Sandpile wins March 29, 2026 02:30AM
Why do so many indoor pulls have the sled settings to where the winning vehicle has to nearly put the drawbar in the sand? Stop them so the front weights or tires are just kissing the sand pile
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Re: Sandpile wins March 29, 2026 12:36PM
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Wondering
Why do so many indoor pulls have the sled settings to where the winning vehicle has to nearly put the drawbar in the sand? Stop them so the front weights or tires are just kissing the sand pile

Because that is the "show" now. And I've seen it where it is NOT just the winning vehicle that puts the drawbar in the sand. It can be the top 4 or 5 in a class. And measured no matter how deep it's in the sand. I myself don't like it. Much can be broken by sucking sand in an engine. And I feel like it's dangerous. Now that's just my opinion and I don't expect anyone to agree with it. There are many that like to see that kind of a "show".
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Re: Sandpile wins March 29, 2026 12:44PM
Watched a sled view of Sweet Pain hitting the pile. Good thing he had belts on or he would have left the seat. That thing stopped in a hurry.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 29, 2026 04:10PM
Thanks for your concern, I’m ok, don’t even have shoulder strap bruises. I was sore last night and earlier today but it’s gone now.

Tie rods broke right where they were supposed to and the smashed wheelie bars will get cut off and rebuilt. The chassis is fine.

I shut the ignition off on that front engine before the sand pile and had the butterflies closed before hitting sand. We would’ve come back but the sand poured in the exhaust pipes and 1 of those valves was open.

I’m bummed that I didn’t get to compete for the win. Congrats to Wayne on the win, what a great group of mod guys!

Please like and share us at “Sweet Pain Pulling Team” on facebook
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 12:01AM
Craig, I'm sure glad that for the most part, you and the tractor are ok. The way that the sled drove you into the barrier, I thought for sure that the frame would be shorter by an inch or three. I'm just glad that the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been.

H
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Re: Sandpile wins March 29, 2026 01:15PM
I personally wouldnt want to be a sled operator at a indoor pull..Getting a perfect sled set for each class has to be a challenge...Theres just not much room for error..

If I were a puller I sure wouldnt want to draw number one hook in my class..In fact I would be a lousy indoor puller...I would probably let off the throttle way early when I see that sand pile rapidly approaching....Sweet Pain sure suffered lots of damage at Louisville...I sure hated to see that as you could tell he wouldnt be coming back when the rear wheels lifted off the track....That sled set was off about the most that I have ever seen at a indoor pull..
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Re: Sandpile wins March 29, 2026 11:33PM
I don't think it's intentional that the sled operators set a sled to purposely let guys hit the sand pile. I do think that they will miss the setup up on the sled every now and then. No different than any puller. I also feel that sometimes, that one puller finds the perfect combination that is going to put him 20+ ft in front of everyone else. Personally, I am not a fan of when pullers run up into the sand pile. The sandpile should be there as a safety precaution. But in a place like Freedom Hall, you can't stop everyone 50 feet short of the pile just to make sure no one gets to it. It sucks for Ulmers, it really does. But I don't think there is a magical answer to fix this.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 12:24AM
What happened is just as much or more on the fault of the puller.

You have to know where you are on the track and understand that it is up to you when to back out of it if you think you are gonna hit the sand.

If you watch the onboard video the red lights on the sled and at the end of the track come on 50 feet from the sand pile. There was cause for warning for the driver to slow down.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 02:26AM
While your proposition is largely factually correct, the time from red light to stop of all motion in the pile was 3/4 of a second. Please tell me on what planet your reaction time and ability to cancel momentum on that much mass exists. Putting any of it on Craig is BS.

CP
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 03:46AM
cpr, totally agree, that much mass moving at that speed is vertically impossible to stop in that short amount of time. It's not you just pull the throttle back and everything comes to a sudden stop.


Dick Morgan

www.PULLOFF.com
Independent Pulling News
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 04:20AM
The logical answer is to set a full pull mark before the event with enough space that a full pull is not 4 feet into the pile. The Indy Super Pull used to (set full pull, no sand there). Even NFMS used to in the 1970s. Yet, for some reason promoters have convinced themselves (wrongly imo) that their show will suffer if someone isn't wheels deep in the sand.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 06:31AM
So painting a definitive line does what for a sled setting? VB had a handkerchief over the crystal ball of perfection on purpose or?

CP
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Re: Sandpile wins April 01, 2026 03:44AM
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cpr
So painting a definitive line does what for a sled setting? VB had a handkerchief over the crystal ball of perfection on purpose or?

CP

CPR, you realize the same could be asked to the guy who started the thread quoting NTPA's track length rule? How does "painting" a line at 350' help with sled setting?

