Driver of the Year point fund money has not been set in stone, but it will give a bigger share to the Over-all Driver of the Year Award winner than last year. The formula will reward the highest point earners with progressively larger prizes than those towards the bottom of the top ten. 4. "Stock" will be defined as a chassis running a motor of the same basic configuration and size that was available for that year. The "Smitty Rule" will include the stipulation that motors that may in fact have been stock when they were produced (like Smitty's 6-pack) will NOT be allowed if they were not available in the chassis that is being raced. Serial #'s do not have to match, so you can certainly use replacement junk yard motors, etc in stock. Example: You're running a Chevy 1/2 ton truck chassis. You could put on a Camaro body and still be stock. If you could buy the original truck chassis you are using with a 350" motor, you can use a replacement 350" motor from another year, so long as it does not have higher compression or larger valves than the original motor. If a big block Chevy was NOT available for the chassis in use, you may NOT swap one in. You may swap in another small block of a SMALLER size. 5. At the discretion of any track owner and the Driver's Advisory Committee, the stock class may be split at any race. Stock "A" will include any motors 390" or over and any very high performance Pure Stock trucks (some 2004 factory trucks are available that would smoke anything previously run in stock right out of the show room!) Stock "B" will include all stock trucks running motors smaller than 390". No race is obligated to split the stock class. If it is split, all winners get equal points. 6. Point Scoring System: After much discussion, we have chosen to use the 2003 points system unchanged. We respect the comments from some racers that this system is complicated and hard to understand. But it has evolved over the years to take into consideration numerous special situations. North American offers classes of racing for a wide variety of vehicles in both drags and obstacle. We are quite proud of the fact that the top ten for last year included almost all kinds of racers. Our top two drivers included Dale Lewis who raced in a small pro-obstacle division and Mike Hancock, who raced in a large Limited Mod Drag division. They finished within a few points of each other. The top ten included five obstacle drivers and five drag drivers. A few weeks ago we sponsored a booth at the New York State convention for county fairs. (Picture below) - We did not actually sign up any new races at this convention, but we talked with dozens of important people in the fair management business and made valuable contacts for the future. It's just one more of the things you have to do in the off season to keep a racing circuit in business.
Above: Meghan at the Rochester Fairs Convention in January
Season Championship Results: Points for 2006: Note: We have a shorter season for 2006 and a few small changes in the way we will be tabulating points. You will get a score for showing up, and a score for each of your three runs. That is the same as last year. You will get a fifth score from each race for you "over-all finish". Last year this meant your over-all finish in your class. This year it means your over-all finish against all other racers. This will give a slight advantage to the fastest over-all trucks towards "Driver of the Year", but a Limited Mod Driver who hits all the races will still finish ahead of a fast Pro-Truck that misses a couple of races. You will drop one race from your score at the end of the season so you can miss one. We have not made a final decision on how to deal with a class where only one truck is entered. We think we will deduct some points in that case, instead of having a "class size factor" like we did last year. We'll talk about it at the next race. Following are tentative obstacle standings after one race at Thunder Mountain. They have not yet been put on the computer, but I think they are correct. Licenses to get points tabulated are only $20 this year. 98. Dale Lewis 97. Jeff Donahue 94. Jason Forcier 92. Steve Prince/James Bachman 90. Mike Merrick 85. Howard Blake 84 Roger Swansbrough, jr 80. Joe Vought 73. Tim Roe 72. Anne Woodword 69. Tom Honeycut
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2WD Wheel to Wheel SEASON CHAMPION:
