Legendary Leischner Locks in Legacy

This Week in Pulling

Legendary Leischner Locks in Legacy 

Early in the preseason I presented pulling enthusiasts with my bold picks and predictions. Among these I declared 2024 to be the year that would belong to the Simon Sez modified. Fresh off back to back wins in Louisville, Kentucky- one each at the National Farm Machinery Show, and the Mid-America Truck Show, the black four-engine mod seemed poised to go on a tear where it would surely firmly put all competitors in it’s back-up camera for the season. 

As we moved outdoors, this theme and mission seemed consistent. A clean sweep at The Puller’s Championship netted the Simon team four consecutive victories. This prediction was beginning to look safe and solid. Yet, as the National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA) Grand National points season dawned, a veteran competitor lay in wait looming in the proverbial staging lanes to do battle throughout the season. 

Elder statesmen of the modified pulling division, Bill Leischner, mounted atop his ever faithful and legendary machine dubbed Dirtslinger had entirely separate predictions of his own. Team Dirtslinger began the season directly in the heart of his classmate’s hometown, grabbing a victory behind competitor lines in Farly, Iowa. This was followed with another first place finish at the Budweiser Dairyland Super Nationals in Tomah, Wisconsin. The tone had firmly been set. Dirtslinger was on a mission with a primary objective- dominate the modified class. 

Now that the dust has settled, and the dirt has entirely been slung, we can reflect on the 2024 season. It was in fact Bill Leischner besting the Simon brothers, giving a narrow, but certified Grand National Championship to the iconic Dirtslinger machine. And yet, the story at hand is not that of Bill Leischner winning this specific national championship. It’s not even the cherry he placed on top by winning the all-star event, Enderle Pulloff with the longest distance of the Grand National Season (over 417 feet). No, the true story is the quantity. Bill Leischner. Dirtslinger. These are names synonymous with modified pulling. This is a man who is perennially invited to the National Farm Machinery Show. This is a vehicle that has been campaigned at multiple venues relentlessly winning since the 1980’s. 

So let’s tally the accolades. How many trophies will Bill have to shuffle on his shelf to make room for his most recent NTPA Grand National Championship? One is a very lonely number. It may come as a shock to most to digest this bit of data, but 2024 marked the fist time in his illustrious career that Bill Leischner took home the overall gold by seasons end on the Grand National circuit. This is not to say he has never won a points race in any circuit before. It is just acknowledging that he has now seized victory in the oldest pulling sanctioning body in the country. Perhaps this one just means more. 

Bill Leischner, a man of constant reliability and winning ways in the modified division for five decades. One championship to place on top of them all. A tractor and driver with all other medals and trophies to its credit perhaps just performed its Magnum Opus.