ABOVE: While at State Bank’s annual Meet the Drivers event on Friday in Fairmont, World of Outlaws sprint car drivers Kerry, left, and Ian Madsen, talk about their cars while Fiorella Gomez, Ingrid Wilberg, Ellen Wilberg, Erik Wilberg and Brit Wilberg soak it all in. Gomez is visiting from Peru, while the Wilberg family is from Norway.

FAIRMONT – Before the races in Fairmont and Jackson on Friday, drivers from across Minnesota and Iowa talked to fans and worked on their cars for all to see.

Both sprint cars and pro stock cars were brought to the Fairmont State Bank parking lot. Attendees got to look at and into each one. Drivers were on hand to talk about racing, and mechanics were hard at work in full view.

Fairmont State Bank President Bill Blomster said the event first started around 25 years ago, when word of mouth struck him with inspiration.

“We sponsored a car out of Madison Lake, South Dakota,” Blomster said. “He talked about how he had a race car, and they did it at a Dairy Queen over there in Madison Lake. I said, ‘You know, maybe we should try it here.'”

The first year they did it, it was held in late May. While it was a minor success, Blomster said a change had to be made for future years.

“When we got done, I said, ‘How’d it go?'” Blomster said. “And he said, ‘You know, the negative is school’s still on. The kids aren’t here.’ I said I never thought about that. After that, we ended up making sure that it was during the summer when school was out.”

When the second year came around, a partnership with area pork producers to serve pork burgers was also added. The tradition continues, which Blomster said is important as Martin County is a pork community.

Besides that, he said the only difference between then and now is how much it has grown.

“It’s got more and more people involved in it,” Blomster said. “A lot of outside people you don’t see and you kind of take for granted, don’t realize how much they do.”

While the event happens rain or shine, Blomster said the forecast can limit how many drivers come. Last year, the rain stopped some further out from coming, but it was warm and bright on the day of.

By putting this together, Blomster said it is a good opportunity to get out and provide both young and old with a unique experience.

“It’s a good outing for people to get out and about, instead of sitting home,” he said. “Meet some people, see things going on. I encourage all these race car guys to unload their cars and work on them while they’re here. The kids get to climb in and out of these race cars. These racers are good with the kids, and I see the smile on the kids’ faces.”

All of the drivers this year have participated previously, which Blomster credits to the enjoyable experience of being in front of the public.

This includes Kerry and Ian Madsen. Currently based in Knoxville, Iowa, both are originally from Australia and spend time racing in both countries. Both are active World of Outlaws drivers and have multiple wins to their credit in the national sprint car series.

Kerry Madsen said the fun bit of going to events like this is being up close with people who would usually be in the stands.

“The interaction where people can get to see what the cars are and have a look,” he said. “Sometimes when fans just sit on the stands, it’s hard to know what they are. It’s great the kids can come down and look at the card, whatever might interest them.”

The sprint car season is in full swing, and Ian Madsen said their race in Jackson on Friday night kicked off a major part of the season.

“This next month especially is a lot of marquee events,” he said. “You’re always looking to do well this time of the year.”

As for the most common question, the Madsen brothers said it’s fairly straightforward.

“How fast do they go?” The Madsen brothers said.

“From 120-140 depending on the track,” Kerry Madsen elaborated.