The Twelve Mile 500 is a lawn mower race held in the small town of

Twelve Mile, Indiana Twelve Mile is an unincorporated town in Adams Township, Cass County, Indiana. Its name is sometimes said to come from its location that is approximately from the cities of Logansport, Peru and Rochester, but this is an old wives' tale. The t ...

, organized by the Twelve Mile Lions Club and occurring annually on

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

. The tradition began in 1963 as a race for factory-built mowers with their mowing decks removed but in 1996 split into a two-race event with one for four-cycle Briggs lawn mowers and another for modified mowers. The race adopted the "

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

" style in 1970 and has been held in Plank Hill Park ever since. The race structure has once again changed with the addition of another race. The 2010 race will include a superstock race in addition to the Briggs and modified races. The Twelve Mile 500 is 15 mile race, with 60 laps run on a quarter-mile track in the park, with a maximum of 33 entrants per race. Each participating team consists of a driver, a two-person pit crew and a lap judge, and must meet a speed of approximately 30 mph to qualify.

References

Pharos-Tribune: "Drivers revving up for Twelve Mile 500"
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