COLUMBIA, S.C. — Pig racing is back this year at the South Carolina State Fair. It’s happening five times a day for all 12 days.
"Pig racing is like a Nascar race…but with pigs," Swine Master Zach Johnson explains.
Johnson traveled to South Carolina all the way from Texas, but he didn’t come alone. He's here with a trailer full of pigs.
"We travel about eight months a year," he shared. "We’ve already been to Seattle and San Diego and Chicago and everywhere else in between."
But South Carolina is a stop he keeps coming back to. This is Johnson's15th year at the fair, where his pigs have become a fan favorite.
"A lot of people have grown up and now they’re bringing their kids back, which is really pretty cool. That’s probably the best part is generations who love a pig race," he said. "It’s just something you can’t catch everyday. You can’t turn on your tv and catch big racing, because it’s just here at the South Carolina State Fair."
The pigs start racing at four months old, but Johnson has a younger pig there for photo opportunities. Visitors can hold seven-week-old Honey Boo Boo and grab a picture.
"It’s just something you can’t catch everyday," Johnson explained. "You can’t turn on your tv and catch big racing, because it’s just here at the South Carolina State Fair."
The pigs race by Abernathy Arena everyday at 1, 2:30, 4, 5:30 and 7 p.m.