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The Stuckey family hosts lawn mower races. Courtesy photo
Once a month starting in March and going through October, spectators can watch a race that is unique and entertaining. The Texoma Lawn Mower Racing Association is part of a little known racing circuit where spectators can see people of all ages racing flat karts, winged karts, and yes lawn mowers and what is known as a mow rod, a hot rod lawn mower.
Running on a flat dirt track, these racing mowers are not like grandma’s lawn mowers. They are suped up lawn mowers with different power options like twin v-motors and mowers with go-kart engines.
During intermission, one can catch the very exciting kids foot races. Justin and SierraStuckey,togetherwith their friends J.D. Hartman and David Barnard, created this event after they and their children took an interest in go kart racing and lawn mower races at different times.
Once they began the project, they found others that enjoyed small engine racing like they did. Soon, the Stuckey’s small-dirt track was added to a circuit of other flat dirt tracks from Collinsville, Texas to Sulphur Okla.
Alyna,the 10-year-old daughter, and Mavryck, the seven-year-old son of the Stuckeys, have been racing each other in the kids caged go karts for about five years. Alyna said she enjoys it because of the humor and comraderie.
“It is very fun because you get to see everybody come togetherandwatchthemand have fun and joke around, eat some hotdogs and burgers and stuff and it is really fun to enjoy,” Alyna said.
Sierra said it all started when her husband, Justin and his friends, who are all mechanics, decided they wanted to build something to race.
“We have been doing this for about five years now, before covid. It started with me,myhusband,andhisbest friends. They are mechanics and all that stuff that comes with that. They decided to build something to race like a lawn mower. So that is how it got started. They figured out how to do it,” Sierra said. “It’s not super big around here but they do have places in Florida, Texas, Kansas, and Missouri where they have these types of lawn mower races. It’s just not that big in Oklahoma.”
One type of lawn mower being raced for the first time at the opening night of racing was the MowRod.
“The MowRod class is a go kart motor but all the sheet metal and frame work is from a lawn mower. So we are combining the two,” Justin Stuckey explained. “When we first started this was me, J.D., David, and our wives.”
“We do trophies, we have trophies in every class,' Justin continued. 'We used to do prize money and stuff but that brings out the worst of people. We want people to race for fun and not money.”
David Bernard, who along with his 13-year-old son Nikoli Bernard, were the first to run the new class of mowers called the MowRod.
“We had another group of mowers that had the same chassis’ but they run a lot bigger engine and the engine is probably three to four times more to build the engine for it than what it is with these,' Bernard said. 'Everybody that we are friends with has go karts and stuff and it is pretty much the same engine as what is in the go karts. So it is kinda like trying to bridge the gap between race lawn mowers and karts as well.”
The Bernard family drove out to the Madill track from Ardmore and have been active in yard kart racing since 2017, but have found this type of racing fit their schedule better. They started racing in the T.L.M.R.A. in 2020.
Chuck Chamber of C&M Racing in Gainsville, Texas, has been racing go karts and mod lawn mowers for about five years and said racing is a funandexcitingfamilyevent.
“Everybody out here is like family,” he said.
The track for the T.L.M.R.A. is located at 6558 McMillan Road in Madill. The gate opens at 3 p.m., Hot laps at 4 p.m., with heats and races start at 5 p.m.