April 17, 2008
Written by; Greg Jacobs Senior Editor Jacobs Atv Magazine
Photos provide by; J Back2Productions Senior Photographer Jacobs Atv Magazine
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How things have changed in just 5 years. For those of you who remember the very 1st Mud Nationals in 2003, and have now attended the 6th Annual Mud Nationals in 2008, you realize how the popularity of this event has exploded!!!
Many things have changed, and many things have remain the same. Remember the 1st Mud Nationals (MN) with the "Leaning Tower of 1st Mud Nats"? As the event carried on, the tower slowly started leaning more and more, and we began to take bets if it would completely fall over.
2003 Mud Nationals Mud Bog
Now Scott is calling the action high atop of a lift crane. Which was able to take him high above the action.
2008 Mud Nationals Scott
2008 Mud Nationals One Camping Area
2003 Mud Nationals Camping Area
One thing that has changed is the popularity of the Mud Nationals. The very first Mud Nationals was held at Fun Wheeler/Mud Bug Park in 2003 with an attendance record of roughly 2,100 people, and a few vendors. In 2008 the 6th Annual Mud Nationals was held at Mud Creek with an attendance record of roughly 14,000 people with many, many vendors such as Can Am, Yamaha, WARN, etc...
2003 Mud Nationals
2008 Mud Nationals
Another thing that hasn't change is the spirit of competition. As always the Mud Bogs provided for fast pace action, and High Lifter did an excellent job in keeping the competition moving.
2003 Mud Nationals
Back in 2003 when 100% of the competitors were considered independent racers this has changed for 2008. Many individuals are now sponsored by major companies and manufacturers.
2008 Mud Nationals
This sponsorship has raised the level of competition, and is beginning to legitimize a mud sport once thought of for a small group of weekend atv warriors. Let there be no mistake the non-sponsored independent racer has just as much as a chance to win, but should something go wrong the costs can add up. 
One of the big changes people may have noticed this year from years past, were the number of Can Ams in the races and how many won. Its funny to think back when I bought my 2006 Outlander 800EFI in July 2005, and how people hated this machine, but 3 years later its nearly everyone's top pick for racing.
All the mud bog events were fast paced and exciting. The Mudda Cross Event in which pits three racers; three wide in an oval track made for exciting action. I was there to cover when the Mudda Cross Pit was being constructed in 2006. 
Other than giving the racers a quick start, everyone was pumped for the light to change...
The action was fast and furious, and all racers had helmets...
This year the Mudda Cross was held at night which made for difficult photos, but awesome action...
Of course this race wasn't without incidents...
WARN was the official recovery team when things went wrong...
Of course the main mud bog event was what everyone was gunning for, and it was not short of excitement. This year had one of the largest number of competitiors, and HL did an excellent job in keeping the action moving.
If you survived the first wall of mud, you and your machine had a fighting chance...
The racers had a razor sharp focus on who could make it to the end first...
With competition so fierce racers were pushing the limit...
Even the side by sides had their brackets...
What makes the races fun to watch is the individual creativeness of their machines and clothing...
... as well as the different setups to give them an added edge...
If you thought the Men are more competitive than the Women then you have not watched an East Texas Mud Bog. The Women did an excellent job...
It doesn't matter what team you are on, or what machine you are riding. In the end its the sportsmanship that counts, and what will make this sport great...
The crowds were enjoying the races...
Even Mike Penland got into the action...
Just when you thought the Mud Nationals was all about mud bogs think again. Just like every year there was the Bad to the Bone Competition which featured a wide variety of tricked out machines.
There was also riding available, and everyone was getting into the action.
I think this poor guy got to taste, and experience all of the mud Mud Creek had to offer.
Here is something everyone can relate to, "The Powerline". I will admit Mud Creek has done an excellent job in constructing a semi-road down the middle of it. Unfortunately, Mud Creek was at record water levels, and it forced people from the woods to the power line, so it became congested at times.
