The Larson brothers — Dustin (pictured) and Jeffrey — race with a mission. They hope to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), aka Lou Gehrig’s disease. Their father, Jim Larson, saw his racing career come to a grinding halt at the end of 2020 due to the ailment.
As Jim rebuilt a tractor engine with his sons, he felt exceptionally tired. The doctors diagnosed the 54-year-old farmer from Rushmore, Minnesota, with ALS.
“The next year was pretty tough,” Dustin, of Reading, Minnesota, said. “The disease hit Dad hard and fast. None of us knew anything about the disease until he got it.”
The neurodegenerative disease results in the progressive destruction of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Eventually, it results in complete paralysis of the body.
“Medication can slow ALS, but there is no cure,” said Dustin.
Jim won 53 features in IMCA hobby stocks and stock cars. He proudly watched his sons follow him to victory lane, with Dustin earning 104 trips and Jeffrey 79 in IMCA competition.
“The one thing Dad always really enjoyed was going racing,” Dustin said. “Dad can walk, but he’s getting weaker. We’re planning to go to as many races as we can this year. We’re hoping he can keep on going to the races, even though he gets very tired and needs his rest.”
Away from the track, the Larson brothers took over the family farm formerly run by their father. At the track, they’ll compete carrying the message of ALS awareness as a trio of tracks — Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa; Murray County Speedway in Slayton, Minnesota, and Worthington Speedway in Minnesota.
“We’re hoping racing can help make a difference as research is needed to find out more about ALS,” said Dustin. “So many friends have raced with him and us and so many fans have cheered for us.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
