Holy Cow Tractor Pulling Team

Sunday, September 28, 2003

Daily Puzzle
I took some more pictures at Hillsdale for the Daily Puzzle. Enjoy.

Holy Cow Wins Wolverine Modified Championship
A rainout at Hillsdale ended the season and left Piekarski and Holy Cow 5 1/2 points ahead of Wayne Krider for his first Wolverine title.

Survivor 7 - 2
I am really into this survivor, I think Rupert is really making the show. As had become the norm, Morgan screw up, looses both challenges, and just generally sucks. The Drake tribe seems to work like a family and in the past, that has been a positive thing. When Morgan learned of their second trip to TC, Osten begged to be voted off because he "was spent." Forshadowing! Remember in S6, Jenna asked to be voted off a more than on TC because she couldn't handle it and ended up the $1M winner. You would be a moron to vote of Osten with his big muscles and strength and keep someone like Ryan. At least the team made a good decision. Let's see if they can go for two.

I am really liking the pillaging aspect of this game. Each time a tribe wins a reward challenge, they get to take something from the other tribe. This week, Drake took a tarp from Morgan, which served as the roof of their shelter. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more coverage of this in the Drake tribe. The fact is, they took the tarp because it was about the only thing of value that Morgan had. What they wanted was a water jug, but abandoned that plan when they realized that Mogan didn't have a water jug.

Hillsdale (Session II)
All the piston guys spent the morning wrenching while Deane and Krause looked on. Gary got his blower shaft changed and us our belt. Jostock found a belt with a tear in it. It would have broken on the next run. About 2, the horse race was over and we all headed back to the track. We saw Jack Keilmeyer's hauler and shortly afterward he came down. I guess the whole move off fairground property was not coordinated that well and about midnight the cops showed up asking who he was and what did he think he was doing. He stayed there, but I don't think we will ever learn the whole story.

The weather was beautiful and we looked forward to the final pull of the season. As the pull approached, the air got the feeling of storm and the clouds rolled in. The FWD class went off without a hitch, but as the SS class progressed, there was lightening in the skies. I was test hook and saw rain drops on my fenders as I drove on the track. Again, I think I had a nice run going, and again, threw a belt. Not going to be my weekend. Don Deane blew it out the gate and Jim Craig only went 100' when the called the pull due to rain. So, with everyone receiving rain points, that means I can claim my first Michigan title and my second championship on the year.

Hillsdale (Session I)
This is the first time we had every pulled here and it is different. You pull on a horse track in front of the grandstand. Since the track is banked, the pulling track is set up at an angle to try to make the track flatter. But, the track still slopes to the left pretty good and it makes for an interesting driving experience. This night will be the night of the lost motor. Don Deane can't get enough traction to load his turbines and one overspeeds and shuts down. Jack Kielmeyer had probably the best looking pass of the night going and the throttle cable falls off one motor shutting the butterflies. Jim Craig broke a blower belt. Gary Diekman twisted off a blower shaft, the Allison equivalent of breaking a blower belt. I hooked to the sled and had a nice pass started when I lost a belt. We finished 6th. There was a lot of good iron and a lot of problems. Bob Jostock made a super pass for the only full pull and the win. Stahl, Deane, Kielmeyer, and Krider rounded out the top 5.

After the pull the Michigan officials had a cookout for the pullers. Special thanks go out to Scott, Art, and Dan. About 20 drivers and crew gather around the fire in the cold Michigan air and had a good time.

Now, the thing with Hillsdale is that they are limited on Parking. So, they park spectators in the infield and require us to park our haulers on the track during the pull, but we have to move because there is horse racing on Friday morning. I guess in the past, they moved us to the infield for the day, but this year they changed that. I am not sure why, but they can a hell of a storm on Wednesday and part of the infield was a swamp, so maybe they just figured they needed the extra space. We were told to leave the fairgrounds and go a 1/4 mile to a highway garage or airport or something like that. Well, following the cookout, Deane wanted near electricity for his heater, so he pulled in the infield anyway. Diekman followed. Krause also made his way in. It was cold and we were ready for bed, so we followed parking near Diekman and Jostock completed the fivesome. The next morning they did move us to a marshalling yard for vendor trailers, but seemed OK with the decision to stay on the grounds.

