U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association Finals Labor Day Weekend

Sta-Bil Mower Racing Series

The US Open is coming on Labor Day weekend. No not that one, the final race of the U.S. Open Racing Series, and as I am sure that you all know, this means lawn mower racing at its finest! Actually that weekend will be the close of lawn mower racing season and the STA-BIL Keeps Grass Fresh Finals will also take place.

While I have not watched that much lawn mower racing I became fascinated with it when I read that a racer named Bobby Cleveland managed to get his mower to reach 96 mph on Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. I have had several cars that could not reach that speed.

So next weekend is the biggie for the league with the top race in a 20 year old series, the STA-BIL Keeps Grass Fresh Finals and the finals in the inaugural season of the U.S. Open series both taking place at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio.

For fans of the TV show “Home Improvement” the 150 horsepower Dixie Chopper Jet Mower, built on the show and which once mowed a football field in 14.2 minutes will be on display as will the 104+ Octane Boost mower that holds the world land speed record for mowers, shown in the video above.

There are five basic classes of mowers (seven overall I believe) allowed, although they all share some characteristics. They must all have been sold commercially, have the grass cutting blades removed and have working brakes and a kill switch.

The classes start with the stock class, fresh off the factory floor. Then there is the JP Class for kids from ages 10-15. The IMOW (International Mower of Weeds) class is a highly regulated front engine grouping followed by the Prepared Class that allows modified drive trains, engines and other parts. The final class is the FX Class that allows major modifications.

I should note that there is more than one lawn mower racing league and here we are just talking about the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association and not the American Racing Mower Association or any other organization. The races will be broadcast on Fox, although I have not yet found the time, so it could be tape delayed.

If you are interested there are even mobile apps to play as if you are a driver with Lawn Mower Madness at the Apple App Store. I wonder if this invention is the next racing platform, or is it just a fad?