From the Desk of the Godfather February 26, 2017 12:04PM
From the Desk of the Godfather
2017 National Farm Machinery Show and 49th Annual Championship Truck and Tractor Pull
Being my 3rd year at the show with PRN, I was not prepared for what we were about to see. Changes were in the midst! The tractor pull committee had added 2 new classes, well, 1 and brought another back. The buzz was already a positive for the show. Lots of money had been spent on upgrades of the smoke machine and ventilation system.
Here at PRN we had been invited back with the use of the media room and this year Miles Beyond 300’s road show with host Miles Krieger and sponsor Mitas Tire had a stage and spot to hold the road show. Also, Jeremy Krieger with his Pulled in Podcast got some use of the media room with some recordings that will come out soon on the Pulled In website.
Again this year we had many photographers on hand – Adam Draudt & Anna Carmack Galloway – MAD Pulling Pics, Jesse Post & Mike Post – JP Pulling Productions, John Murray & Mike Murray – Let’s Go Pulling, Jake Morgan & Dick Morgan – Pulloff.com, Miles Krieger – Miles Beyond 300, Jeremy Krieger – Pulled In, Ryan Roossinck – Ryan Roossinck Photos (BMPT), Rodney Crum – Power and Noise Photos, Ray Tylutki – Pulling Radio Network and a couple of others from over on the other side of the big pond that I failed to get their names.
Myself not being a photographer, I only spent brief periods in the media section of the pull, except for Saturday night. Being in the media section is a wonderful way to get a different aspect of the pull. You see things and angles of the whole show you would not see at any other location. A few of the photographers caught some candid moments that only the keenest eye could catch or keenest mind would think to look for.
Pulling Radio Network had the opportunity to work with New Holland this year and do three 1 ½ hour shows from their booth in the South Wing of the Farm Machinery Show. It was something we had never ventured into before. It was good exposure for us and the Truck and Tractor pulling world. We learned a lot from this and it will help us to get better at what we do.
Now on to the pulling action…. Wednesday the Modified 4x4 returned to Louisville and put on a show with the Punisher doing a little punishing with a little over 11 feet in front of Darrell Varner and Stray Dog for 2nd but a great show none the less. Super Fam was another great show with Josh Miley and High Maintenan$e taking the win. The Modified tractors was the best class of mods I can remember in recent history. With the Boyd’s claiming #1 and #2, in which anyone who has been around pulling knew it was only a matter of time before they would be on top. Brad Moss takes the win in the Pro Stock Class which was really tight with only 6 feet between the top 4 who qualified to move on. With a 5 tractor pull off in the Mod class and a couple of wrecks, worst being Sullivan’s Kentuckian with the rear end letting go and breaking out the front axle, it took a little time to clear the track, but with all that, it was over by 10:45 with a great show.
On to Thursday night…. Wow is all I can say! 4.1 Limited Pro, what a show these guys put on. Hope this is a mainstay class with always the best in the country. With the GALOT tractors taking 1st and 2nd , it was a tremendous class of OPEN Supers. The Super Farm class had only 11 feet between the top 4 and Greg Freeze on Deere Traxx taking the win. TWD class had only 5 feet between the top 4. With the patriarch of pulling, Randy Petro driving Kathy’s Komplaint taking the win. Having the Nelson crew get 2 entries qualified for the finals, Misty Nelson driving Wild One for the last weekend and her brother-in-law, Jared Nelson driving Midnight Revenger sliding into a 4th place finish enough to qualify for the finals. Keith Long pulling in a 3rd to get to the finals.
On to Friday night…. Super Stock Diesel. Wow again! Colin Ross puts down a very impressive pass only to have Brandon Hunt set up a pull off between the 2 with Colin coming out on top. In the 2 wheelers, the top 4 were only separated by 7 feet. The win goes to Jimmy Mattingly driving Thor with Bethany Nelson driving Sweet Revenge getting into the finals with husband and sister-in-law for a team showdown on Saturday night. Ricky Long gets into the finals against his brother and Ashley Corzine gets her Shell Rotella Second Degree qualified. Onto the Pro-Stock class with Rob Russell and the Work Horse taking the win in an aggressive manner with Ross Boerson and Greenline Express taking 2nd with Darrin Hunt taking 3rd but not able to return to pull off or for the finals on Saturday. This puts Allen Legrand and On the Edge of Sundown and Kevin Schmucker on Git-er-Done Deere into the finals.
Now into the 2 session Saturday, we go with session 1 having two one and done classes. Up first the Super Stock Diesel trucks with Van Haisley taking the win in Rock Hard Ram. Then onto the Light Super Stock class. Wow what a finish! Top honors going to Terry Blackbourn on Considered Armed and Dangerous with Jason Hootman only .038” behind on the Commander, made for an excitement only topped by Hootman’s wins in 2014 and 2015. Then into the Pro Stock Class Ken Couch takes the win with only 5 feet between the top 4 and a Massey Ferguson in Kuhn’s Trailblazer to get 2nd only ½ foot out of first.
As for the finals, only one short delay because what I lead to a great job on the new smoke machine, I think the smoke tube kinked and the smoke machine sucked it closed. All the excitement continued with Colin Ross winning both sessions of Super Stock Diesel and Jimmy Mattingly winning with his session and the finals on Saturday night. And of course the Boyd’s, Steve and Greg, hitting the 1,2 straight box finish in both sessions. Jeff Prible being a defending champion and coming in and defending that title with another victory. Then in the OPEN Super Stock class you have the Blackbourns getting Chizek’s 4th title out of the last 5 years. In Pro Stock, what a well deserved win for Brad Moss and the TS Performance Young Buck. I got to talk to Brad on Saturday morning. I believe it was about a tractor he had a hand in on that is in an up and coming class, the Light Hot Farm, and noticed how much he helped all the competitors and just how much he deep down loves the sport.
My biggest observation of the weekend (it has probably been this way for years, I just had the opportunity to see it up close this year) all 3 of the big organizations, NTPA, PPL and Outlaws helping Mike Whitt and the Championship Tractor Pulling Committee, the smoothest show possible, and a smooth show they did have.
As a fan and now media person it is a show not to miss!


Eric Prewitt
The Prewitt Pulling Team
Public Relations for
The Pulling Radio Network
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