It creates the outer boundary or finish line. It gives the operator the "line in the sand" to aim for, pardon the pun. Let me turn it around: How did Indy Super Pull at the old coliseum harm the sled setting by having a 230/234/235 foot track depending on yhe year? Ditto for Louisville in the '70s where they did have a finish line they called 300' but was actually more like 240ish, well before the sand pile?
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Re: Sandpile wins April 01, 2026 07:41AM
Sure, which is why ISP ran towards the ramp and when MATS was an NTPA show, they did there also.

CP
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 03:40PM
The lack of situational awareness is what I am getting at... If you are at 220 feet in Freedom hall and not slowing down – that would tell me to back out of it and save my stuff....

The front end was up in the air and still had forward max speed/momentum going past the last cone..

To put all of the blame on VB... Next time I say we just let VB pull the kill on someone who doesn't know when to let out of it. And then we will have the puller complain about breaking the front end when it drops. But at least they won't have sand in the motors.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 31, 2026 12:45AM
To Bad News Travels Fast, I don't think it's that simple. I don't run anything of that size, but everything happens very quick. And in my experience, some sleds hit hard on the big end. So they stop you fairly quick. Usually, by the time you KNOW you are going to hit the pile, it's too late to back out of the throttle.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 31, 2026 12:34AM
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Bad News Travels Fast
What happened is just as much or more on the fault of the puller.

You have to know where you are on the track and understand that it is up to you when to back out of it if you think you are gonna hit the sand.

If you watch the onboard video the red lights on the sled and at the end of the track come on 50 feet from the sand pile. There was cause for warning for the driver to slow down.

You can Monday morning quarterback this to death, it's the sled operators job to set the sled correctly for the vehicles competing and length of track in which they're competing on and the tractor drivers job to operate the tractor within the white lines of the track and follow the instruction of the flagman.

205 foot "ish" green lights are still on


225 foot "ish" green flag is still out from flagman, it was past 220 feet before the red light at the end of the track changed to red (220' from the pan + 17' for the tractor = 17' to get all momentum stopped)



[www.ulmerracing.com]
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 04:41AM
There was 2 resets in that for as long has been running a sled you think would be able to be consistent but it's that way all season.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 05:02AM
They do not run the Lt. Mods at the NFMS, so it was a learning curve.


Dick Morgan

www.PULLOFF.com
Independent Pulling News
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Re: Sandpile wins March 31, 2026 03:19AM
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Dick Morgan
They do not run the Lt. Mods at the NFMS, so it was a learning curve.

I hope I have this right...They ran the Mods at 7500 lbs at NFMS...At the Mac Trailer Pull they ran the Light Mods at 7400 lbs like Outlaws do..

To be safe I think that you would start with a sled setting close to the same as the NFMS pull..Its easier to take one-two blocks out than to have to add two blocks back..Yes,I know theres lots of horsepower difference between the two classes.

Once again I would not want to be a sled operator at a indoor pull...The pressure is sure on them to hit it right the first time..Also,I wouldnt want to be the first hook in my class at a indoor pull..I have heard that there are several pullers that wont pull indoors for fear of destroying their pullers?
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Re: Sandpile wins March 31, 2026 06:04AM
THIS!! ^^^

You can b!tch and complain all you want.. But if you don't wanna risk hurting your stuff in the sand, then don't go.

And don't go blaming the sled guy...
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Re: Sandpile wins March 31, 2026 07:13AM
First puller can bump and drop 6 or bottom
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Re: Sandpile wins April 01, 2026 12:54AM
Patches, I am sorry, but that is a dick move there. I personally do not care to be 1st puller. But I would never do that. I am sorry, but that is an absolute waist of time, hurts the show, and screws over the 2nd puller in the class. I get what you are saying and the reasoning on why. But if that is the mentality someone has, than I hope they leave their stuff home.
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Re: Sandpile wins April 01, 2026 12:05PM
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avercusauto
Patches, I am sorry, but that is a dick move there. I personally do not care to be 1st puller. But I would never do that. I am sorry, but that is an absolute waist of time, hurts the show, and screws over the 2nd puller in the class. I get what you are saying and the reasoning on why. But if that is the mentality someone has, than I hope they leave their stuff home.
Not a dick move at all,iit beats killing a motor and completely legal,its your choice.puts the sled guy on the spot too.dont ya go to win ??
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Re: Sandpile wins April 01, 2026 11:41PM
Nope, still a dick move. I don't care if it is legal. Have the announcer explain to the crowd that a puller is gong to just bump the sled because he doesn't want to be test hook. You are intentionally wasting time because you don't want to be test hook. And now the 2nd puller in the class is the test puller without the option to come back. And what happens if they are stopping everyone well short of the sandpile, you drop to 6th, get a great pass and still put it in the pile? Then what? It sucks that Ulmers hit the pile like that. And I truly don't want to see pullers hit the pile. To me the pile is there for safety, not a goal to hit. And I don't thin any sled operator is intentionally setting the sled to get pullers to hit the pile either.

