Racers Gearing up for Midsummer Night of Mayhem in Proctor

PROCTOR, Minn. — The Midsummer Night of Mayhem started as a fun idea between friends, and it has now grown to become a crazy night people look forward to year round.

“When we first started it, it started with a good idea with a few group of guys and it just got out to this big thing, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” said Hunter McDougall, Bus Racer.

Every year at the Halvor Lines Speedway in Proctor, cars and buses hit the track for a night packed with mayhem.

This year there will be a kid’s demolition derby, reverse racing and of course the popular bus racing.

“We have this place packed, you got buses racing around side by side bashing off each other we got cars bashing off each other, we got random things going on, we got people throwing water balloons at people, it’s just the atmosphere, it’s not like a regular race night, it’s a whole packed place,” said McDougall.

The buses are reused each year, depending on the damage done, but many get tune ups before they hit the dirt.

On the inside they look like your typical school buses, on the outside some have paintjobs and most have some dents and scraps.

“This will be my second year, I was the one that rolled, it isn’t a good record for me, usually my racing career is better, so far my bus racing career is not good,” said McDougall.

The racers say anything can happen, over the years there was been special tricks, fire and of course many crashes

“When I rolled over last year I got on the side of the bus and put my hands up in the air, that was probably the most people I’ve had cheer for me in my entire racing career,” said McDougall.

One of the Mayhem racers is LeAnn Lofdahl, one is the only female racing a bus at the event.

LeAnn hopes that her driving inspires other girls to get into the sport.

“It’s an inspiration, to get all of them out and get more girls into something different, get more girls into the racing community too,” said Lofdahl.

If you want to hop on one of the buses, rides are available before the show, during, intermission
and after the event.

Gates open at 3 P.M and dirt flys at 6 P.M on Saturday, August 5.

Fox 21’s own Dan Hanger will be there to help MC the event.