AMX, Indian Relay Races to Bring Plenty of Action to 108th P.C. Fair

The 108th Annual Phillips County Fair Kicks off on Thursday, August 3, in Dodson, but the Arena Events will kick off this Friday, August 4th, with the Frank Ray Concert scheduled to begin in the grandstand area at 6 p.m.

After the music fades, the P.C. Fair Arena continues with a pair of events that have featured plenty of action throughout the years.

The Indian Relay Races and Chariot Races will have a full day of action on Saturday, August 5, starting at 11 a.m. Sunday, August 6, the P.C. Fair Arena will welcome the AMX Car Races, starting at 1 p.m.

INDIAN RELAY RACES

Since the event was brought to the fair in 2017, the Indian Relay Races has packed the P.C. Fair Arena almost every year minus 2020, due to cancellation because of COVID-19.

This year will be the Northeast Corner Committee's 6th year of putting on the Indian Relays at the Phillips Country Fair, and Francine KillEagle of the committee was asked what spectators can expect if they have never seen a relay race.

"They can expect to see and feel a ton of excitement, adrenaline, and witness amazing horsemanship and athleticism," KillEagle said. "An Indian Relay team involves four team members (a rider, a mugger, and two holders) along with three horses."

She then described the structure of the race, from start to finish.

"Riders mount their first horses bareback at the starting line, while the holders restrain the other two horses," KillEagle said. "After making one lap around the track, the rider jumps off of the first horse and onto the second horse within seconds, where the crowd will be amazed at the amazing display of athleticism on the rider's part. It is the mugger's job to catch the first horse when the rider dismounts. After repeating the process on the second lap, the third and final lap ends at the finish line in front of the grandstand. It is pretty amazing what these teams can do!"

According to KillEagle there will be a total of 12 men's teams from Washington, Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota.

Those 12 teams will open up the event at 11 a.m. in three qualifying heat races. Only two teams from each heat will qualify for the Men's Championship later that night, but the other six teams will enter the Men's Consolation race.

The day will begin with the men's qualifying heats, but the day will also feature six women's teams in the Women's Relay as a part of the afternoon's races which start at 3 p.m.

"The women's relay teams consist of a rider, a mugger, and a holder, along with two horses," KillEagle said. "They start mounted on their horse at the starting line, and after making one lap they dismount and jump to their second horse to finish their final lap."

KillEagle said that the six women's spots and 12 men's spots filled within a few hours of opening entries for the event.

"We ended up having to start a waiting list for both teams in case one of the teams that got in end up not being able to come," she said.

As far as teams go, there will be a few familiar faces at this year's Fair.

"We have numerous familiar teams coming again this year including our 2022 Women's Relay champions, Timentewa Relay (out of Washington), DTM Express, Triple C, and Young Money who had all raced last year," KillEagle said. "We also have several familiar men's teams coming to include Black Rock Relay (PC Fair 2019 and 2022 champs), Young Money (PC Fair 2021 champs), Mountain River, River Road Relay, Starr School, Charges Strong, Buffalo Jump Express, Old Elk Relay, and Whitetail Express who have all raced amazing races in previous years at the Phillips County Fair Indian Relays."

She said that there will be a few new teams at the P.C. Fair that may not be known here, but they are well known in the world of Indian Relay.

The 3 p.m. races will start with a Kid's Relay, followed by Memorial Races, and a Kid's Chariot Race.

Team's will then be entered into a Calcutta prior to the Women's Relay, Men's Consolation, and Men's Championship.

According to KillEagle, the day will also feature arena events like Ranch Bronc Riding in between the morning and afternoon races.

AMX RACES

The AMX Races are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Though the races have been paired with the Demolition Derby in previous years, the AMX Races will be a stand-alone event in 2023.

The Dodson AMX races started in 1998, making this the 25th year of racing events.

Though the number of cars hadn't been finalized as of Sunday, July 30, Dodson AMX Racing President Keith Cowan believes that there will be over a couple dozen cars ready to go by racing time.

"I'm guessing that we will probably be pushing about 25 to 30 cars again," Cowan said. "We normally do."

Without the Demo Derby, Cowan believes that things will be slowed down a little bit, which may give fans a chance to absorb some of the action.

Cowan was asked to describe an AMX Race to those that haven't experienced the event.

"It's a little bit of a cross between Nascar on a dirt track, crossed with motocross," Cowan said. "We have the jumps. There is full contact. The racers are not afraid to run into each other, hit each other, push each other around if there is a way, and just go."

Given that there is contact even to the point that cars are wrecked, the drivers compete hard and the races can be intense.

"They leave everything on the track," Cowan said.

The track will welcome back several favorites including Dustin McKinney, who has found plenty of success as a champion at the P.C. Fair, as well as the Jaynes family, local racers who have won the event.

"Dustin is a crowd favorite who hails out of Great Falls," Cowan said. "Of course we have some local favorites, like the Jaynes boys."

"We look forward to seeing everyone," Cowan continued. "I know the Boy Scouts will have food, so you have to support them."