A book entitled: "CRACKER INGENUITY: TIPS FROM THE TRAILER PARK FOR THE CHRONICALLY BROKE" by P.T. Elliott and E.M. Lowry, was just released March, 2003, which published some of Trish Potenza's photos in a lawnmower racing article (pages 136-138). Trish is the official photographer for the Ohio Mower Racers and Dewberry Mudboggers. Books are available at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble Book Stores. Check it out!!

This shot is of Trish Potenza with such determination driving "PEACHES -N- SCREAM"!! This lawnmower is powered by a 11-horsepower Briggs & Stratton. PEACHES -N- SCREAM is a Dynastar (earlier Dynamark) from the early 1970's and was purchased from a friend ready to junk it. Trish and her husband built a new mudbogger for the 1998 season. Below is a couple of pictures of the new mower. She finished the 1998 mudbog season in Fifth Place with the POWER SLAVE.

This is a 1970's Dynamark with a 10-HP Short Block Tecumseh (at least that's what the sticker says!!) Newest update as of 6/19/98 on the "POWER SLAVE." Husband, Larry, took his Short Block back to run on his road racer, "GRAVE DIGGER" so now Trish has a 10-HP Tecumseh. Trish named it "POWER SLAVE" as a tribute to Iron Maiden, one of her favorite rock groups.

Here's a picture of Trish on the "POWER SLAVE." Apparently the pit was a little more than she could deal with as it slung her sideways in the pit. Can you believe she thought they called her out-of-bounds by mistake?? Trish finished 8th at the May 9, 1998 mudbog.

Here's a picture of Trish riding out a wheelie on the POWER SLAVE. Trish and husband, Larry, have been working hard to get the right set up for this new mudbogger. She's starting to run times in the 3 seconds marks (shaved 1 second from last July's bog).

This shot is of Trisha's race face during the Nationals at Rockford, Illnois. This mower, the "IRON MAIDEN" was purchased from behind an old barn (also ready to be scrapped), is also a Dynastar from early 1970's, and has a 8-horsepower Briggs & Stratton. Trish named it the "IRON MAIDEN" after -- you guessed it -- the rock group. We thought it was only right to have one of their songs playing on her page. Trish picked #27 because she was 27 when she started lawnmower racing, was born on the 27th, and was married on the 27th. I wonder if there's a pattern here.....

Trish just competed in the first OHIO MOWER RACERS sanctioned race at the Columbus Motor Speedway and walked away with First Place in Class 1. She hit a Traffic Cone during the heat race and bent the heck out of her steering rod and it would only turn left! I know what you're saying......."But that is the point of racing -- go fast and turn left!" But let me tell you something, if it is a circle track is one thing, but on an oval, you do have to go straight sometimes and it kept steering her back off of the track into the infield. Her mechanic, husband Larry, did some quick tinkering and apparently fixed it pretty good for her to win the trophy dash. The Potenza's were grinning big that night because Larry also won First Place (in his class) so they had twin trophies!

This picture is of Trish with her trophy after winning 2nd Place at the Pickaway County Fair on June 28th, 1998.

This is a shot of Trish and Greg Honchell battling it out for 1st Place in Class 1 at the Ohio Mower Racers sanctioned race at the Gahanna Grand Prix (benefit race). This race took place on July 18th, 1998. Trish experienced carb problems so she ended up placing second in this race to Greg.

Here's a shot of Trisha's race at the STA-BIL Motor City Regional in Belleville, Michigan on July 29th, 1998. This was a very short and narrow track (with hair-pin turns) and consisted of a dirt track with sand corners. That made for some interesting racing! Trish managed to place 3rd out of 8 racers on this difficult track!

Here's a picture of Trish posing with her trophy from the Motor City Regional -- they actually had a lazyboy (or what she called "lazygirl" chair in the hotel)!!

Trish competed at the STA-BIL Buckeye Regional on August 22nd, 1998 in Marysville, Ohio. She had problems with starting in two heat races, but got a decent start in the trophy dash. She pulled off the line in 5th and worked her way to 3rd place on lap 25 of 30, until the unfortunate happened -- a lap traffic racer came into Trish's line to try and "shut the door" on her and ended up pulling right into Trish and made her slam into him, her mower Iron Maiden is a tank and it flipped his mower over and her mower went up on top of his. His steering wheel went thru her grill. Both racers were fine but Trish was HIGHLY UPSET that this driver made her lose her trophy (not to mention wreck her mower two weeks before the Nationals)! Since she wanted her trophy and didn't get it, she had a plaque made (with his steering wheel mounted on it) for the trophy shelf!

