I'm not from around here, and I went to my first mud race on Friday night. It was completely unlike anything I expected to see.

I just moved to Nacogdoches from New York City about three weeks ago to start working here at the radio station, so I didn't even know what a mud race was until I got to the Nacogdoches Expo Center Fairgrounds on Friday.

The Great Texas Mud Race
Martin Grossinger/KICKS 105
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I'll tell you the truth, I expected to see some lifted trucks climbing hills and driving through some mud. I had no idea I was about to get my ears blown apart by custom-built, 3,000 horsepower, blown alcohol dragsters getting down the fast track in under two seconds. My mind got blown so far out of my head I had to go find it in the woods at the end of the night.

I've been to a lot of sports car races in my time, and I thought they got loud. I've been to a lot of rock and roll shows in my time, and I thought they got loud too. Neither was anything close to how loud those dragsters were.

The Great Texas Mud Race
Martin Grossinger/Kicks 105
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The fast track was cool, but the whole time I was waiting to see what would happen when the trucks hit the mud bog next to it. When they finally got over there, it got dirty. Most of Friday night, it seemed like everybody had a good read on the bog. Not too many trucks got stuck, but a bunch got close. As the night wore on though, it started to get worse:  somebody lost a driveshaft, then an engine blew. The air got thick with the smell of burning clutches and nitrous. The mud seemed to thicken as the night went on, and more and more of the competitors were getting plucked out by the rescue team. The drivers had been poking at the Bog Monster all night, and eventually he got up and took over the pit.

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By the end of my night, I couldn't tell you who won or didn't. I couldn't tell you which trucks and drivers were there. I could barely figure out how to drive back home. My brain had been rattled to goo by the sheer noise, but man was it great. I can't wait for next year.

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