1. September 2014 out&about Page 3September 2014 outout&&about&&about&& Page 3
BY JULIA BUSH
T
he engine revs and
tires spin, flinging
mud in every direc-
tion, but the truck isn’t go-
ing anywhere.
A long two seconds pass.
Mud splatters the side
mirrors, windshield and ev-
ery inch of the body of driver
Craig Hamilton’s truck, the
“Dirty Dawg.”
The Dirty Dawg remains
obstinate. It barely made
it a few dozen feet into the
mud pit.
After five motionless sec-
onds, the moderator waves
a red flag and Hamilton’s
run is over. A cable attached
to the back of the truck
drags his vehicle out
of the gloop.
The Mid-Coast
Mud Runs have be-
gun.
The event, which takes
place just off Bucksport
Road in Ellsworth every
couple of weekends, is a
showing of the finest mud-
mobiles in the area. Drivers
plunge their chosen vehicles
(one driver raced a souped-
up Jeep with an American
flag sprouting from its top)
straight into a long pit of
mud — on purpose.
The trophy goes to the
first driver to make it to
the end of the pit. If no one
manages to inch
through the mud
all the way to the
end, the driver
who covers the
longest distance in 60 sec-
onds is crowned champion.
Hamilton won’t achieve
champion status with his
first run of the day, but he
has about eight more hours
to make up for it. The driver
always enters his truck into
several different “classes,”
or categories, throughout
the day. He splits the Dirty
Dawg with his
cousin, Steve Rowley, who
also drives the truck at con-
tests.
“We usually get four tro-
phies between the two of us
every time,” Hamilton said.
Before the runs start, all
the drivers gather near the
announcer’s stand to hear
the rules and sign forms.
“Everybody who’s driv-
ing needs a dot on their left
hand,” the announcer said.
“Don’t have a left hand? You
can put it on your right.”
The cousins then line up
to draw numbers. It’s best
to get a later number be-
cause then the mud is bro-
ken in, they said. Out of four
competitors, Rowley draws
number one and Hamilton
number three. Row-
ley has a reputation
of drawing an early
spot.
For about four years,
Hamilton and Rowley
have been racing the
Dirty Dawg. On race
days, the whole
family heads out
to the mud pits to
support the two
drivers.
One Sunday,
Hamilton’s dad,
wife, aunt,
niece, nephew
and other fam-
ily members
cheer on Row-
ley, Hamilton
and the Dirty
Dawg from the
sidelines. The
whole group
All Kinds of
Vehicles Get
Down and Dirty
OUT & ABOUT PHOTOS BY JULIA BUSH
Above, at the Mid-Coast Mud Runs, drivers test their skills plowing various mud-mobiles
through a long trough of muck.
Below, mud splatters the windows as driver Steve Rowley plunges into the mud pit in the
first race of the morning.
Driver Steve Rowley used different tires to drive“Dirty Dawg”in
different competition classes.
AstheMudFliesAstheMudFlies
pulled up to the races by 8
a.m. to get a good spot.
“We’re here for every
single one of them,” Hamil-
ton said.
When it’s not a race
week, the cousins spend
time maintaining the truck
and fine-tuning its features.
When a run goes wrong, the
truck can take a beating.
“I know somebody who
rolled over last year,” Row-
ley said.
He pointed to Hamilton
playfully.
The two had to put a
whole new body on the
truck after that incident.
“It’s an expensive
hobby,” said Melissa Mi-
chaud, Rowley’s mother.
The driving duo spends
about $200 to $400 just on
entrance and registration
fees every couple weeks,
according to Rowley. Near-
constant maintenance also
racks up the bills.
“Every week we’re doing
something,” Hamilton said.
“We just keep trying to get
better and better.”
Winners get part of the
pot back, but for Hamilton
and Rowley, the win is all
about bragging rights and a
trophy.
“I keep mine right on the
stand so when people walk
in the door, they can see
them,” Rowley said.
What: Mid-Coast Mud
Runs
Where: Bucksport Road,
Ellsworth
When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Sept. 7, Sept. 21
and Oct. 5.
How much: $10 per person 13
and older, $5 for
ages 5 to 10, and
free for children
under 5.
SeeMap:
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