The Great Race website blog post are to keep racers up to date on what is happening with the event, including what is going on in the lives of the participants. Lately, it seems, it has been the place to relay the passing of some of our friends or health issues others are dealing with. Well, here’s an uplifting story about a Great Racer setting a world land speed record in a tractor. You heard that right, a tractor.

Dave Archer, along with friends Wally Kandel, Dean Booth and Gary O’Brien, have participated many times in the Great Race in Dave’s fantastic silver and white 1957 Chevrolet 150. They have missed several Great Races recently as Dave has been recovering from a double lung transplant. While recovering, Dave wondered what the world record speed for a tractor was. Turns out, it was 96 mph. He thought and worked for two years to get his Allis-Chalmers tractor set up to break that record, which is did last year in Arkansas. The tractor, driven by his daughter Kathy, made the new mark 108.5 mph.

Dave, Wally, Dean and Gary will be back in the 2020 Great Race, but they will have to settle on the ’57 doing 50 mph (or less).

You can watch the news coverage of the Archers setting the new world record by clicking this link: https://www.wtap.com/content/news/Local-family-sets–484795101.html