Lawnmower racing debuts at Still Waters Farm
By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
Previous coverage
* June 14 – Lawnmower racing suspended indefinitely
* June 17 – ‘Misunderstanding’ led to suspension
* July 20 – Lawnmower racing set to return to Ellerbe
** Photo gallery – more than 800 pictures from Saturday night
MARSTON — If Still Waters Farm owner Jeff Moss had his way, no one would even mention the Ellerbe Lions Club while watching or racing lawnmowers at Still Waters Farm.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Saturday night was the debut of the Still Waters Mow Down Series of lawnmower racing in Marston.
That’s not because the topic isn’t worthy of conversation, but there’s just so much to keep track of — kids’ classes, adult classes, juniors in Power Wheels that “race” at about 5 mph and even a footrace — that no one should have the time to bring the subject up. Indeed, Saturday was a solid debut of lawnmower tracing in the Still Waters Mow Down Series at the farm, located approximately 1 mile north of Rockingham Dragway on U.S. Route 1.
Of course, it lawnmower racing hadn’t been suspended on June 14 at the Ellerbe Lions Club Speedway, the need for racing in Marston might never have come about. As it is, Moss said, Richmond County race fans can now have the best of both worlds. Both locations currently host lawnmower races and Moss and track manager Kermit Perkins worked to ensure race dates in Marston didn’t conflict with those in Ellerbe.
“Everybody’s welcome,” Moss said minutes before the first heat of kids’ races opened up the inaugural season of a four-race schedule.
Future race dates are set for Sept. 13, Oct. 11 and Nov. 8. Gates open at 2 p.m, with competitors being able to run practice laps until 5 p.m. There’s a racers’ meeting at 5:30 p.m. and the competition begins at 6 p.m. each night.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Young fans get close to the track as the watch competitors enter from the far side.
Comparisons to Ellerbe’s track were inevitable, even if the conversation was neutral. Racing aficionado William English, of Rockingham, is a track nut. He can the pros and cons of either location in the blink of an eye. He said the lawnmowers will be able to run much faster in Marston, calling the track “a super speedway” of sorts because it’s symmetrically shaped versus the asymmetrically shaped track in Ellerbe.
“There’s no reason for any lawnmower to touch any other mower” during a race, said English, who gave the Marston location two thumbs up.
Moss, meanwhile, focused on the fact that it’s only the first night of racing. He noted that the track, originally intended for go-kart racing, didn’t have bleachers set up for fans. The track is actually dipped and the perimeter works well for tailgating, but for only a limited number of spectators, Moss said. At some point, he envisions a set of bleachers along the backstretch to accommodate the larger turnout for lawnmower racing.
As for the intimate crowd on hand for Saturday, Moss was satisfied with that, too. He said he facilitated a quiet opening in order to focus on track conditions in Marston and not get caught up in issues related racing at Ellerbe. The two tracks are independent of each other.
As for racing in Ellerbe, now under the supervision of Rex Crouch Jr., Moss said he reached out to Crouch and encouraged him to try it out. Other than that, Ellerbe isn’t Moss’ focus right now. Marston is.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
The dust flew on Turn One early Saturday night in the Mow Down Series at Still Waters Farm.
“Maybe they can get both places going,” Moss said.
