Modifieds Making Massive Moves: Top Five React List.
Modifieds Making Massive Moves: Top Five React List.
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This Week in Pulling Ep. 6 | Full Pull! Top Modified Driver Rankings Revealed! - YouTube
For the third week in a row I will continue to piggyback off the awesome program Full Pull has generated by way of their driver rankings. At this point, my article has taken on the essence of a
“Mike reacts” trend wherein I analyze and breakdown my own personal gut opinion on the drivers’ choices for their peer ranking system.
A quick recap: Drivers from all three national level associations, as well as top level state and regional circuits were asked to vote for competitors in their class on a system solely based on driver ability. They could only vote for members of their class, and only drivers who had competed in the last calendar year were eligible for votes. Our first two weeks saw us break down the Super Modified Two Wheel Drive Trucks, followed by the Modified Four Wheel Drives. Last week took us true blue tractor pulling where we saw the list provided by the Pro Stock drivers. This week, let’s head on over to the multi-engine modified division.
Please note at this exact point (as I failed to do when I heard the list for the first time), this is the MODIFIED class of tractors, and the UNLIMITED mods will have their day in the sun later on as a totally separate entity. Before I present the list to any of my readers who have not yet heard it on the “This Week in Pulling” podcast, or seen it on social media, I will give you my gut react: This was the closest to perfect list I have heard so far. The two wheelers left me with some questions. The mod four by fours had my jaw on the floor. The big pro’s had me wishing it was a top fifteen. This one, however, I had very little to initially say. This one seems quite spot on and true.
Let’s take a look. The top five Modified drivers, as voted on by their competitors is as follows:
5. Steve Bollinger
4. Bill Voreis
3. Bret Berg
2. Brandon Simon
1 Bill Leischner
In all honesty, as mentioned earlier, I had very little to say about this list. “Makes sense.” “Duh.” I believe those were my exact quotes. The Bollingers are the name of versatility and consistency in all things modified. They compete with different setups and powerplants, spanning from two to three V-8’s and a varray of Allison aircraft engines. They pull State and Grand National level. They get it done in a multitude of challenges. Their mod that they are most recently known for, the V-8 version of Money Pit, can run in all three NTPA modified family of classes. It has a championship in the Light Mod class. It’s a perennial at the Farm Show, and not unfamiliar to the Unlimiteds. A testament to Steve and crew’s adaptability.
Bill Voreis wrote the book on what a modified can and should be during the first decade of the new millennium. I shudder to admit this, but if there was any driver on this scale that made my eyebrows raise in slight question, it was actually Voreis. As I keep coming back to on each list, “What have you done for me recently?” However, I have concluded this is my own misunderstanding of what the rankings represent. I tend to think of them in terms of a college sports power system, and I continually compare vehicles to teams. Who (what) is winning? But the list is not that. It is fellow drivers’ opinions on who has the most skill, and who they fear the most while holding the lead. I put myself in their shoes. If I was parked in first with one driver to go, would I want Bill Voreis to be the man waiting in the wings? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, of all of them, Bill V. probably knows more about winning on big stages than most pullers. If anything, I have now concluded, he could probably be higher on the list, and it was only his hiatus and recent season return that bumped him down a few spots. He is a driver worth every accolade.
Bret Berg at number three just makes sense. He is the Jeff Hothem of the modified world. Always there. Always competitive. He will grab his wins each year. He’s going to be top three in points no matter what. He has a never say die attitude, and a quietly successful approach on the track. This man is the bread and butter of pulling. Hooking across more than one league, and simply a consistent threat. Actually he has a modern day driving style that I find very comparable to Tim Engler. Track reading and throttle control all the way, while never hurting for horsepower, and always nailing his setup. Spot on.
The top two spots have given us the best dog fight in recent days. The allusion to Tim Engler in the previous paragraph means there must be a modern day equivalent of the Engler-Banter showdown. While I don’t hate the analogy of comparing Brandon Simon to Dave or Ralph Banter, I most certainly cannot compare Bill Leischner to either Engler or Banters. If I were to compare Bill Leischner to a glory day puller hailing from the 1980’s, it would be, well… Bill Leischner. Here is a man who LIVED those days and has fought both the modern competition as well as the legends. A man who won his first Grand National title against each of the previously mentioned drivers as well as lining up day after day against the likes of Engler, Stone, Banter, Hileman, Brockman, and others. Heck, he’s pulled against them all.
In my heart of hearts, I must admit I think either driver, Brandon Simon or Bill Leischner, could have claimed that top spot. Brandon has really shown us that he can get it done on both long and short tracks. Also, noting what I said about the versatility of the Bollingers, it should not go unmentioned that Brandon is now the first driver to make it on the top five list in more than one class. Will we see his name a third time?
This list was perfect. I think there were other drivers knocking on the door. Korporal, Rose, and Theobald to grab a few off the top of mind. One should also most certainly note the absence of Wayne Sullivan. I imagine he and Steve were really close for the number five spot. Nor should it be ignored that we saw no two engine mods on here. Were the Outlaws and ITPA guys considered as well? Certainly I’d be nervous with Nelson or Neaves lurking behind me if I was sitting on the bubble. Even after brainstorming the what-if and could-haves, I still find myself agreeing very much with this run down.
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Mike Eitel
Beer Money Pulling Team
Engagement Specialist
michael.eitel.bevier@gmail.com
660.342.0206
