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Hear The Power And Feel
The Noise
Beginning on Saturday, September 3rd, 4 PM EST,
RFD-TV welcomes the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA)
to its network.
The NTPA is truck and tractor pulling’s world leader when it
comes to this type of motorsport. The NTPA is a professional
brand of competition, hosting more than 280 sessions of
pulling action throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and
Canada. The NTPA is the sports oldest and most respected
entity when it comes to premier truck and tractor pulling
competition.
Any tractor pull may be called the ultimate contest between
the proverbial immovable object and the irresistible force.
However, the NTPA leads the way in brute force, jaw-
dropping displays of supreme horsepower. The object of
pulling is to pull the weight, which becomes progressively
heavier via a machine called a sled, down the track as far as a
competitor and their machine can take it. The competitor puling the furthest distance without going out of bounds is
declared the victor. There are twelve varying classification of
NTPA Championship Pulling.
The tractor divisions replicate the farm style tractor with
various alterations and performance upgrades. These classes
include the Super Farms, Pro Stocks, Super Stock Diesel,
Super Stock Open, and Light Super Stock tractor classes.
These machines vary from 1000 to 5000 horsepower
depending on the class. A far cry from what they started with
on the farm.
There are also three types of Modified tractor classes that
include a Mini Modified class, limited Modified class, and an
Unlimited Modified class. These supercharged monsters can
range from 2000-12,000 horsepower. A true display of eye-
popping power indeed. This is where "Hear the Power and
Feel the Noise" originates. The final group of competition vehicles are the trucks.
Super charged Two wheel drive wheel standers, Four
Wheel Drive clay grapplers and the Super Semis
comprise a diverse group of vehicles that many people
can relate to from their daily drive. These competition
rides vary in size shape and horsepower and are crowd
pleasers wherever they travel.
The sport of pulling can trace its roots back to the early
part of the 20th century when folks got together to have
draft horse pulls. As agriculture expanded with the
advent of the gasoline and diesel engine being the norm,
the challenge was oftentimes laid down between
neighboring farmers: Who had the strongest tractor in
the township; in the county; in the state; and in America? The
concept has remained the same but the technology has
surpassed all expectations. A factor often overlooked is the
financial obligation teams earmark toward their competition
vehicles and towing rigs. The commitment of competitors is
juggled between business, family, finances and time to work on
their machines. It is truly inspiring when one evaluates the
level of dedication and passion these men and woman havefor
their chosen sport. It is a collaborative effort of friends and
family to make things happen.
Two other main ingredients to pulling are the weight transfer
machine or sled as they are called, and the track. Starting out
in the early days, sleds were simple deadweight pulling.
Another early type was the step-on sled in which people were
positioned along the track and would "step onto" the sled as it
came by. In these early years, vehicles had to maintain a speed
limit as partof the rules. That is a far cry from what takes place
now,with the top Modified vehicles turning massive rear tires
in excess of 120 mile per hour as they speed down the track
pulling thousands and thousands of pounds until the dirt flies
and the momentum screeches to a halt.
Today's sleds are a marvel of engineering technology, with
sophisticated gearing systems that move up to 65,000 pounds
of weight to stop the powerful Unlimited category of the
modified division and the Super Semis.
The track varies from location to location depending on the
predominant soil type and how the grounds are maintained
year round. Reading the track is an art and can take
competitors years to master. It is the variable than can make or
break any competitor at any time. A track can change
conditions in ten minutes or ten feet.
What began back in NTPA's infancy has grown into a major
motorsport, with some 1000+ members who compete on four
different levels of pulling throughout the U.S. and Canada:
State, Regional, Grand, and Super National. Pulling has crossed the Atlantic, and is now a major sport in more than ten
countries throughout Europe and Australia.
The seven locations have been set and will be the backdrop for
the 26 original epi.s with host Army Armstrong. These locations
include Wilmington, Ohio; Tomah, Wisconsin; Chapel Hill, Tennessee;
Saluda, South Carolina; Bowling Green, Ohio; Fort Recovery,
Ohio; and Sandwich, Illinois. In each show, there will be a
spotlight on a division competing. Each of the twelve NTPA Grand
National divisions will be shown at least once including a featured
competitor each week. Also, there will be a focus on the local
event promoter or sponsor in each epi. as well as a spec/tech
spotlight in the half- hour timeframe. The "NTPA Championship
Pulling Series" will have variety for the whole family as each
epi. showcases some of the best the sporthas to offer.
“Itshould be a fast paced, high energy program that will entertain
and inform the viewers of the “NTPA Championship Pulling Series”,
said Gregg Randall, NTPA Office GM and director of the series.
“We look forward to the great challenge at hand to bring a new
look to the sport of pulling and build the interest and fan
base from this great opportunity. I know that AP Productions
and Army Armstrong and very excited at bringing a quality effort
to pulling fans and new viewers. I believe that this team of
seasoned professionals will deliver a show that we will all
be "proud of.”
As always, be sure to watch the pages of THE PULLER
magazine for more information on the RFD-TV series
schedule or log onto www.ntpapull.com.
Contact Information
National Tractor Puller Association
6155-B Huntley Road
Columbus, OH 43229
Phone: (614) 436-1761
www.ntpapull.com |
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| On Now |
This Week in Agribusiness |
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| Followed By |
American Rancher |
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