Weiser Mud Drag Races set for Saturday, October 1

If you enjoy the sound of big motors and the sight of customized trucks peeling through mud, you don’t want to miss the 18th annual Weiser Mud Drag Races to be held at Mortimer’s Island.

 This year’s event, made possible by the Weiser Mud Drag Committee and the Weiser Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 1 and will be a SIMRA (Southern Idaho Mud Racing Association) points race.

 “This is a well-organized, well-run event and every year we have people telling us that this is the best race in the northwest,” said organizer Laurel Adams, who is in her 13th year heading up the event.

 Driver gates open at 6 a.m., with spectator gates opening at 9 a.m. A driver meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., with races kicking off at 11 a.m. Admission is $10 and kids ages six and under are free. Pit passes are $20. 

 No outside coolers are allowed, but feel free to bring your lawn chairs, bug spray, and sunscreen.

 There will be food vendors on site, including The Moose Knuckle, serving breakfast; Idaho Prep Co., serving beef jerky and BBQ rub; Up Street Food and Catering, serving up hot dogs and Fritos pie; Tacos Papirringo Lozanois, serving tacos; and BB’s Cruisin’ Coffee, serving up coffee and waffles, according to the Weiser Mud Drags 2022 Facebook page.

 This year, spectators can enter a raffle, for $5, for the chance to have a ride down the track. The winner must be 18 or older or 16 and older with adult permission.

 As always, there will be the Kids Dash for Cash and the Adult Dirty Dash.

 Classes and associated entry fees are as follows:

 Street Legal, $25; Mud Mod, $50; Powder Puff, $50; Powder Puff Pro, $50; Pro Mud, $50; Pro Stock, $50; ATV-UTV, $25; Diesel $25; and High School $25.

 All entry fees will go back to class winners, with SIMRA adding a projected $2,700 to the pot, according to Adams.

 Vendor and gate fees will benefit Weiser’s annual Fourth of July and Christmas fireworks displays. People will also have the opportunity to contribute to the Ian Harrison fund.

 “He is a young man with a family who was recently diagnosed with ALS,” Adams explained. “They are a well-respected, cared-about family and we want to do something for them,” Adams said.

 Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles.

 Last year’s event was the first following COVID and brought in about 250 spectators. Adams said she expects more this year.

 “I think what makes this unique is the fact that it is a mud race, not a mud bog,” she added. “We deliberately keep our track low and fast, so we aren’t waiting for trucks to be pulled out. It gets boggy and messy toward the end of the day, but that’s to be expected.”

 Adams said the event has become highly anticipated.

 “I think people just like to have something to do on a beautiful Saturday in October and I think this fits the bill for families, and it’s a great ‘date’ day,” she said. “It’s just fun and we have all ages that come to enjoy it. We are super excited.”

 For more information or to pre-register, visit the Weiser Mud Drags 2022 Facebook page.