Saturday, September 20, 2003

Centreville, MI
4 Big classes at this state pull. Since the season is over for just about everyone, tractors came from everywhere to play. We had 13 in the mod class. We got our class moved to last to allow travel time for the mods that attended the meeting at Richwines earlier in the morning. I drew 4th hook in the class and as we moved up to get ready I looked at the track. I had been working on Barga's tractor and my own up to that point and hadn't really looked at the track or watch anyone else pull. The track was sandy, but had clay mixed in. It was one of those scratch your head and wonder will the sand just let the tires spin (and require no nose weight) or will the clay there create enough stick give a grab to the tires. At least I can watch a few tractors. I settle for a medium nose weight and tire pressure. First up was Ed Stahl, a good running tractor I am familiar with. Right off the bat, it is obvious that there is nothing out of the hole. He spins the tires for the first 100 feet or so and then really puts the nose in the air almost immediately following series of hard left and right turns. He shuts it down to stay inbounds and turns down his run. Next up is Don Deane. Almost the same thing happens, nothing, then a hard bite and a turn to the right and again shuts it down to stay inbounds. Next is Alan Judy. A new puller and a new tractor. He probably doesn't know his tractor that well for setup and I don't know what to expect. However, it is a carbon copy of the previous two, nothing for 100', the front tires up 4' in the air and a hard turn to the left this time. He tries to ride it out but the front end drops breaking off a front wheel and a DQ for out of bounds. OK, so when the track hooks, it hooks hard and unpredictably. Still not sure on nose weight, but I figure I will try it. Just like the others, nothing off the line and I hold the throttle back and just a the tractor starts to hook I can feel it shake or something wanting to turn, so I stay out of the throttle a little longer until it settles down. When I do nail it, it carries the front nicely, but I am way to far down the track and only get 257, but good enough for first right now and what would hold as the best distance for the Indiana tractors. Barga, Jostock, Miller all hammer down out of the hole and seemed to get enough ground speed to get past the bad part of the track. Diekman was maybe a little more conservative and peddled it once, but had ample tire speed to finish 3rd in the 280's. Barga was way out the end, Jostock finished 3rd at 275 and Miller 4th at 263 and we held on to 5th. Everyone else really seemed to struggle with that 100-150 spot.

Perhaps if the rules were such that the tractors were clustered a little closer, we would have had a lighter sled and could have gotten a better hole shot to build some ground speed. Who knows. Miller had a fantastic run, but only bettered me by 6', so who can really say what would have happened. I was happy with what I got and increased my Michigan lead by another point to 6 1/2 over Wayne Krider. Now that I am more familiar with that track, I would have driven it different and am looking forward to next year.

Survivor 7 Premier
Always have been big survivor fans and this falls looks like a good one. Different from all in the past, the castaways were abandoned in a village wearing only the clothes on their back and each tribe got some money where they needed to buy what they would use for the next 39 days. Right off the bat, you have to like the Drake Team. First, hometown boy Rupert (Graduated from High School from Kokomo and now lives in Indianapolis) stops to rest with what little they had acquired. The other team, Morgan, dumps all their stuff and runs away, so Rupert takes it. After all, this follows a pirate theme. Both teams perhaps screw up by not spending all of their money, but Drake seems well prepared. Morgan doesn't do as well bargaining and forgets more important things like a barrel for water, instead getting a big pan.

When the teams arrive at their new home, the first thing Drake does is a big group hug, and then everyone pitches in building shelter, fire, and so on. Morgan just scatters, with no apparent plan, no division of labor. The only thing they do as a group is all 8 wander up and down the beach looking for water (and ignoring the map). It comes as no surprise that Morgan loses the first immunity challenge and is the first to send one away. Once it seems a sure thing that Ryan is the one to go, Nicole lets her mouth get ahead of he brain and criticizes one of her own and is then the first to go.

Sunday, September 14, 2003

NTPA Region II Champion - Gary and Brian Diekman and Rat Poison
Congratulations to Gary and Brian Diekman for winning the RN II Modified Title. They ran hard and had a very consistent year. They finished with 244 points, 14 points ahead of runner up Don Deane. We were one point down from Deane taking 3rd.

