Jones defends North Ridge Summer Fair Lawn Tractor Championship

(Photo caption: Dave "Nascar" Jones sits on his championship-winning John Deere Lawn Tractor after beating Brad "Feelin' Good" Fuller, Mike "Fishy" Frutsche, Chris "Tom" Morrow, and the Masked Wiffleball Man.)


It was a new course and a new format. But for veteran lawn tractor racer Dave Jones, it was the same result: a championship.

But, the championship didn't come without some anxious moments for Jones, who many thought was out of contention for the championship from the start.

With the new format, a staggered start was used to make the finish more exciting. More specifically, the new format was designed to give Dave "Engelberg" Orr's Snapper a fighting chance. The result was an exciting finish.

However, Engelberg opted to use a replacement driver for his Snapper. Filling in for Engelberg was the Masked Wiffleball Man.

"This was part of our strategy," Engelberg said. "The Masked Wiffleball Man, who doesn't understand English, appears to be more streamline and creates less drag as he races. The only problem was that he couldn't figure out how to use a clutch and a brake."

The Engelberg Snapper started first. Then 90 seconds later the other competitors started.

"I was nevered worried about the new format," said Jones. "I'm a professional lawn tractor racer and had total confidence during the race."

But fans lining the course weren't too sure. Jones got off to a slow start and appeared out of contention as the second wave of drivers rounded the first corner as Chris "Tom" Morrow, Brad "Feelin' Good" Fuller, and Mike "Fishy" Frutsche pressed for the lead.

About halfway through the race, Jones decided to take control of the second wave and make a push to catch the Masked Wiffleball Man on the Engelberg Snapper.

"It was part of my race strategy," he said. "I figured I'd hang in the back and conserve energy. Meanwhile, my competition would think that I was toast. But then I'd shift it into 5th, blow past them, and crush their hopes."

And, that's exactly what Jones did.

Jones quickly caught Fishy and Feelin' Good when he started to execute his plan. Morrow was a different story, but with two turns left to go, Jones caught him too. Now it was an all-out sprint to catch the Masked Wiffleball Man. And, with about 20 yards to go, Jones rushed past the Snapper to take home yet another North Ridge Summer Fair Lawn Tractor Championship.

George "Tic Toc" Teague, who was the official timer, clocked Jones with an overall time of 5:20 including the 90 second lead for the Snapper. The Masked Wiffleball Man came in at 5:26.

Morrow was the next to cross the finish line, taking home 3rd in 5:30. Fishy was next in with a 5:44, while Feelin' Good rounded out the race with a 5:47.

One fan watching the race said, "Nascar Jones just toyed with them. You can see a difference between the pros and the amateurs."

2007 Results

Dave "Nascar" Jones, 5:20

The Masked Wiffleball Man, 5:26

Chris "Tom" Morrow, 5:30

Mike "Fishy" Frutsche, 5:44

Brad "Feelin' Good" Fuller, 5:47

Hall of Champions

2005: Chris "Tom" Morrow

2006: Dave "Nascar" Jones

2007: Dave "Nascar" Jones



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