In the beginning there was farming, fishing, hunting, and hunting buggies.
Collier County's early development in the 1930's and 1940's was highlighted by the emergance of strange looking vehicles featuring huge balloon tires, gun racks, and usually sporting an unusual name like "Dirt Dobber or Tumblebug". These buggies were born out of necessity, as there was no effective way to penetrate the vast, boggy mire known as Collier county except for the versatile "Swamp Buggy".
Known as Swamp Buggies, Woods Buggies, and Hunting Buggies, these vehicles were used for everything from Sunday afternoon outings to hunting expeditions into the Everglades.
Early Collier County settlers recall the beginnings of Swamp Buggy Racing as a gathering of hunters. As legend has it, every year, just prior to the opening of hunting season, (usually the end of October or early November) all the "Crackers" would spend a week or so preparing their buggies for the first legal day of hunting. Tuning, testing, waterproofing, camouflaging, and stocking up with food, fuel, ammunition, and maybe a gallon of their favorite-home brewed beverage, would make ready these unique vehicles for a couple weeks worth of rugged workouts amongst the gators, snakes, and moss laden cypress hammocks of the murky Florida swamps.
As more and more hunters built swamp buggies and awaited the official opening of hunting season, they would gather at one garage or another, share a few home-spun engineering tips (as well as a few tugs on the stout home brew!), and before long, one hunter would challenge another to a buggy race through the local muddy potato patch.
The first races started to take place around 1943, featuring a dozen or so local hunters racing only for the pride of finishing ahead of their neighbors. The competitive nature of Collier pioneers soon began to expand, more and more hunters got involved, and by the late forties, 30 to 40 would-be racers would gather the week before hunting season to race for the valued prize, usually a new shotgun donated by local merchants.
By now, the small, sleepy, fishing village known as Naples had embraced this bizarre annual happening, and several hundred folks would turn out to cheer their favorite driver in this newborn mud madness.
In 1949, the first "Official" Swamp Buggy Races were won by Johnny Jones. Organized by a group of civic and community leaders, "Swamp Buggy Days" was born. A parade through Naples was organized, all the shops closed for the day, and from that point on, Naples could lay claim to the most unique motorsport in the world. On November 12, 1949, with a field of almost 50 competitors, attended by almost every living human in the community, these awkward, methodical, determined vehicles motored their way into history.
The immediate success of Swamp Buggy Days prompted the volunteer group of organizers to form an official Board of Directors to help prepare for and conduct this new annual phenomenon. The mid 1950's saw continued growth of Swamp Buggy Racing. ABC's Wide World of Sports featured the mud madness in a national television special. Hollywood stars like Gary Cooper were seen in Naples riding Swamp Buggies. Corporate executives, statesmen, politicians, and other luminaries began to participate in the annual festivities.
As the popularity of the sport continued to grow, so did the rewards for the racers. Cash prizes began to replace the turkeys and shotguns of the past. With purses of several thousand dollars, the incentives to go faster grew. Buggies were now being constructed for racing only, and the newer designs were far too fast and too loud to be used for hunting wild game. Rather than a trophy deer, an engraved trophy adorned the winner's mantle. It was during this era that several important traditions were conceived.
The most popular and colorful, was the legendary "Swamp Buggy Queen's Annual Mudbath!" The Swamp Buggy Queen Pageant is held every April, and one lucky young lady is chosen to preside over all Swamp Buggy Race related activities. The "Dunking" tradition began in 1957 when winner H.W. McCurry, in a state of exuberant celebration, grabbed the Queen, gown, fancy hair-do and all, and proceeded to dunk her in the deepest and muckiest part of the famous "Mile 'O Mud" oval race track. This grimy, slimy, hilarious tradition lives on today, with the final act of every race weekend being the always entertaining mud splash!
The drivers now race for thousands in cash at every race! Thousands pack the grandstands to see in person the most color show in racing. They come to see:
They come to see over 70 fearless racers challenge the world famous "Sippy hole"!
They come to see the Queen's "Mud Bath"!
They come for souvenirs, to take a ride on a Swamp Buggy, or simply to say they were there . . .
But most of all . . .
They come to see the most bizarre, unique, and exciting event in all of motorsports . . .
THE SWAMP BUGGY RACES!