The Fastest Truck
Wayne Krider, Mike Schoenemann and us spent the night in the pits. The next morning we got up and planned a good breakfast before heading back to Indiana. There are some serious hills down there, especially near the pits. Shortly after leaving Peebles on the Application Highway, we came to a long down hill, across a flat area, and another long hill back up. I was leading and let the truck run a little going down to get a little boost for the hill back up. Mike and Wayne were a little ways back, and had the same idea. Then I saw the State Cop heading east in the other lane. I was already on the brakes and slowed even more, but I knew I was at least 65 and probably pushing 70. But, he went by and I didn't think we would mess with me. So, I continued down the hill. Next thing I see is flashing lights. I pull off and the cop parks behind me. I hear Mike on the CB say "We'll just wait for you at breakfast, I think you'll be here a while." I looked in my mirror and saw the cop get out of his car and stand in the middle of the right lane. He pointed one arm at Mike and one at Wayne and motioned them both onto the shoulder behind me. I got on the CB and announced "No, Mike, I think you will be waiting here with me". We all got tickets, mine for 74, and them both at 66. We all think that was a little fast, but really didn't want to argue. Depending on who you get, the police and the DOT sometimes have problems with our haulers, either the way they are licensed or CDL or whatever. So, I really didn't want to argue a simple speeding ticket. Anyway, we all got caught back up and Mike said to me "Well, Larry, now we know you have the fastest truck, and you have the paperwork to prove it!"

Peebles, OH
We picked up Trevor Cox along the way, and him along with the Diekman's and us pulled into Peebles about 2:00 the next day. We had only minor repairs from the night before and were ready to pull. I really like pulling here and this makes our 3rd trip. The first one was a rainout and the 2nd should have been. From what I remember, the dirt looked fantastic and I was expecting a killer power track. The Brushcreek Motorsports staff treated us great, proving that you can even race tracks can treat people well. We had 11 mods there at the beginning of the event and Bob Jostock rolled in very late, having just driven from Allegan to Macon, MO for an ATPA pull that was rained out, turned around to made it back to Peebles. Well, the track wasn't the power track I had hoped for. It reminded me a lot of Marion Co, Indiana. It looked like great dirt, but just didn't have the bite we had hoped. I don't know if it was track prep or just something in the dirt. Chad Shultheis was second hook and made an outstanding hook getting it out the gate. Tractor after tractor seemed to be having problems and only making to to 250 or so. Jostock made a typical nice pass also getting out the gate. As the class progressed, the remaining pullers figured out what wasn't working and Gary Diekman and I both seemed to think alike. Gary took it out to 293 with a strong pass and we stopped just short at 289. Next back was Darrick Barga at 280. Darrick had a real nice pass going but got close to the left side line and fell into a soft sport and just stopped. His distance was good for 5th, however. I didn't see the run, but I think Jostock lost a motor in the pull off and finished 2nd behind Shultheis.

I still like pulling there, perhaps it is just the beautiful Application hills, but the grandstands were sparsely filled and I just don't think that event will survive.

Travel Time
At Allegan, some of the Mods discussed the trip to Peebles the next day. We decided that Diekmans, Don Deane, and us would travel together and get some of the drive under our belt that night. Gary suggested we find a place to stop where we could eat breakfast in the morning. I suggested the Flying J in Beaverdam, OH. They have decent food, truck parking, and it would be about 1/2 way. Well, we accidentally got separated from Don at the Indiana border, but Gary and I arrived together at Beaverdam at about 2:30 in the morning. Stacey was helping be back in to a spot and came running up to point out the lot lizard. A young black woman in a short tight blue dress and silver spiked heals was walking down the row in front of us looking for someone or a certain truck. We got parked, and moved the dogs back into the trailer and we going to settle in for the night. Stacey peaked out the bedroom window and called for me to look as well. Now the woman was joined by a white woman in Daisy Duke shorts and white ankle high spikes. They were walking the other direction when the passenger door of a white Semi across from us opened up and the two climbed inside. Stacey never believed that Lot Lizards really existed, but we witnessed probably more than we wanted.