Remember the Power Line in 2005? It was a death trap for Atvs, I would say in 3 years Mud Creek did an excellent job in improving it. Even with 1 or 2 hour waits at least you weren't losing your machine.
Of course the Power Line for 2008 was not without danger. Here is a rider who flipped his quad, and was trapped underneath the water. Thankfully, there were a number of people to get him out and he was ok.
And, what would a Mud Nats be without a good looking girl...
Alcohol. I know this is a sensitive subject and was a point of contention regarding an article that was written. I won't go into five pages of whether alcohol is right or wrong, but I will say this.
This year High Lifter did request people not to drink while driving  their Atvs. It was with interest to see if that would stick. After riding past a Police Officer on the Power Line, and watching people cracking open beer around him, while riding, I knew there was no bite in this request.
I personally do not drink and anyone that knows me can attest to this. The crew that I have been riding with since 2002 is known as the " 1/4 Mile Crew" since every 1/4 Mile they have a frosty beverage. So, I won't sit here and write alcohol is bad, it all depends on how that individual handles it.
When High Lifter requested no light bars this year or drinking while riding I respected this. Not drinking was easy for me since I don't drink, but not being able to ride and use my light bar on my Brute was not so easy, however, I respected HLs request and left my Brute behind. It was out of respect to HL that I didn't do either. Light bar request could be removed next year since everyone had theirs firing away. I believe HL was on the right track with the alcohol only at camp, but this needs to have teeth behind it next year. Unfortunately, there was one death, and a few injuries. All things considered when you have roughly 15,000 people with moving vehicles with alcohol things were realtively tame. Goto to a biker rally, music concert, or other larger venues with alcohol, and see if you can say the same thing. As far as garbage everywhere, I guess you haven't been to large events before. If you stick around to Sunday or the week after, Mud Creek brings in a huge clean up crew that completely cleans the park. Part of making money from this event goes to paying for clean up crews, and recovering Atvs from the park. I do hope next year some individuals are more respectful of women, since I see this posing the biggest problem. You can talk about a Man's Atv, but when you disrespects a Man's Woman you might bite off more than you can handle. None of us want to see a riot or shooting, so the few trouble makers take warning and respect your fellow man.
Just like anything its up to you to make the Mud Nats what you want it to be. For the most part the crowds and people were respectful, and just trying to have a good time. You have to expect given the muddy and watery conditions the terrain will be tough to navigate.
You also have to expect delays and congestions on the trails especially Friday, and Saturday. You also have to be on the look out for the few bad apples, and that is to be expected when you gather 15,000 people from varying backgrounds. I believe for the most part HL is trying to improve everyone's experience from year to year, hell, if they weren't throwing a great event admission would not keep increasing every year. 
Is this event for everyone? No it isn't, but if you know what to expect, it can be a great time. Individuals who go that do not like this type of riding or event should stay home. I am a New York Yankee that doesn't drink, and now I'm a 13 year transplanted Texan, this is the type of riding we do throughout the year in East Texas and Louisiana, and its great to have a once a year blow out event. I only wish the park was bigger, so we could have more riding room, since I enjoy riding more than partying. However, all things considered this is an excellent experience if you know what to expect.
I would like to thank J a.k.a. Back2 for providing the majority of these awesome photos. J is the Senior Photographer for Jacobs Atv Magazine. I encourage everyone to visit J's site, and support J whenever you can.
In the end you can say what you want about this event, but its getting bigger and better every year. Few people give Scott the credit for putting mud riding on the map, and organizing an event of this size is a huge undertaking. What started as a group of Weekend Mud Warriors has grown into corporate sponsorships, specifically designed mud machines, an explosion of after market companies catering to mudders, redesigned Atvs - such as the Yamaha Grizzly 700FI; remember the Japanese Reps at the previous Mud Nats? So, say what you will, nothing is perfect, but Scott and High Lifter are trying hard to further this sport through childerens helmet drives, cancer drives, and overall positive promotion of Atving. See everyone next year!!!