Fairgoers crowded the grandstand on Thursday, July 22 and plugged their ears to watch a brand-new event for West Liberty.
New to the fair this year, mud drag truck racing took place on the front straight-away of the racetrack. Although not a new activity, it is new for the Muscatine County Fair.
Kyle Shambaugh brought mud drag racing from Cordova, Illinois to put on the event after the approval from the fair board.
“We wanted to see how people would react to it,” Shambaugh said. “We hope to continue to do the show.”
Mud drag racing takes place on a muddied strip of racetrack marked off by cones. Laser timers are set up at the start and finish. After a driver is lined up to the laser, they get two passes to drive as fast as their vehicles will let them 175 feet to the finish.
“We’re excited to try something new,” past fair board president Tom “Dog” Christensen said. “This is the first time I’ve seen races like this.”
There are six classes of trucks that can be entered into the races starting from the basic stock class to the open class. As the classes go up, so do the modifications. These include bigger tires, open engines, and use of nitrous. The trucks range from 200 to 2400 horsepower. Board of
Supervisors’ member Doug Holliday was impressed with Thursday night’s turnout.
“It was a good crowd for a Thursday night, which is usually slow,” Holliday said. “I think the people really enjoy good entertainment.”
Shambaugh hopes the new event will reach a younger audience like it did with him.
“It’s nice to get the mud racing environment growing in a new place and have people interested in it,” Shambaugh said. “If it inspires people to give it a try, that’s great.”
Shambaugh, who raced on Thursday, has planned mud drag truck racing in Cordova for the past 4-5 years. He started racing in high school with his dad and uncle.