Big Mike Merrick & "Dog Pound" - 160 Final 2003 Point Fund Balance was $10,259.25 ! ! ! ! ! All time record point fund ! ! ! ! 2005 Point Fund: Total in point fund after Chatauqua Fair is $4782.00 2004 Point Fund: North American Mud Racing raises money for a high score Awards season Championship through numerous sources. These include 100% of the money paid in for Competition Licenses, all the proceeds from weekly 50-50% raffles, the $5 per driver weekly point fund donations made with entries, "All American Sponsor" donations, and other sponsorships and special donations. In 2003 we had the above all-time record total! We have good expectations of meeting or even exceeding that total for 2004. For 2004 the fund will be weighted slightly more towards the top awards. This should result in our Driver of the Year winning over $2000 if we have the same kind of donations as last season. Percentages are posted in the "news" section. 2004 Point Fund Accounting: Total in Point Fund as of 9/27/04: $10,143.75Point Fund Accounting:
Dale & Chris with the two LaFever Trophies
2007 Racing Schedule - There is NONE!!!! Not a NAMRA schedule, anyway, with Mr. Mud retiring. But there will be many mud races and dirt races run by others, and we'll be glad to post the dates on this site. Just e-mail us with your info. Click here for a list of contacts for 2007 racing info and dates. Meghan and Mr. Mud will be appearing at two events this year. We'll be having a "retirement party" at the Kane MudFest07 which will be promoted and managed by Tim Howard this year. MudFest07 = May 19th or 20th -Click here for the Dazed and Confused Productions website with more details
We will also be managing the big Monster Truck show at Cattaraugus County Fair on August 3rd Confirm all dates before travel! Mud Hotline 716-655-0853 www.mudhotline.com Most Races start at 1PM, EXCEPT evening events at Fairs = = = = = = = = = = = = = = SIGN-UP 10am-12:30 Other Off Road Racing events (not NAMRA points, but fun!): Following are dates of events not associated with North American Mud Racing, but run by folks we believe put on good, fun events. Call us if you'd like us to list your club or track's events. Race Contacts:Tim Howard aka "Dazed and Confused Productions", will be running the MudFest07 event on May 19th and is involved in several other racing groups, including SCORR. http://www.scorrtrucks.com/ Allegheny Mountain Raceway in Kane - www.amraceway.com Renegade Racing is a group of guys, mostly from Pennsylvania, who are running a series of nine 2007 wheel to wheel races. The contacts for this group are Tim Holt and Chuck Williams, great racers who have run with us many times! Here is their website link: http://www.renegade4wdclub.com/
FREEDOM RACEWAY - - check with Eric before traveling - 716-353-1295.
GROVE GROG - may not be running in 2007 - check with Eric or the Grove Grog team before traveling - 716-353-1295.
Any questions please contact me at 716-353-1295. Thanks - Eric
Good Times 4X4 Club - http://www.goodtimes4x4.com/
FIRST RACE-JUNE 3, 2007
SECOND RACE-AUGUST 5, 2007
Only two races this year as of last news
Western New York Mud Bogging group - the Contact is Tony Gernstl, who we have known for many years. We hope you have a good mud bogging season, Tony! Here is their website link: wnymudbogging
Ron Sears is a long time supporter of mud racing and maintains his own website with useful information and race contacts - Ron Sears
= = = SCORR races - this is a group of drivers who specialize in dry track off road racing. Check out their website, below. All Dates subject to change... Click here to visit the Scorr website for more details
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Scoring System - NAMRA rules from former years We guarantee $1000 to the Driver of the Year, and will pay back to the Top Ten. In each event, a 1st place is worth 20 points; 2nd is 18; 3rd is 17; 4th is 16; 5th is 15. Show up is worth 20 points. In each class you run three times, and get points for each of the three runs, along with "Over-all" points and "show up" points, with 100 being a perfect raw score. This scoring applies to BOTH drags and obstacle, with one over-all set of high score awards. Class size factor: The above raw score will be multiplied by a factor depending on the size of the class. This rewards you for a hard earned win against good competition. Prize Money Payout for 1999 Mud Racing Season: Date: Track: Drag $ Obstacle $ May 2, 1999 Thunder Mt. 680 675 May 9, 1999 Kane,PA 390 470 May 16, 1999 Muddy Acres 525 830 May 23, 1999 Thunder Mt. 490 775 June 5, 1999 Farmersville,NY 165 555 June 6, 1999 Farmersville,NY 205 655 June 13, 1999 Kane, PA 80 340 June 20, 1999 Muddy Acres 715 735 July 18, 1999 Kane,PA 0 130 August 1, 1999 Muddy Acres 660 845 August 12, 1999 Tioga Fair 510 480 August 21, 1999 Erie County Fair,NY 4,200 2000 September 5, 1999 Muddy Acres 540 635 September 12, 1999 Kane, PA 285 570 October 10, 1999 Rumble Valley;Pike,NY 500 680 October 17, 1999 Kane,PA 40 40 Season Championship Awards: $5150 Total 1999 Prize Money = 9,985 drag + $10,415 obstacle Plus Point Fund 5,150 Total Prize Money Paid in 1999 = $25,550 (Point Fund was over $10,000 in both 2003 and 2004) Mud Hotline! 716-655-0853 www.longacres.com