“I am excited about building a new lawn mower racing and go-kart track,” said Darrell Gilstrap of Joplin, Missouri. “This area is a hotbed for motorsports and we anticipate great success here at our new track in Joplin.
“My son and I both have extensive experience in karting, WKF, stock cars including modifieds and late models and we love racing. I also have NHRA drag racing experience up to 160mph. I have 30 plus years of experience building race cars or all types including at the pro level.”
The Jo-Mow Lawn Mower Racing Association plans to follow USLMRA rules and is in the process of creating a rulebook. Darrell also indicates that all mowers will be welcome of various rules and builds.
Darrell has built a 1/12th mile oval with clay track surface, which sits on three acres of parking and pit area. He also has a shop on site for mower and kart repairs right on the spot.
“I have completed grading the track and infield and the final design ended up being a 1/12 mile oval measured in the center of the groove,” Darrell added. “The straights are 30 ft. wide and 40 in the corners. I had originally thought about longer straights but after running hot laps on it I have decided to keep it shorter and wider to keep top speeds at a safer level. The infield will be grass and clear of obstacles no bales or tires. The outside will consist of a row of straw bales then a 10ft wide soft cushion of mulch and then a row of tires. The method of constructing the tire wall will be stacking 3 tires on top of each other and bolting them together in the side walls so that when they get hit they will be free to slide much like a bale would to absorb energy without the possibility of launching over them like could happen with looses singles or stacks.
“After talking with several racers in the area it looks like I will schedule races every two weeks starting as soon as possible. There has been a lot of interest from the locals both as track sponsors and potential new racers. I’ve also put together a good group of people that will be helping with track operations.
“If you think you would be interested in racing here, free to contact me so I can get your contact info for a mailing list so I can send schedules and invitations out when I get to that point.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Larry Benning (Teddy Bear), Jon Lewman (Rooster) and Ron for stopping by and Bruce Kaufman at USLMRA for all the help and input.
Location & Contact Information
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Thanks, Darrell and welcome to the Lawn Mower Racing Family!
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