NIGHTMARE ON CHESTNUT STREET:
Written by Trish Potenza

It all started on Chestnut Street in Rockford, Illinois at the Rockford MetroCenter at the 1998 STA-BIL Nationals. There were 20 mowers registered for my class (AP Class), so I was just hoping to make it into the trophy dash. I didn't get a good start during the 1st heat eliminations, so I didn't make it as one of the top 4 mowers finishing. During my second heat elimination, I made it into the trophy dash (by finishing 1st). There were a lot of accidents during my trophy dash and a few mowers dropping out because of mechanical problems. With all of the changing of positions, I was announced as finishing in 2nd Place in the Finals! I was so excited! With all of the accidents, and since I had already won a trophy at the Nationals (or so I thought), I decided not to participate in the Regionals. After all of the races were completed, there was the trophy presentation. While I was sitting there waiting on my trophy, they announced it to go to someone else! You can't imagine how shocked I was. I told them there must have been a mistake. The officials were sticking by their results. Anyways, now they were trying to tell me I was in 5th according to the "official" results. When asked who finished in front of me, one particular individual was listed as finishing in front of me (and a lap ahead to boot!). They said I never passed him. I did pass him early in the race (lap 4 or 5). I was more aware of passing Jim than anyone else on the track since this was the fella that had "closed the door" on me at the Marysville race two weeks earlier (and wrecked us) and I didn't want it "closed" on me again. One thing they can't take away from me is the fact that I won my 2nd elimination race (and I lead the entire race)!! Now that would be hard to protest! Well folks, since no one wanted to see my proof of my pass, I'm posting it for the world to see. It's not that 5th place for National Ranking is not respectable, but I earned 4th place and here it is.......The pass that never happened......

This shot shows Jim Poden in the front on the yellow rear-engine rider, Trish running behind Jim on the black tractor, and Mark Boyce running behind Trish on the red tractor.

Here you see Trish closing in on the inside lane, Jim on the outside.

Here Trish is inches ahead of Jim on the inside.

This shot is of Trish as gains a 1/2 mower lead on Jim.

Here is Trish as she is now two mower lengths ahead of Jim. But remember, the "pass didn't happen."

Trish even has trading cards with her and her mower! We'll post that soon!

Here is a picture of Trisha's lawnmowers (and trophies) from a car show in 4/97 at ARC Industries South in Columbus, Ohio. These aren't even all the trophies Trish has because she had won more in 1997 and 1998! This car show had all kinds of drag racing, Jr. drag racing, legend, outlaw, and refurbished cars (and then us lawnmowers!!!). Needless to say, the lawnmower racers were the talk of the show. Funder Alley took place again on March 27, 1999, and once again were a hit!

Trish participated in three STA-BIL regionals on June 6, 1999. During the first race -- Trish was had carb problems and finished the race (and helped block for husband, Larry!). During the second regional, Trish took a straw bath with two laps to go (because of an idiot who cut into her line on a turn and she didn't want to "T-Bone" the idiot so chose the hay. There were 19 mowers in this class and many accidents happened all day. Trish and husband, Larry, decided to cut their losses and not participate in the third regional to save their mowers for another day........

On June 13, 1999, Trish raced at the Madison County Rodeo race hosted by the Ohio Mower Racers. Trish competed in two class divisions (Class 1 -- 8 HP & Under, and Class 2 which is tractor style only). She finished in 3rd Place in both class divisions!

Trish participated in the STA-BIL Motor City Regional in Belleville, Michigan on July 22, 1999. There were too many mowers in this race so they had eliminations. During Trish's first elimination race they took the top 4 mowers (Trish was in 5th place). Then during the second eliminations, Trish finished in 3rd (but they were only taking the top 2). Needless to say, Trish was a day late and a dollar short on this race day!!

Trish has a new mower for a new class division (IMOW -- which is modeled after the IROC series racing). Trish and her husband, Larry, built this mower "MOWDACIOUS" in a mere 2 1/2 weeks before the September, 1999 Nationals (and for two regionals held the same day) and brought home a truck full of hardware! Trish finished in 3rd place in two different regionals and finished in 2nd place for the Nationals! Trish named this mower MOWDACIOUS after a ferocious bull (named Bodacious) that had to be retired because it was sooooooooo mean!! Trish and Larry didn't even get to test run the new mower until the morning of the races due to time constraints. The Potenzas were very pleased that the mower held together all day, and especially with the final rewards for all their efforts!!!

