and “Super Bee” (Harwood, Maryland), the 2015 champ, won in Mt. That came after current challenger Keith Wayson Sr. 2018’s champ Steve Bollinger and “Money Pit” (Taylorville, Illinois) led by two points after he posted a win this past weekend in Salem, Illinois. twin-engine Light Unlimited Modified division, it was a two-hook showdown between two former champions. That performance earned him his first NTPA GN title and the Bowling Green championship ring (in a tiebreaker, by only 4.5 inches!) over fellow session-winner Fred Sanders’ “Silver Bullet II” Mack.
That truck, now owned by the Eilen family, is called “Keep on Truckin’,” and sat fifth in the current standings behind leader Ryan DeBroux (New Franken, Wisconsin “Playin’ with Fire” Kenworth), Brian Elithorpe (Bridport, Vermont “Nikki’s Nightmare” Kenworth), Craig Braun (Hampton, Minnesota “Executioner” Peterbilt), and Pat Eilen (Hampton, Minnesota “Just Passin’ Thru in Class” Peterbilt).Įlithorpe retained the momentum of his win two weeks before in Morley, Michigan, and scored a first and a second in the big rigs’ two contested appearances. In recent years, the division has been dominated by Dean Holicky, whose “Mother Trucker” Peterbilt won five of the last six titles through 2019. Super Semi division, the top four contenders were each looking for their first GN title.
Going into the weekend, the NTPA was set to recognize three Grand National (GN) champions from among the 13 divisions. Looking through the photos and video that accompany this story, use the theater of the mind to imagine a cornucopia of noise, vibration, harshness, soot, dirt, corn dogs, and the occasionally launched piston-a perfect way to spend a weekend. But competitors also employ industrial or aircraft powerplants this weekend’s examples included a pair of 12-cylinder Allisons and a trio of turbines. The Modified class ups the ante considerably by allowing up to four supercharged V8 automotive engines to propel a single tractor. Super Stock tractors can run diesel or alcohol and multiple turbochargers on big-block engines. Just like other forms of motorsports, the top-class rigs are impressive. This weekend, competitors worked to pull the sled as far as possible along the 350-foot track, but with a twist: the load gets “heavier” as the puller makes progress because the weight is transferred from the rear of the drag forward, forcing the sled pan into the ground. Distinct divisions are established according vehicle and engine configurations (e.g., Two-Wheel-Drive Trucks, twin-engine Light Unlimiteds). If you’ve never seen an event, here’s how the competition goes down: tractors (and trucks which were added to the competition in the 1970s) in their respective classes pull a set weight loaded onto the drag or sled.
#TRACTOR PULLS IN FLORIDA 2021 DRIVERS#
Our drivers are very engaging, and that’s a refreshing thing for fans.” Our fans can roam the pit area freely and see the equipment and drivers up close. Second, I think our accessibility to fans is key. One of them is the engineering marvel of multi-engine tractors and combinations-two, three, four, five engines together-that has proven to hold a very popular appeal. Randall continued, “In modern times, the sport has become a fan favorite, and there are a couple of secrets to our success. Gregg Randall, the NTPA executive director, told PRI, “Pulling is a historic sport that predates the piston engine.” The sanctioning body overseeing the event was the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA), an organization that manages dozens of events East of the Colorado River every year.
Attending these pulls in person is a tradition that’s easy to understand, given how friendly everybody in the segment is. The crowds helped celebrate the event’s 54th anniversary and were treated to some great action as competitors chased down their share of the weekend’s $250,000 in purse money and contingency prizes. The host for this past weekend’s event was the Northwestern Ohio Tractor Pullers Association, whose “Blue Shirts”-220-plus club members along with executives and board members-put on an excellent show for an estimated 80,000 fans over the weekend. The concept of harnessing modern horsepower to move a giant, weighted sled down a track continues to attract significant audiences both in person and on television. Pulling has deep roots in small-town America. And you might be surprised at some of the rigs pulling this past weekend their quality is evident in the images and video that accompany this story.īut before we get to the weekend’s competition, a little history: As the tractor replaced the horse across the farm fields of North America, Europe, and Australia, tractor pulls (also called power pulling) developed into a rural pastime. Farmers are no less competitive than any of us, and tractor pulls are nothing if not competitive.
Tractor pulls are a literal turbocharged extension of State Fair and 4H events.
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