mud Races Missouri - nissan Pathfinder - Photo 15970379

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Most Missourians aren't shy about throwing their rigs into deep water. To ensure the shorter rigs don't suck muddy water into the engine, a few of the owners fabbed up homemade high-mount air intakes. This Pathfinder's owner created a one-of-a-kind PVC intake that is functional and stylish.

Warming fires were located around the property for those who were chilled by the January weather. These ladies found that a little teamwork meant warm feet.

The Park has a couple of deep pits where getting stuck is almost a given. This pit was one of 'em, as this Bronco found out. Heavy equipment is on-site and used for recoveries.

Carhartt and camo was the clothing of choice due to chilly temps and a brisk cold wind. In addition to participants, hundreds of spectators came out for the day to watch the Mud Bash action.

As the day wore on, folks got bolder and they created new ways through the obstacles. Things got a little tipsy for this Ford as the driver tried a creative line into one of the mud pits.

When thinking of hardcore mud trucks, tractor tires always seem to figure into the equation. We saw a few rigs sporting tractor tires at the Mud Bash, and as expected they were almost unstoppable in the mud.

A couple of the pits combined mud with deep water, and this mix took its toll on a few of the rigs like this Ford. The ice floating around on the surface wasn't a factor, other than an indicator of the previous night's temperatures.

One of the more unusual modifications we saw was on this Grand Cherokee. Apparently tired of having a mud-clogged exhaust system, the owner of this rig fabbed a custom exhaust that exits above the roofline on the tail end of the vehicle.

Next to waterlogged engines, the biggest killer of mud fun seemed to be tires peeled from wheels. Most folks air down to get more traction, but the result is less pressure on the bead, which increases the chances of the tire and wheel parting ways. This is where beadlock wheels would come in handy.

Most Missourians aren't shy about throwing their rigs into deep water. To ensure the shorter rigs don't suck muddy water into the engine, a few of the owners fabbed up homemade high-mount air intakes. This Pathfinder's owner created a one-of-a-kind PVC intake that is functional and stylish.

George and Beth Blakey's '93 Chevy cop car was one of the more unusual vehicles at the Bash. George says he built it "cuz it's different and not everyone has something like this." He's right. The rig sports a heavily modified small-block Chevy engine, Dana 60 front axle, locked 14-bolt rear axle, 8 inches of suspension lift, and 39-inch Boggers.

Denver Counts Jr., of Park Hills, Missouri, brought out his '74 Ford F-350 Crew Cab. This rare truck is pretty cool and it only has 30,000 miles on the odometer. There wasn't much mud that would stop it thanks to body mods designed to lighten the truck, tractor tires, a 390ci V-8, Rockwell 2-ton axles and a significant amount of suspension lift.

Calvin and Stephanie Vail (shown here with friends) brought out their extremely rare NAPCO '69 Ford F-600. This rig spent almost its entire life in an iron mine in northern Minnesota before they procured it. It only has 37,000 original miles and they say that at least 35,000 of those miles were accrued off-road around the mine. The rig rolls on 46-inch Michelin tires and it's powered by a 300 cubic-inch engine.