Trish participated at the OMR Sanctioned race at the Auglaize County Fair in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 6, 2000. In Class 1, Trish finished in 3rd place -- coming in 1st place was Greg Honchell (OH) and Kary Koelliker (IN) was in 2nd. In Class 2, Trish finished in 6th. The 1-2-3 finishers were Chuck Miller (OH), Steve Barber (IN), and Greg Honchell (OH), respectively.

Here's a picture of Trish taking 3rd Place in the first AP race on August 19, 2000, where the USLMRA hosted three different regionals at the All Ohio Balloon Festival in Marysville, Ohio. Trish participated in two different class divisions -- IMOW and AP. In the first regional IMOW race, Trish finished in 6th (out of 7 racers). Coming in 1-2-3 were David Zaremba (AL), Janet Witt (FL), and David Holcomb (MI), respectively. In the first regional AP race Trish finished with a respectible 3rd place (out of 15). Coming in 1st and 2nd were Kary Koelliker (IN) and Mike Boris (MD), respectively. In the 2nd regional IMOW race, Trish took a hay bath and finished in last place -- but she finished!! The top three finishers were Dave Holcomb (MI), David Zaremba (AL), and Jim Poden (NC). In the 2nd AP Class regional, Trish finished in 11th place (out of 16). Coming in 1-2-3 were Evan Billingsley (MT), Mark Boyce (GA), and Richard Dunlavy (OH). In the 3rd IMOW regional, Trish finished in 6th for the 3rd time that day (out of 7 competitors). The top three finishers were David Zaremba (AL), Jim Poden (NC), and Art Neaville (MI). Trish probably should have been on the IRON MAIDEN instead of MOWDACIOUS if she placed 6-6-6 all day!

Trish attended the ARC Industries Funder Alley Car Show again in March, 2001 at ARC Industries South in Columbus, Ohio. Trish and her husband were also able to take their 2000 Trans Am to the show instead of just the mowers, which was a treat! Hmmmmm, which had the more horsepower, the Trans Am or the Mower? We'll never tell.... At the Car Show, Trish & her husband, Larry, were presented with a beautiful plaque for their continued support representing the USLMRA and Ohio Mower Racers. They also announced that we (as lawnmower racers) receive more TV coverage than any other sprint car, drag racer, etc., and they were jealous!

Trish "Iron Maiden" Potenza was only able to attend one race in 2001 due to her husband's work schedule and home commitments. She did attend the 4th Annual Buckeye Regional at the All Ohio Balloon Festival in Marysville, Ohio on August 18, 2001, though. In the IMOW Class, Trish almost didn't compete because her RPMS were too high in the highly regulated IMOW Class. By the time we got the RPMS lowered, they were too low and she didn't want to compete knowing she was going to be blown away on the track. Irregardless, Trish made the decision that if this was the only race day she was going to be able to make, she would run "MOWDACIOUS" anyways, no matter where she finished. Needless to say, she finished in last place all day long, but that didn't matter. Trish was grinning from ear-to-ear all the way around the track, knowing she looked like a snail crawling around the track, but it didn't matter. She had a blast anyways just being in the mix. In the top 3 IMOW, were David Lewis (Illinois), Janet Witt from Florida showing the boys what "GIRL POWER" is, and Art Neaville from Michigan. In the AP Class, she drove her Iron Maiden as hard as she could, but her tank of a mower just couldn't compete with the Tonka Toy mowers that are showing up nowadays. They had at least 100 pound weight advantage, but she still gave it her all. She did manage to finish the race in about 6th place (and NOT LAST!!) In the top 3 were Tim Hamilton (Alabama), Jason Mikula (Michigan), and Corey Spence (Michigan).

With only one race under her belt for the 2001 Season with the USLMRA, Trish finished in 35th place out of 38 racers in the AP Class, and brought up the rear in the IMOW Class with a 20th place finishing out of 20 racers. Trish is looking forward to the 2002 season and hopes for more grass action!

Trish was only able to attend one race in 2002 due to a tremendous work schedule for her husband/mechanic, Larry, and during practice for the Marysville, Ohio race in 8/02, she snapped the crank on her engine. She was told many times throughout the day that nobody had ever heard of that happening. I guess her mower "Iron Maiden" had just a little too much torque....Needless to say, this was a tremendous let down for her but she still had a blast helping to count laps and cheer on her fellow teammates for a win!

Lets see how Trish has done over the years.....