Don't take offense to the term 'redneck'. I believe there's a little bit of redneck in all of us. The term ‘redneck’ used to bring up negative connotations of an unlearned big-bellied, crack showing, don't' give a darn about anybody else individual… this includes men & women. But the redneck term has evolved into a hard working, independent type who honors God, family & country. They love to laugh and don't mind laughing at you or themselves. They still love good friends, good food, cold beer, barbeques, hunting, fishing and above all the great sport of auto racing. It doesn't matter what kind as long as it has a motor and goes fast, they love it.

Everyone likes to play in there own back yard. If you live out west, you play in rocks & dirt. Southern kids love to play in the mud and some never out grow it. Racing through the mud just comes natural. The boys and girls down south in the 'northern' part of Louisiana (the Cajuns say if you're from above Baton Rouge, you're a northerner), south Arkansas, west Mississippi, east Texas & those Alabama boys love to get down right nasty in the sloppy, sticky, oozy-goozy mud they call 'Gumbo'.

Just like there are different flavors of gumbo from various cooks, there are various flavors or mixes of gumbo mud. Through different types of terrain, it drains down to make a mixture of sand, clay, topsoil & water. Good ole' swamp water muddles the substances together so that the parts are more or less an indistinguishable blend of black, gray or red mush. This oatmeal like substance is stickier than the breakfast cereal and it is surprising how many motor sports fans have grown to like the taste of this stuff. It's hard in spots & squishy in others. Gumbo gets into everything and is less forgiving than your ex-wife, but they just can't seem to get enough.

Back in the late '70's & early '80's, mud racing was growing strong along with a lot of other motor sports. I don't know if it was the economy or egos that killed the sport during the mid-80s, but organized mud racing went away in north Louisiana. The regional sanctioning bodies dissolved and neglected race trucks grew weeds around them. You know how us gear heads think, ‘I'm not going to sell it now… some day I'm going to fix it back up’. Well about three years ago, a new generation of racers began to hit their late twenties & early thirties and asked the question, 'What ever happened to the mud racing we use to go to as kids?'

Some ambitious local farmers decided to build a racetrack and hold a 'run whatcha brung' mud race. The sport started all over again with the locals bringing out their 4x4 work trucks, old farm trucks, hunting trucks, daily drivers and wannabe heroes. This got others in the area excited about the process & the humble beginning has grown into large sport all over again. It wasn't easy and it took an organizing body of race teams, promoters, volunteers & spectators with a true passion for the sport to escalate the surge that we see today. Now there are second & third generations of racers competing. Father & son teams, grandfathers & grand children are all enjoying the sport.

But these aren't your normal 'mud bog'. This is side-by-side heads-up racing around a horseshoe shape track (1/2 an oval). The vehicles are put into classes and then pair off. A good start is critical as it is in any race. They stage up for a 'drag race' to the large water hole & first curve about 300 feet away. The first one to the hole has an inside advantage to the curve. The impact of going upwards of 80 MPH, then hitting 1-2 feet of water creates the ultimate hydroplaning effect. When the water sprays under & around the vehicle, spouting some 20-30 feet into the air, you can feel the pressure of the impact.

The force of the water explodes into every open crevasse of the vehicle… the floorboard, around the doors & windows, through the front, in the engine compartment, through the firewall and some places you never thought of seeing. It feels like you have no control and are skating on top of the water. Until the truck settles to the bottom, you can't make the turn. Then they continue along a swooping turn to the left that leads to the straight away to the finish line.

Louisiana Mud Racing is an extreme sport with measurable boundaries. If it's an organized race with winners & losers, there has to be those that set & enforce the rules of the game. A sanction body was created to govern the racers, promoters & enthusiasts who enjoy the sport. This is where the A.M.R.A. was born. It stands for American Mud Racing Association.

Over the past three years, the evolution of this Louisiana based, non-profit corporation has stepped up to form a board of trustees who help maintain an exciting, well-organized event with safe, structured rules for all classes of racers. There are currently 5 different vehicle classifications - Stock, Stock II, Super Stock, Modified, & Super Modified.

While all classes have to have safety requirements like a roll cage, seat harnesses, fire extinguishers, etc., the classes are divided by certain restrictions. Engine size, carburetor size, radiator placement, header routing - up, down, through mufflers, camshaft size, tire size - D.O.T. Approved or tractor style, suspension, etc. Street Stock is just what it sounds. It's your daily driver with a great deal of factory pieces in place - interior & exterior, engine, frame, suspension, etc. Super Stock is a faster class because some of the stock parts can be replaced - cams, roller rocker arms, stall converters added, etc., but the Street Stock body & frame rules still apply.