Allegan, MI
8 Mods show up for the 2nd to last RN event this summer. One look at the track showed that the big mounds outside the fairground must be sand dunes as the track is very sandy as well. It definitely isn't going to be a power track, but the crew seems to have done a decent job of preparing it. We hook early in the class and hope for a good run both extend our lead in Wolverine and perhaps make up some points in RN II. We try a different spot on the track and make a decent looking pass. The tractor was well balanced, but we never attained ground speed. The pass lasted over 15 seconds and was the longest, time wise, of the year. Right at the end of the end of the pass, a blower belt complained at the additional work load and broke, but we made it out the gate at 304. We quickly got the tractor back to the trailer and with help from crew Edd Reves and Brian VanZweeden we started work on changing the belt. While working on the belt, Gary Diekman and Ryan Stahl also get it out the gate. Stahl also breaks a belt. Gregg Randall checks our progress and well tell him we don't think we can be fixed in time, but we will keep working. The announcer goes on and on about the points race and other stuff I couldn't really hear and that bought us enough time to get finished. Thanks Tom. So we go back to the track and make a better pass this time and go 292.9 on the second run. Gary makes an equally nice pass and gets into the throttle a little sooner and really gets some nice ground speed. He shuts it off at 319. Ryan just didn't have time to change belts and with verifiable breakage just takes 3rd spot. Wayne Krider and Bob Jostock round out the top 5.

Sunday, September 07, 2003

Kokomo Gas Tower
So, what do tractor pullers do when they are not blowing stuff up on the track. Go and watch other people blow stuff up. At 7:30 on September 7th, the landmark Kokomo Gas Tower was imploded and we were there. This 400' storage vessel was built in the 1950's and used to store natural gas. The tower has not been used for some time as more efficient means of storage are now available. In need of paint and repair, the decision was made to demolish the tower, since it didn't make sense to repair the obsolete tower. This huge landmark towered over everything else in Kokomo and was easily visible from US 31. We had never seen anything like this in person, and thought we would check it out. We parked near the Eagle's Lodge behind Chrysler along with probably 500 others and even ran in to former cowokers and ski buddies Brian and Mary Beth Thompson. At about 7:30, I saw a orange flash of light near the base and thought it was some type of warning light, but from film I saw later on TV, it was the first set of explosions on the side away from where we were standing. Several seconds passed with apparently nothing happening and then rows of smoke and fire could be seen in rings around the bottom, middle, and top of the tower. Again nothing seemed to be happening. A second later, again more rings of smoke and fire, and the began moving. It first seemed to fall about 1/2 of it's height straight down, and then gently fell away from us. Suprisingly, it was really rather quiet, not as much noise and the 4th of July fireworks, and there was not much smoke or dust. It will be really weird not seeing it in when in town, but on the other hand, it didn't really make good economic sense to save it.

Tipton, IN
The final HSTPA pull of the year was at Tipton where both 8SS and Pro classes ran as well as 2 farm classes. Some of the fair board members were pushing to get a mod class there and Mark's Small Engine Repair in Tipton was generous enough to sponsor us. We were to make an exhibition pass following the Pro Stocks, but with 2 in the pull off, they wanted a little more time to cool off, so I ran between the class and the pull off. I wish we had made a better pass, but we were a little nose heavy and just didn't get the ground speed we would have liked. At the very end, we broke a belt, adding to an already mediocre pass. The crowd really like what they saw and Mark said they would most likely have a full Mod class there next year. I think that is great. We have pulled at Tipton many years ago with the econo rod and they always seem to have a good crowd. We haven't been there in a couple of years, but they have really improved the grounds. The problem in the past was parking as pit space was limited and spectators usually crowded right in with the haulers. The parking situation is still not segregated, but they vastly expanded the pit space and the crowding didn't seem to be a problem.

Saturday, September 06, 2003

Saline, MI
Great turn out of Mods for this event. For some reason, Michigan seems to start the pulling season a little earlier and run a little later than other states, and that translates to big turnouts at the start and end of the season. 11 Mods showed up. Most of the automotive tractors don't like the position of test hook. Generally, if there is a sled reset that means 2 runs and possibly 3 if you make it out. That is just too much heat for an engine without a cooling system. As I walked up to the entry trailer, I passed Judy Miller who made the remark "Just don't draw less than 13 and you will be OK. Zippy got 13." I gave my license to the entry clerk and rolled the bingo ball machine and out popped number 12. She looked at me and said "I think Judy just jinxed you". Oh well, that is the way the cookie crumbles. 2002 was the year of test hook for us and so far we have been very lucky this year.

