9,500lb Limited Pro Stock Tractors
Hailing from across the country, eight different points champions go head-to-head in this Thursday night 9,500lb Limited Pro Stock Tractor face-off. The long list of 2022 points champions includes: first-time Championship Tractor Pull driver Collin Leer with Dairy’In Deere (East Central Iowa Pulling Association), Andre Bourdeau with his Secret Weapon (New York Tractor Pulling Association), Patrick Payne’s Bad to the Bone (National Tractor Pull Association Region 2), Steve Bouseama with Special Edition (Nebraska Bush Pullers), Adrian Cox driving Hickory Hooker (Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Western Series), Brennan Begeman’s Change of Pace (Xcaliber Pulling), Nick Gallitz with Runnin in the Red (Badger State Tractor Pullers) and Kevin Lindstrom’s Hyper Harvester (National Tractor Pull Association Region 3 East and Region 3 West).
Competing alongside the proven winners is rookie Makinze Trinklein driving Like No Other. According to her father, this 19-year-old college student will be “a real force to be reckoned with.”
9,300lb Super Farm Tractors
With a berth in the Saturday night finals on the line the drivers are bringing their A-game to the 9,300lb Super Farm Tractor class in Freedom Hall on Thursday night.
Josh Miley driving High Maintenan$e is eager for a victory in Freedom Hall. Last year he finished second in both the preliminaries and the finals at the Championship Tractor Pull, just shy of the Grand Champion title after a Saturday night pull-off. From there he went on to win the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Champions Tour and is ready to try again on the dirt of Freedom Hall.
He’s not the only one to watch. 2018 Grand Champion Tony Sietsema with Wolverine Deere is back looking for a repeat-win. Holy Smokes, driven by Steve Taggy, finished first in both the NTPA Region 2 and the Wisconsin Tractor Pulling Association. Andy Keyes behind the wheel of Blue Bye U finished his season in the PI Motorsports first in the points race. All of these talented drivers have their eye on the prize.
Another driver with something to prove: Jason Van de Weert with 44 Special Unloaded wants to redeem himself after his throttle handle broke at the 2022 Championship Tractor Pull.
6,200lb 2WD Super Modified Trucks
The lineup of drivers and trucks for the Thursday night 6,200lb 2WD Super Modified Trucks includes fierce competitors who are ready to take on the famous dirt track in Freedom Hall. Richard Morris driving Buffalo’s Chips is the reigning Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulling Association points champion. He felt fortunate to win his league because it was a tough task to “get around all them Texans.”
Competition in Freedom Hall won’t be any easier. Ashley Corzine driving Rekindled is coming off an excellent season where she won both the Illinois Tractor Pulling Association points championship and a coveted ring at Bowling Green. This isn’t her first trip down the dirt track as she won a Grand Champion title in 2018.
The competition is stacked. Other winners include: Jeffery Boucher (New York Tractor Pullers Association), Dustin Bentley (TNT Truck and Tractor Pull) and the undisputed champion of North Carolina, Brandon Lee coming off winning both the PPL’s member-state Carolina Truck and Tractor Pullers and the NTPA’s member-state United Pullers of the Carolina’s championships in the same year.
10,200lb Pro Stock Tractors
Last year’s Championship Tractor Pull winner RJ Simon returns with a new tractor, Brute Force, to defend his 10,200lb Pro Stock Grand Tractor Champion title. With new wheels hitting the track, only time will tell what his new machine is made of. His former tractor competes on Friday night and if they both advance, we’ll see a head-to-head battle between his current machine and old victor.
Another champion machine, the Barely Gettin’ By returns with Jack Wischmeier at the controls to attempt a repeat on the 2010 Freedom Hall victory Jack’s father Steve Wischmeier. Watch out for Clint Metting behind the wheel of Bulletproof Buck, who came in second in the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulling points race, where his son took first place with their family’s new pulling tractor. Metting has attended the National Farm Machinery show since 2012 and began competing in 2018, so he knows what it means to win in Louisville. Another long-time Championship Tractor Pull fan, Braden Shramek with Youngblood, returns after a tough year where breakage left him unable to compete for points. He’s been a spectator since he was a toddler and started competing in 2015.
Don’t forget to keep your eye on Julia Ray driving MAC Daddy. She had an excellent season in the NTPA Grand Nationals where she finished second in the points race.
