MOUNT VERNON — A National Tractor Pullers Association Region II competition jumpstarted evening entertainment at the Knox County Fair Sunday night, running six classes of various tractors and trucks in front of a full-capacity crowd at the grandstand.
The highlight of the competition was a national-level run for the Semi division, the final contest of the night. Eight pullers participated and had to make an initial run of at least 310 feet to advance to a second round — five drivers did so successfully.
J.R. Collins of Painesville came out on top, finishing with a run of 310.6 feet in his truck, named Buckeye Bulldog. He barely edged out Gary Rairigh and Pro-Hibbitted II, who finished with a 310.1 distance.
Collins gave credit to his competitors and the fans following his victory.
“It doesn’t look like it from the stands — they’re just another bunch of trucks — but believe me, they are all tough,” he said. “I feel lucky. I love doing it.”
The winner in the Super Farm division had similar reflections after his win. Jerry Wisel of Roanoke, Ind., and Constant Conflict took first place in that competition, finishing with a final distance of 309.42.
Wisel also said he felt lucky to be holding the trophy at the end of the day.
“There’s a lot of luck,” he said. “There’s eight other tractors out there that have just as much horsepower, just as good of tractors as I have, I just had the luck today to get the right piece of dirt and get it out.”
The 4x4 class saw only three drivers make passes last night with Jim Mootz of Lynchburg taking the top spot while driving Buckeye Shaker. He managed a 284.62 foot finish. Jason Shoemaker from North Fairfield followed in second with a run of 282.06, and Chris Kolb came in third with a distance of 271.46.
Each winner was asked by the annoucer what he envisioned right before making his run, and a variety of answers was offered. Mootz said he’s just ready to be at the finish.
“I mostly just think about getting to the end,” he said.
The largest field of competiton last night was the Pro Stock class, which featured 12 drivers from Indiana and Michigan in addition to Ohio. Carlton Cope of Salem made the longest run of the evening for any class, finishing at 343.71 feet in his vehicle, Warpath. Rampage, driven by Danny Schmucke of Louisville, took the second-place check with a 340.37-foot run, and Ryan Walters of Wharton grabbed bronze with his pass of 328.51 feet.
The Pro Stock was followed by the Super Stock division, featuring similar tractors to the Pro Stock with more beefed up engines. Delynn Kale of Richwood stood on top of the podium with his vehicle, Ride the Lightning, making a pass of 317.84 feet. Keith Middleton of Wilmington and Stanley Lloyd of Marengo finished in second and third place, respectively.
The Modified class was the last division to compete prior to the Semi class, hosting a field of five drivers. Todd Feiss of Lawrenceburg, Ind., helming Sno’ Farmer Extreme, was the victor with his run of 341.03 feet, four feet ahead of second-place finisher Don Deane and Plumbers Nitemare.
Feiss said he’s been happy with the way his tractor has been performing in recent competitions.
“It seems to be running pretty consistently,” he said.