As tractors continued in, Bob Soisson drew number 2 and got the honor of showing us how it's done, leaving me in #2. Bob made an OK run of 276. I think there was discussion to lighten the sled, but decided against it thinking the track would get better. The starting flagman Art signaled me to bring the cow to life and I fired the three motors for this state hook. Now, just one thing I should ad, Art was the starting line flagman at Wauseon (a double track pull) last weekend and when I pulled on the track, Andy Deane had problems with his TWD truck and was being pulled back for a second attempt. The officials didn't want two vehicles "racing" side by side so they delayed my start. After sitting there for a little bit with the engines running, Art told me to shut it off, so keep them from overheating. Art did the right thing, He was doing a good job of keeping the show moving and an unexpected delay put me in a bad situation. So, here we are at Saline, Art tells me to start and I pull on the track and get hooked to the sled. Just then, the roller decides to make one more pass and I sit there, engines running, watching the track crew. Again, not Art's fault, just a coincidence.

As I roll into the throttle, the front end start to quickly lift. It is obvious that I don't have enough nose weight and I am going to be in trouble, so I check my track position and see I am well short of 100' and shut it off. I drop 6 so I can refuel because I don't know how much I burned waiting for the roller. We refuel and I move weight forward. Bob Jostock makes a terrific pass, but there is lots of smoke and seems to have lost a motor in the process. He is the first full pull of the night. On my second attempt, I come out of the hole and again the front is a little higher than I would like, but at least driveable. We get it out to 311' so an automatic pull off. (Michigan adopted the GN and RN 310 pull off rule this summer) Late in the class, Brian Diekman takes his Rat Poison out and makes 3 in the pull off.

Again, I refuel and move weight forward. A much better pass this time out to 263 on a much heavier sled. Diekman passes right by me out to 280. The Diekmans and I have been in many pulloff together this year, but for one reason or another I have been unable to make an good second pass, either breakage, DQ, or driver error. This was the first "honest" pull off between the two tractors, but the Allisons remained on top.

Monday, September 01, 2003

Holy Cow wins HSTPA Modified Points.
The rainout at Connersville, IN was the final HSTPA event for 2003. We finished 9 points ahead of Wayne Krider to win our first points title. There are still races left this season. I still hold a 1/2 point lead in Michigan and fell way back in Region II at Wauseon. The Michigan race will come down to the last hook, but Gary and Brian Diekman probably will win the Region II race.

Connersville, IN
All we needed to win the HSTPA title was to bump the sled. Obviously, we would try to win, but we were confident on winning our first title. As we left home, it started raining, and got harder and harder the closer we got. We pulled in the pits about 2:00 and at 2:30 they announced the pull had been canceled. We got our hook points and headed home.

Plymouth, IN
For the second year in a row, this is the worst pull I have ever been to. The promoter is a major ass and likes to flex his muscles and force us mold our show to his desires. Here is my opinion. He runs a little know dirt track and has a weekly series of "budget" style race cars. You know the type, an entry level car that is pretty much indestinguisable from a demo derby car. So, every hillbilly in a 10 mile radius of the track that wants to race shows up. It is not a professional crowd and I can see that you need to be pretty strict with those people. He needs to realize that we are not those people. Many of the competitors are former or current Grand National or Regional National title holders and have more professionalism in their little finger than his entire operation. Furthermore, it is obvious that he doesn't even understand our sport. I was standing with a group of drivers and he cruised up in his Gator and asked the HSTPA president a question. "How does you show work, is their time trials and then a feature?" He was dead serious. Did he even farkin' watch last years show? So, here is trying to mold our show to fit is narrow vision of racing. I really am curious on how a Time Trial would work.

