If there's any justice in the world,
belt-sander racing will someday be as
popular as NASCAR or IROC racing.
This is a sport that has everything:
enthusiastic fans, serious horsepower,
blazing speed, and corporate sponsors.
But above all, there's competition,
and not just among the speeding
sanders themselves. Like stock-car racing,
the belt-sander circuit is divided
between two alphabetically named
governing bodies.
The International Belt Sander Drag
Racing Association, or IBDA, is the
older and more established of the two.
"We've been racing since 1989," says
Lorne Nielson, association founder
and owner of Nielson Lumber in Point
Roberts, Wash. In 1996, the group
began recruiting members elsewhere,
and now sanctions events at lumberyards
and home centers in 18 states
and the Canadian