Superlift's Mudstock 2001

Tough-truck racing is always a crowd-pleaser, especially when the drivers achieve maximum air time.
Tough-truck racing is always a crowd-pleaser, especially when the drivers achieve maximum
Shannon Harwood convinced her husband Jeff to let her drive through one of the gooey pits in the couple’s ’89 Ford F-350. Jeff was a little hesitant since Shannon buried it up to the hood earlier this year in another mudhole. However she blasted through the sticky mess without a problem in their stout rig, which was equipped with Dana 60s and Detroit Lockers.
Shannon Harwood convinced her husband Jeff to let her drive through one of the gooey pits

Andy Inman of Park Hills, Missouri, blasts through a mud pit in his ’83 Chevy Suburban, which is powered by a nitrous-burning 454ci V-8.
Andy Inman of Park Hills, Missouri, blasts through a mud pit in his ’83 Chevy Suburba
These gals ham it up for the Miss Mudstock title.

Rich Declue barely escaped with his life after his ’89 Suzuki Sidekick exploded into flames.
Rich Declue barely escaped with his life after his ’89 Suzuki Sidekick exploded into

Whoa.

Dennis Dalmain gives it hell on the Tough Truck course in his ’84 Jeep Cherokee
The War Wagon puts on quite a show for awe-struck spectators during Superlift’s first annual Mudstock.
The War Wagon puts on quite a show for awe-struck spectators during Superlift’s first

The Potosi Pit swallowed up many vehicles during the two-day event. This ’72 Bronco didn’t stand a chance and broke its left-front spindle as it entered the pit.
The Potosi Pit swallowed up many vehicles during the two-day event. This ’72 Bronco d
Keith Novotny flexes out his ’78 Ford SuperCab on one of the urban obstacle courses. It looks like he’s practicing to be a monster truck driver. When Keith wasn’t busy ’wheeling he was using his giant PTO winch to yank stuck rigs from Potosi’s mud pits.
Keith Novotny flexes out his ’78 Ford SuperCab on one of the urban obstacle courses.

An event occurred just outside Potosi, Missouri, on the July 4 weekend this year that should have four-wheelers talking for quite a while to come. People came from all over the Midwest and South to set up camp in the rolling foothills of the Mark Twain National Forest, just a stones throw from Taum Sauk Mountain, Missouris highest point. The gig turned out to be a rock festival of sorts, but without the music. Instead, rockcrawlers, monster trucks, tough trucks and fullsize mud boggers could be heard revving their engines. They were anxious to participate in a weekend of 4x4 decadence known as Superlifts Mudstock.

Bob Hazel of Sports-in-the-Rough designed this off-road festival for participants to meet a variety of challenges and obstacles that included mud pits, rockcrawling courses, mud drags, hillclimbs, obstacle courses, and tough-truck racing. Competitions for these events are held each day, rewarding the winners with First- through Third-place trophies, and, for the tough trucks, $4,000 in prize money. With the exception of the tough-truck and monster-truck racing, all areas are open to non-competitive 4x4 vehicles any time after the action.

A highlight of the event was the monster-truck racing and freestyle, a thrash-fest that always draws a huge crowd. Spectators are able to enjoy the show from viewing areas tucked safely out of harms way. It was like a mini-jamboree held in open fields instead of the usual fairground stadium environment. There was even a midway of sorts set up, with venders selling everything from bratwurst to Boggers.

Surprisingly, the event even caters to ATV riders, offering a mixture of trail rides, mud pits, and obstacle courses for them. This brought out a lot of the younger locals, many of whom were seen buried up to their fuel tanks in the Potosi Pit.

One of the coolest aspects of Mudstock was its festival atmosphere. Just imagine beautiful women, mud pits, and monster trucks and youll get the picture. The only thing really missing were rock n roll bands. When promoter Bob Hazel was asked about this he replied, This is the first year for Mudstock and its been a real success. Next year we may add rock n roll to the agenda and see what happens.