To you last point. Yes, I go to win every time. And we take a knife to a gun fight when we go. I tell my son "We try for 1st, and except when we get last." I don't like being test hook, but it is part of the game. Now, last year at one of our events, my son drew test hook. We hit the setup and he drove it perfect. I knew mid track it was going to be a hell of a pass. And it was. Went off the end of the track. There was plenty of runoff so nothing happened. He was able to come back last and still win the class. That was his only win last year. If there would have been a sandpile at the end, he would have hit it, hard. The sled we were hooked to had stopped that tractor all summer long. But the one day in August, we had the combination that worked better then anyone else. I guess my point is, sometimes puller just have the right combo that day. That is hard to plan for. And you can't stop pullers so short of the sandpile that is ruins the show. The sled operators are going to do the best they can, and that's all I can ask for.
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Re: Sandpile wins April 02, 2026 12:40AM
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avercusauto
Nope, still a dick move. I don't care if it is legal. Have the announcer explain to the crowd that a puller is gong to just bump the sled because he doesn't want to be test hook. You are intentionally wasting time because you don't want to be test hook. And now the 2nd puller in the class is the test puller without the option to come back. And what happens if they are stopping everyone well short of the sandpile, you drop to 6th, get a great pass and still put it in the pile? Then what? It sucks that Ulmers hit the pile like that. And I truly don't want to see pullers hit the pile. To me the pile is there for safety, not a goal to hit. And I don't thin any sled operator is intentionally setting the sled to get pullers to hit the pile either.

To you last point. Yes, I go to win every time. And we take a knife to a gun fight when we go. I tell my son "We try for 1st, and except when we get last." I don't like being test hook, but it is part of the game. Now, last year at one of our events, my son drew test hook. We hit the setup and he drove it perfect. I knew mid track it was going to be a hell of a pass. And it was. Went off the end of the track. There was plenty of runoff so nothing happened. He was able to come back last and still win the class. That was his only win last year. If there would have been a sandpile at the end, he would have hit it, hard. The sled we were hooked to had stopped that tractor all summer long. But the one day in August, we had the combination that worked better then anyone else. I guess my point is, sometimes puller just have the right combo that day. That is hard to plan for. And you can't stop pullers so short of the sandpile that is ruins the show. The sled operators are going to do the best they can, and that's all I can

By your logic of ruining "the show"......we've all seen this many many times too
A 2 tractor pulloff,1st puller can't come back or gets a dq,2nd puller bumps sled,gets a "measurable distance" and wins,2nd puller gets better points and money by doing a dick move....shouldn't he lay down a full pass to please the fans ??...,we've all seen it and done it,thats when you become a mechanic instead of a crowd pleaser
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Re: Sandpile wins April 02, 2026 01:42AM
Patches, we are not talking about Pull Offs. We are talking about test hooks and sand piles. But to your point, I agree that if someone comes back in a pull off and bumps the sled, it hurts the show.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 11:54AM
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Tbj999
There was 2 resets in that for as long has been running a sled you think would be able to be consistent but it's that way all season.

If you're a puller do you ever miss your setup even though you've been pulling for years? Or do you ever mess up at work even though you've been doing it for years? That's a stupid comment you made because you don't know what you're talking about. You ever been to the farm show where one night the setting is perfect and the next. The exact same setting is 20 ft from the sand pile even though the track looks exactly the same. It's not as simple as you make it out to be and we're all human and yes even you would miss sled settings if you were Vaughn Bauer.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 12:19PM
I'm not bashing him just telling as I see it. Kevin bauer is pretty good with the outlaws as well as sabotka don't see alot of resets.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 30, 2026 02:27PM
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Tbj999
I'm not bashing him just telling as I see it. Kevin bauer is pretty good with the outlaws as well as sabotka don't see alot of resets.
No you don’t but there’s a lot of 370-400’ passes too! You need to take that into your comment.
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Re: Sandpile wins March 31, 2026 03:21AM
And remember when they are having those long passes outdoors there are 5-7 weights in the box of the sled, there were 4.5 in the box on Saturday on a 240' track.
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Re: Sandpile wins April 01, 2026 01:42AM
A lot more goes into setting the sled than the number of bricks in it. Box speed, where does the pan drop, when does the push down come on, etc.
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Re: Sandpile wins April 01, 2026 10:43AM
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Pullinfan4255
And remember when they are having those long passes outdoors there are 5-7 weights in the box of the sled, there were 4.5 in the box on Saturday on a 240' track.

There were 5.5. 4 big ones and two small ones. Plus the two on the pan.
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