Alaska ‘First Dude’ Visits Hay Days

You knew something was up as two large gray Suburbans rolled into the Hay Days grounds Friday afternoon, September 6th. Displaying Maryland license plates and sprouting a bevy of short black antennae gave proof that the rumors were true. Todd Palin, Alaska’s ‘First Dude’ and husband of newly nominated Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, was indeed paying a visit to the Arctic Cat display at Hay Days.

Following in close order, the two gray vehicles pulled up outside the Cat booth as the  four-man Secret Service detail exited and positioned themselves before allowing Palin to greet Arctic Cat snowmobile product manager Joel Hallstrom and local Minnesota Arctic Cat district sales manager Scott Eilertson.

Four-time Tesoro Iron Dog race winner and Alaska’s ‘First Dude’, Todd Palin (at left) chats with Arctic Cat district sales manger Scott Eilertson at Minnesota’s Hay Days event.

In St. Paul, Minn. to support his politician wife at the recently concluded Republican National Convention, Palin took advantage of his location to visit the annual and unofficial start to the snowmobile season held in Columbia Township, about 30 minutes north of St. Paul. Expected to draw more than 30,000 snowmobile enthusiasts for the weekend, Palin was scheduled to join other Team Arctic racers and sign autographs for Cat fans on Saturday’s opening day.

On hand as Cat officials set up their display before the Saturday opener, Palin walked around looking at the latest Arctic Cat sleds and four-wheelers. He has a very good knowledge of Arctic Cat’s F6 snowmobiles, as he and racing team partner Scott Davis have won four Tesoro Iron Dog races in Alaska.

Speaking with Snowmobile.com, Palin noted, “I’ve won four, the last three on Arctic Cat.” He explained that his team runs virtually stock F6 snowmobiles. Of course, they are built up to attack and last the complete 1,921-mile route from Wasilla to Nome and Fairbanks. Billed as snowmobiling’s longest and toughest race, the Tesoro Iron Dog is a grueling event due to its length, unforgiving terrain and extreme -60 degree cold.

Speedwerx owner, Steve Houle (left) and Scott Eilertson (center) discuss Arctic Cat performance with Todd Palin.

After chatting with Cat staff, Palin was invited to take a detailed look at Arctic Cat’s professional race trailer. The tall, thin racer stepped aboard the van and spoke briefly with Snowmobile.com about how he has yet to snowmobile ‘down south’ of his far north state, but looks forward to having an opportunity to try it in the future. Confident in his proven ability as a racer, but humble in his speech, Palin makes a positive spokesman for the sport of snowmobiling.

Inside the van, Arctic Cat officials invited him to check out the inner workings of the race trailer, where he briefly stepped out of his security detail’s view. A concerned security agent was quickly assured that Palin had stepped into the front office section of the race van and could exit only past the agent and his work detail.

When a detail agent with Palin was asked if the Secret Service crew had any snowmobile experience, he commented that he was a motocross rider, implying that he would be able to keep pace. When it was suggested that the rugged snowmobile racer might pose a challenge for agents following him as he practiced for the upcoming 2009 Iron Dog race, the agent replied that if he got of sight, then it was left to the security detail’s helicopter to keep pace. With the First Dude’s four-race win record, the helicopter pilot may be busy this winter.

Palin told Snowmobile.com that he and team mate Scott Davis were already signed up for the race. Of course, they will pilot Arctic Cat snowmobiles.

Alaska’s most famous snowmobiler spent about three hours at Hay Days watching grass drag racing practices, chatting with aftermarket vendors like Speedwerx Steve Houle, and just taking in the preliminary set up for the annual start to winter in a large and dusty pasture which is devoted to all things snowmobiling for this one September weekend every year.