OK, so all of us pulled at Wauseon the night before, which is just a few hours away. Most of us spent the night there and drove over in the morning. Again, Mr. Ass doesn't see any reason for any driver to show up more than about 30 minutes ahead of time, right? So we pull in and start working on our vehicles, checking and fixing from the night before. About 3 or so, Mr Ass is screaming into the PA system. Now, you have to realize, this guy has no idea how to address people. First you have his attitude, but on top of that, it sounds as if he has the mic in his mouth and he is screaming so loud it is distorting like crazy. So, all we really hear is the teacher from Charlie Brown.. Wahhh woohh waah wahhh wahh wahhh.

Somebody deciphered that we needed wrist bands and had to go to the pit gate. So, we all went of there to sign their waiver and get a wrist band. When we got there. Once a dozen or so drivers crowded around the gate house, the mental giants inside started a discussion on how they were going to hand out gate passes. Perhaps they should have had this discussion well before Mr. Ass screamed at us. Mr Ass was most concerned that no one got 300 people in with a single vehicle. So, they decided that they will ask for a drivers name and write it on a note pad. Since their were two windows open, they had two note pads, so there was nothing to stop me and from getting my pass and 3 of my buddies passes at one window and another 4 passes at the other window. Since there was two lists, there was no way for them to quickly verify that a given driver wasn't on both lists. Furthermore, they never asked for proof the we were indeed a driver. So, Joe Bob Hillbilly could walk up and say he was a driver and they would just write Joe Bob Hillbilly on their note pad and give him his pass or passes.

Of course, I notice this right off, but the mental giants in side so sure they have this fool proof plan that I don't want to break their bubble. So, I get my coveted wrist band and go back to work on my tractor. This old lady stops me and says no one can enter the pit until everyone has been removed and gotten their wrist bands. Screw that I thought. I got stuff to do, and I don't want to hang out in the parking lot. So I stepped around and headed to my hauler. She couldn't chase me because then she would leave the gate wide open and the rest of the drivers would enter as well. The funny thing was, is back in the pits, Mr. Ass was doing his sweep and saw me at least 4 separate times and saw my wrist band and didn't bother me. So, despite what we were told by the Gatekeeper, we were in fact allowed back in the pits.

The pull was advertised with a 7:00 pm start time, but the radio station that promoted the pull announced 8:00. At 6:50 or so the stands were pretty full so they had this dog show for an hour to entertain the crowd. If the pull was really being advertised at 8:00, then why did most of the crown show up an hour early? Probably even Mr Ass can't answer that one.

The pull itself went well, with HSTPA running the pull and the Marshall Co tractor pullers maintaining the track. That was to one bright spot was a group of experienced professionals doing what needed to be done.

OK, so lets talk about the track. The track is sand, nothing else There is very little clay in it and as a result, it just doesn't pack. I talked with some of the Marshall Co guys and they say they keep begging for dirt to be hauled it, but Mr Ass won't do it. I guess he thinks sand works well for our time trials. The Marshall Co guys did the best they could with what they have, but they just didn't have anything.

So, we quickly changed to my 4 motor gear. I knew there was going to be nothing to hold the motors back and thought this would be my best option.

As our class came up, it was apparent there was one road down the track. Don Deane was first hook and chose an odd line down the track. He had a nice run, but didn't get it out the gate. Bill Ratliff spotted the sled close to where the rest of the class would run. He skied the front end and made the best pass he could, but was obviously nose light. I following in Bill's tracks and made a picture perfect pass going 325 when I shut it off. Ed Stahl made a nice pass, but DQ on the left sideline. Wayne Krider and Scott Tedder joined me out the gate.

I was first hook in the pull off. Keith Breedings added 2 weights to the sled, which take like a half hour. The hole time he is messing with the sled, they are rolling the track. It didn't really look like they were making headway, but I think they did. I hit the throttle and the tires hooked. This caused 2 problems. First, I was nose light and had a pretty wild ride down the track. Second, I didn't have enough power to turn the gear. For all that was wrong, I did well at 276. Krider made a straight pass at 290. It was nothing special, but got it down the track in a straight line. Tedder also got a little squirrely and placed second between Wayne and I. Oh well, we did the best we could. If I had pulled later and not been first hook in the pull off, I think I could have one it because the track would have went away and my gear would have worked.

