Twelve Mile family builds lawn mower racing dynasty win by win

TWELVE MILE, Ind. — By all accounts, John Troyer wasn’t supposed to win.

Despite a qualifying time that placed him in third to start, Troyer’s first few laps were rough, and he found himself buried in the middle of the pack as the racers zipped through the halfway point.

But then he broke out the moves. In his souped-up lawn mower — emblazoned with the 76W moniker and a Mario figurine hanging on the back — Troyer sliced and diced his way to second place, gliding through turns and speeding through straights to leave lawn mower after lawn mower in his wake.

Troyer, 50, met his match as the final 10 laps approached, jockeying for position with race leader Darren Ulerick. To the untrained eye, it was anyone’s game, but Josh Douglass knew better.

“Troyer’s going to win,” he told his kids. “Just wait.”

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Sure enough, Ulerick’s attempt to surge past Troyer on a turn ended in collision and sent him to the back of the field. Troyer maintained his first-place position at the restart, and from there he cruised to victory.

Twelve Mile regulars have seen a Troyer take the crown enough times to predict the win.

“It’s in their blood,” Douglass said.

John Troyer belongs to a winning tradition at Plank Hill Park. Fathers and sons, uncles and nephews, brothers and cousins have all competed at the annual Twelve Mile 500 — the oldest lawnmower race in the United States — and the family’s taken home more than 30 titles.

Race has evolved in 60 years

The first running of the race was in 1963, when the Twelve Mile Lions Club helped organize competition for factory-made mowers. Back then, the Twelve Mile 500 stuck to its name, covering 12 miles over 48 laps of a quarter-mile track, and awarded the winner a car courtesy of the local dealership.

The race has lengthened to 15 miles, the mowers aren’t just mowers and the car perk’s been phased out, but the tradition still stands. It routinely draws around 1,500 people, ballooning Twelve Mile’s population of around 800 for a day.

The Troyers caught wind of it in 1973, when Larry Troyer, 68 now and the oldest brother, began to help racer and local daredevil Cannonball Robbins make his mower race-ready. A lifelong farmer who's handy with a soldering iron, Larry Troyer naturally took to the task.

Lawn mower racing requires a combination of engineering savvy, thirst for speed and a little too much free time, the Troyers said. Racers will rig riding lawn mowers with parts from four-wheelers, ATVs and other vehicles to maximize speed and efficiency.

“A lot of welding, a lot of beer,” Larry Troyer said.

Brothers Gary, Randy and finally John hopped on after Larry. While Larry Troyer never raced, his brothers all won at the Twelve Mile 500 — some several times. John Troyer claimed his 10th win with this year’s first-place finish, and Randy Troyer holds family-record 12 victories in the race, and an impressive trophy display to show for it.

With developing technology and changing times, the race differs from when the Troyers first entered the arena. What used to be one race is now two: a Briggs division that only permits traditional lawn mower engines and a modified division that allows for upgrades.

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Troyers win both divisions this year

But that hasn’t swayed the family’s success on the track: A Troyer in the top 5 is all but guaranteed, and one of them will likely win one, if not both, races. This year, John Troyer claimed victory in the Briggs division, and Randy Troyer’s son, Zach, eased into a modified division win.

The secret is patience, Randy Troyer, 57, said. The mower that flies out of the gate rarely wins: Instead, he said, the victor is the one who knows how and when to make the right move, with a calculative mind and keen eye for opportunity.

That, Randy Troyer said, and sheer luck.

“Some people are good at something,” he said. “That just happened to be mine.”

Randy Troyer has passed that luck down to Zach Troyer, 35, whose first-place win this year was his second in a row and sixth overall. The race saw him lap other competitors twice, sometimes three times over in a dominant performance.

Zach Troyer grew up watching his dad crush the competition on The Intimidator — Randy Troyer’s champion riding lawn mower — and started to do the same as soon as he was old enough.

Races on four-wheelers against his family equipped Zach Troyer with sharp reflexes and an even sharper sense of competition, he said.

“We were always riding stuff,” Zach Troyer said. “It makes it that much more competitive.”

Now, he races on The Intimidator II — a tribute to his father. Zach Troyer painted it in the style of Dale Earnhardt’s car, nodding to Randy Troyer’s favorite driver.

The Troyers aim to build a dynasty that spans generations. But it’s about more than the wins: They want to keep tradition alive.

Brothers debate NASCAR greats and driving techniques. Uncles and nephews rib each other ahead of competition. The family gathers — at the track, at a house, wherever they can — to reminisce about races of the past.

It’s connection that keeps the Troyers coming back to the Twelve Mile 500. Even the ones who don’t race anymore return to dole out advice or enthusiastically observe.

When Zach Troyer took his victory lap, his father beamed. Twelve titles were a career highlight, Randy Troyer said, but this moment came close.

“It’s almost as good as running yourself.”

Contact Pulliam Fellow Heather Bushman at HBushman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @hmb_1013.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lawn mower racing dynasty: Family dominates Twelve Mile tradition