Mud bogging
Encyclopedia
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
popular in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in which the goal is to drive a vehicle through a pit of mud
Mud
Mud is a mixture of water and some combination of soil, silt, and clay. Ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone . When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries the resultant layers are termed bay muds...
of a set length. Winners are determined by the distance traveled through the pit or, if several vehicles are able to travel the entire length, the time taken to traverse the pit. Typically, vehicles competing in mud bogs are four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
s. The motor sport is overseen by sanctioning bodies like the American Mud Racing Association, and the National Mud Racing Organization (NMRO), that oversee each class, develop and maintain the relationship with track owners to provide a racer and fan-friendly facility, ensure the sponsors get a good return, and help govern the sport.
Vehicles
A modern top level Class V or VI mud racer is a dragsterDragster
Dragster may refer to*Dragster, a rock band of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era.*Dragster, a video game released in 1980.*Dragster, a term referring to a custom-built vehicle used in drag racing....
-style "rail" design, with a supercharged
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
engine and/or nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
injection. Engines may be in the front or the rear. Vehicles are required to have four wheel drive. The sole difference between Classes V and VI is the tire type. Class V racers have D.O.T.
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
street legal tires which are modified by cutting off chunks of rubber to achieve an optimum shape for traction. Class VI vehicles have paddle tires
Paddle tires
Paddle tires are mainly used on off road vehicles, specifically designed for use in sand and mud. They consist of a smooth tire core which has a series of large rubber cups attached to it. The volume inside of a paddle is much larger than the void of a knobby tire, so it is unlikely to clog up...
, similar to sand rails.
Early mud boggers were pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
s or sport utility vehicle
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
s modified with lifted suspensions
Suspension lift
A suspension lift is a modification, often done by Jeep, truck, SUV and offroad enthusiasts to raise the ride height of their vehicle. Suspension lifts enable steeper approach, departure, and breakover angles, higher ground clearance, and helps accommodate larger wheels and tires...
and larger tires, and classes exist for such vehicles today. Engine upgrades were also common. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, large tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
tires became popular, and the drive lines required to run such tires led to some of the first purpose-built mud bogging machines. By the late 1980s, many sanctioning bodies began giving precedence to vehicles with modified, and lower, dragster
Dragster
Dragster may refer to*Dragster, a rock band of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era.*Dragster, a video game released in 1980.*Dragster, a term referring to a custom-built vehicle used in drag racing....
-type "rail designs", as they had increased in popularity. At the same time, superchargers first became widely used, leading to the modern top-level racer.
In the late 70's and most 80's mud bog events, there was generally a class that was for running tractor tired trucks. Trucks like the Arizona Outlaw, Goldbricker, Six Pack, Arizona Sidewinder, Instant Motion, Mud Lord, Mud Pup, Wild Thing, Nasty Habits, Unnamed & Untammed, and the legendary Cyclops were frequent competitors. Some of these trucks would later be modified to be Monster Trucks.
There are many types of mud bogs, from Hill and Hole, Flat or Progressive Track, to Open Bog. They come in many shapes and sizes from 150 feet (45.7 m) to over 300 feet (91.4 m). Hill and Hole is just as it sounds, usually 60 feet (18.3 m) wide 200 feet (61 m) long, a series of hills and holes, and is challenging to each truck. All NMRO tracks are Flat or Progressive tracks, more like a drag strip, or sand drag. Open bogs come from Florida and are mostly natural. These tracks have little organization.
Hill and Hole classes range from 4 and 6 Cylinder, Street Stock, Hot Street, Renegade, Super Street, Small Tire Modified 36" and below, Big Tire Modified 37" and bigger tire, Unlimited, X Class, and More. There are many class usually set but the tire size, and engine.
Most Unlimited and X classes are run with what you want in the safety rules. These trucks have big power engines, built just for that class and are not limited to what can be added to the truck. The truck must pass all safety rules and be safe to put in a show and not hurt the crowd.
National Mud Racing Organization is currently one of the only major professional championship series left. Their rulebook is the general basis for most other mud racing competitions.
Checkered Flag Productions claims to be the best indoor series currently running.
USA Motorsports and USHRA ran professional mud racing series, both referred to as the Indoor Series, for many years until it was phased out of events around 1995. They would occasionally have mud bogs as part of later events, but not on the same scale as before.
Classes
Current American National Mud Racing Organization (NMRO) recognized classes are listed below.| Class | Vehicle | Engine | Tire |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA and IB | Stock | Stock, but allowed to have mild mods such as headers | D.O.T. legal |
| II | Modified Stock | Mild modifications, but nothing severe | D.O.T. legal |
| III | Pro Stock | Factory production automotive type engine, mods permitted | D.O.T. legal, no cut tires |
| IV | Pro Modified | Factory production automotive type engine, naturally aspirated only, no turbo or supercharger, nitrous oxide allowed | D.O.T. legal, cut tires permitted |
| V | Unlimited/Cut Tires | Any automotive type engine, mods permitted, turbocharged and supercharged permitted, nitrous oxide allowed | D.O.T., any cut design |
| VI | Unlimited/Paddle Tires | Any automotive type engine, mods permitted, turbocharged and supercharged permitted, nitrous oxide allowed | Paddle or Scoop |
Rules
There are different rules for different classes although some rules are consistent across the different classes.Television
In March 2007, Mud Truck Television was created with the specific purpose of providing media coverage for the sport. The show airs nationwide on a weekly basis on the Untamed Sports TV Network and several cable networks across the Mid-West. The show is hosted by Brian and Lisa Austin and is filmed and produced in Arkansas. Mud Truck TV features races and events across the United States and is considered a valuable tool in providing exposure and promotion for the sport. There are many more classes for mud bogging.In 2008 a new mud racing sanctioning body was formed to crown a national champion. In 2009, The Mud Racers Association (MRA) held a national points series with races across the country in the following states: Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The points classes were as follows Pro-Stock DOT Tires, Modified Cut Tires, and Open Paddle Tires. Mike Lane (Attitude) of Botkins, Ohio was the Open Class National Champion and also set the new MRA National and World Record (MRA, NMRO, & PROBADD) for 200' with a time of 2.110 seconds at the Kansas Badlands on Saturday August 22, 2009. Randy Roberts (Unpredictable) of Richton, Mississippi was the Modified Class National Champion and he set the new MRA National and World Record (MRA, NMRO) for 200' with a time of 2.484 seconds at the Kansas Badlands on Saturday August 22, 2009. Chad Wren (Dirty Sanchez) of Christmas, Florida was the Pro Stock Class National Champion. The MRA maintains national records for all of its classes from street stock to open in both mud bog and fast track races.
Mississippi
The Mississippi Off Road Race Park, a 30 acre race complex located 12 miles north of Natchez, MississippiNatchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
is the home of outlaw mud racing and mud drags. Sanctioned by the Southwest Mississippi Mud Racing Association, the park draws crowds from all over Mississippi and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.