Published: April 28, 2008 10:57 am            

Glory of the lawn

Racers unite for the Bluegrass Nationals

By Samantha Swindler / Managing Editor

Rodney Peeler is use to skeptics when he explains his past time, but he takes it in stride.

“Honestly, they laugh,” he said. “...until they see what you can do.”

Peeler is president and founder of the East Tennessee Chapter of the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association, which now has 32 members.

Many of those members also laughed when they first heard about lawnmower racing.

But it only takes one lap around the course to see these racers are dead serious about their sport.

Peeler was one of about 40 racers from 12 states who came to Barbourville this weekend for the second annual Bluegrass Nationals. Barbourville’s is the only USLMRA sanctioned race in the commonwealth, but only one racer came from Kentucky. Many came from the East Tennessee Chapter.

Peeler’s been interested in lawnmower racing ever since he saw an exhibition race in his hometown about five years ago. Last year, Peeler said he traveled 4,200 miles to mower races.

He said he likes the sport because it’s a family oriented sport. His father, 10-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son also race.

It’s also relatively cheap, and it’s something anyone can do.

“Everybody’s got a lawnmower,” he said.

The USLMRA was formed on April Fool’s Day 1992 as part of a promotion for STA-BIL fuel stabilier. Since then, the “grass-roots” sport of lawnmower racing has gained national attention, with races featured on the Speed Channel and ESPN. In 2007, Xbox even released the video game “Lawnmower Racing Mania.”

“I can think of no better way to spend an afternoon than joining a few dozen friends to race a riding lawn mower at 60 mph,” said USLMRA president Bruce Kaufman in a 2003 interview.  “Lawn mower racing embodies the core values of all that is American: family, ingenuity, too much free time and the warm spirit of camaraderie that makes this country great.”

Kevin Penne of Lake Villa, Ill., was a formula Indy car racer before he got into lawnmowers 15 years ago. He also drag races snowmobiles (yes, that is also a sport) but when it comes to racing mowers, he said, “There’s nothing like it.

“I relate it to ‘Robot Wars,’ except we get to ride ours,” Penne said. “It’s like your little invention... To me, it’s neat to come out and see people’s ideas.”

Lawnmower racing may not be the fastest track sport nor the most popular — but it probably requires the most ingenuity. Most racers are also their own mechanics and design their own mowers to be on the “cutting edge” of racing technology. Restrictions on the body of the mower vary within each racing class, but for safety reasons, all mower blades are removed.

There are no monetary prizes associated with the races either. The racers — who range in profession from mechanics to doctors — do it purely for “the glory of the lawn.”

Barbourville’s Bluegrass Nationals drew roughly 500 spectators each day over the weekend, even though light showers postponed some of Sunday’s races.

“I was pleased that the weather stayed the way it has, especially for the racers,” said Barbourville Mayor David Thompson.

After last year’s inaugural event, in which Thompson raced the Barbourville police chief on a ride around the course, some got the impression that Thompson was a regular mower.

“People think that I race,” he said. “I don’t race. I did this for tourism and for the city and county.”

The city and Knox County teamed up to host the event, along with the support of local businesses. Thompson said he’s already witnessed the impact on the area economy — racers have been eating and buying mower parts in local stores, and about half the racers stayed in Corbin hotels.

        

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