Northwoods Experience: Drivers Take Advantage of Weekly Garfield Lake Ice Races

Race tracks close during the cold months of the year, so racers from around Beltrami and Hubbard counties have decided to make their own race track every winter on Garfield Lake in Laporte.

“Well, you got nothing else to do,” said Garfield Lake Ice Racing Head Flagman Tom Lindhal with a laugh. “It’s boring here in the winter [so] if you don’t ice fish, you don’t snowmobile – you come to the ice races.”

Garfield Lake has been home to the weekly ice races for over 30 years.

“This is just some down-home redneck fun out here,” said racer Nic Lewis. “This is a blast. Days like today when it’s 40 degrees and slight breeze, we’ve got some hot dogs to grill. We’re just down here for a great time.”

The atmosphere off the track is just as much of a part of the event as the actual cars.

“Being able to be with our friends and family in close quarters because it is really nice out, that’s what I love about ice racing,” added Faye Lewis, Nic’s wife and fellow racer. “It’s very family and friend orientated, it’s nice.”

“Coming out here, hanging out with family is just enjoyable and seeing people that we know and hanging out, yeah,” said racer Landon Weeks when asked about his favorite aspect of ice racing.

Racing might be a family affair, but as soon as they get onto the track, it’s every racer for themselves. The racers are split up into two sections: the B Class with less experienced drivers and the A Class, which is more competitive.

“A Class drivers, it’s a lot more aggressive,” explained Nic. “It’s [like] chess in the A Class. It’s very, very daunting.”

“If you want to be competitive, I mean, you’re working on [your vehicle] almost every night in the shop, you know, prepping tires, getting tires ready, suspension,” said Hunter Weeks, Landon’s brother and fellow driver. “It’s all – it’s a lot of work.”

And there’s more to the races than just something fun to do.

“We have our gambling side of it, which we donated over $100,000 last year to different organizations,” said Lindhal. “And it’s just an all-around good thing ’cause they know they’re sponsoring something.”

As the weather is getting warmer and ice starts to melt, the ice racing season is coming to an end. The final ice race of the year is set to take place this Sunday.