Modified is faster still. You can do larger engine swaps and run any cam, any intake, any ignition system, open headers, stall converters, transmission brakes and manual valve bodies. OEM style suspension type & location must be maintained, but suspension lift kits are allowed. You can run larger tires, but they still have to be D.O.T. approved & no cutting or grooving is allowed. The body & frame is still OEM, but there are modifications that can be made to some of the interior & body panels.

With big blocks churning out 875 to upwards of 1,100 horsepower, Super Modified is the big bad boy class for the Hi-TECK Redneck. The Hi-TECK Redneck has all the ingredients of the average redneck, plus an added ingenuity to make the best of what you have to overcome any situation. Any size engine is allowed with no limit on internal modifications, but engine must remain in front of driver. And you can only have one engine per vehicle. The vehicle must have an OEM cab & front cap, but body modifications are allowed. The bed can be modified to any extent, but no open rear tires… it has to have some type of rear fender system. Any type of suspension is allowed in this class - leaf spring, coil-over, 4-link whatever you can safely dream up with to compete.

In mud racing, there are many times you can't see for all the mud & water. This need to see has created some very ingenious 'windshield washer' irrigation pumping systems. The need to keep the engine & tranny temperature in range has lead to many 'cool' ideas. And all of these have utilized the use of an Igloo ice chest.

There are numerous tricks used to help 'water-proof' the vehicle from drowning out too. But the standard rule is 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Some reroute the air duct back into the cab. Some build special skid plates from heavy canvas, rubber, aluminum or even sheets of poly-plastic. The spray expandable foam is also use in the cracks and duct tape is an essential sealing tool used by all.

Good sportsmanship is essential to any sport. They never said mud racing was a 'clean' sport, but the A.M.R.A. officials do their best to ensure that the bumping & grinding is not intentional. After all, it's really all in fun. And the fun the family has in this motor sport is evident in all aspects. From the A.M.R.A. officials, the 50-75 race teams, the team's cheering section of friends & families plus additional on-lookers, the crowds vary between 1,500-3,500 every event.

Skyjacker® Suspensions is the main title sponsor of the A.M.R.A. series. After all, it’s a perfect fit. This southern based company really got its start from hunting, fishing and ‘mud diggin’ in the swamps, back waters and back roads of Louisiana anyway. The CEO & President of Skyjacker Lonnie McCurry, Sr. is still running the mud racing circuit and keeps his hands in all the action by still getting out to play with some of his long time buddies. These ‘grandfathers’ of off-road racing were the originators of organized mud racing during the late 70s and early 80s. With Skyjacker being involved, you can rest assured that this is a top-notch motor sports venue.

With vehicle names like Tigger, M&M, Raminator, Eeyore, Tha Doodle, Elmo, and Hulk barreling down the track, you can see that the children play a big part in this family oriented sport. Or it just may be the driver's second childhood coming into play. You can also see the crossover ties from the racer's occupations in such names as: Hammer Time (a house contractor), Fly It On (a crop duster). The added flare of fun and personal character becomes apparent when you see names like: Five O'clock Somewhere, A Little 2 Twisted, Show Me The Money, Not Quite Right, Pure Insanity, Long Haired Country Boy, Wild Child, Minimum Wage, Hillbilly Express, Triple XXX, Outlaw, Playing For Keeps, MacDaddy and 2 Nuts Racing.

It is all in fun, but you can get paid. The A.M.R.A. guarantees $5,500 & trophies per race split between the Top 3 finishers of each class. The Top 3 'Points Winners for the Season' in each class receive monies & trophies. Besides the payout per race, the A.M.R.A. will pay out over $15,000 in monies & trophies to the Top 3 Points Winners during their Annual Awards Banquet in 2005.

Bring the whole family out, watch the show or you could build one to run yourself. The first A.M.R.A. race of the season was March 13th and they continue every 3 weeks until October 23rd. It is by far the most extreme, most entertaining mud slinging event you've never experienced. The fast paced action, roar of headers, smell of race fuel & barbeque… it's a A.M.R.A. Sunday of racing. We need more Hi-TECK Rednecks.

For more information about the Louisiana A.M.R.A. the rules & regulation and race dates, go to www.IRACEMUD.com