So, that is the end of the story, right? Of course not. We load up and Stacey goes to get my check. Muffy, Ratliff, and maybe one other driver is with her. Muffy sees my check and his and realizes they paid us by the wrong scale. So we spend another 45 minutes at the payout window waiting for checks. They page Mr Ass and he comes to the shack and gets it straightened out, it took a while and he was pissed, but they did make it right in the end. Now, here is another thing wrong. The only people that pick up checks are drivers and they are already in the pits. So, why do they put the check trailer in the general parking lot? We had to walk up to the track, into the grandstand area, and back to the parking lot to the trailer to get our checks, only to climb the hill back up to the grandstand, back into the pits and back down the hill to our haulers, parked yards away from where we just were. And just to add frosting to the cake of an evening, they gatekeeper at the grandstand bitched at my wife because he could see her armband. Keep in mind, they were in the pull off in the last class and the show would be over in a few minutes.

But wait there is more to this peach of an evening. We have two options to go home, straight down 4 lane US 31 through Kokomo or a couple of twisty state routes that miss Kokomo. The 31 route is faster because you can drive faster and don't have to deal with small towns, but the traffic lights in Kokomo can easily cost more time than you save. The back roads will have no traffic and no supercargo, but are slower. The best route is generally the back roads, but since we will hit Kokomo after 1 AM on a holiday weekend, we opted for 31, which should be a breeze at that time of the night. We are going around Kokomo on the 31 bypass. As expected, traffic is light and I probably can't see a dozen cars out. As we round the bend by the RR tracks, I see a red light at Sycamore and few cars in front of me on the brakes and slowing down, but too far back from the light. I had already passed North street at this point, the last cross road. I knew something wasn't right, but past the point of no return. The semi I had been following since Rochester stopped just before the tracks and put on his 4-ways. Now I knew something was wrong. Soon, cars from the northbound side we pulling into the median and were getting out as well. I could see a semi on the side of the road past the tracks. It looked like it was on the shoulder and also had the 4-ways on. Soon 2 cops showed up followed in short order by a fire truck and ambulance. We sat there for about a half hour and the cops started chasing the onlookers away and allowed the southbound traffic to move. As we crossed the tracks, we saw a older Cavalier sitting cross ways in the center lane and broken glass from shoulder to should. There were firemen and EMTs working on something, presumably the driver, in the grass at least 100 years from the car on the other side of the ditch on the outside of the road. As I negotiated our hauler through the glass and around the emergency equipment, Stacey noticed a man waving at us. She said, "Hey, I know him...he's a puller...he was just at Plymouth." I said, no, couldn't be, I don't see a hauler. The I get a better look at the semi on the shoulder. It is Ratliff's. The man waving came with Bill and was Driving when they entered the pits. I never met him, but did recognize him. Bill was the only stopped car the cops did not chase away, so I have to believe he was involved somehow. Anyway, looking for a paper and maybe their will be a description of what happened.

Wauseon, OH
This pull not only is one of the last pulls for 2003, but is also the first pull for the Enderle Pull-Off Qualifier for 2004. We arrived with strong hopes of a strong finish. In the past we have done well here. We were last hook and felt confident about our setup. We hooked to the sled and had a nice hole shot, but started bouncing. Bouncing really bad. Bouncing so bad that my hand slipped right off the throttle. Oops. I thought about grabbing it and getting back into it, but that Wauseon track was breaking tractors that night and I didn't want to be another causality. We finished 10th of 11 tractors.

When we got back to the trailer we started talking. We had bounced the last several pulls, and it was getting progressively worse. At the former pulls, there always seemed to be some explanation for what was going on, wrong nose weight, track conditions, sled setup, or whatever, but tonight everything was perfect. Now we felt we had a problem. The first thing that came to mind was tire pressure. I quick check of my tires with a fellow competitors gauge showed my tires were 2 psi harder than I expected. I had known that my gage rear a little low, but that isn't a problem. 2 years of log book data are compiled on those tires with that gauge, so even if the gauge reads wrong, that is OK, as long as it is always wrong the same amount. But, it seems that the gauge started loosing pressure over the last couple of weeks and that means I was overfilling the tires.

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