Points Races Hotter than Firecrackers.
Points Races Hotter than Firecrackers.
As the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulling Association reached the conclusion of its first section of the 2024 season, fans and pullers alike were given a weekend off to spend with family and honor our great country as we celebrated our day of Independence on the 4th of July. No doubt it was a hot and fun weekend for all filled with fireworks displays and great food taken in on back porches all across Outlaw Nation. It’s the peak of summer fun. A time known for heat and enthusiasm. Perhaps the only thing hotter than the weather and more eye-catching than the fireworks, though, are our current classes’ points standings. With no pull to recap from this previous week, let’s take a deeper dive into who is currently where so far this summer, and what we feel the odds are shaping up to be for a heated race during the rest of the season.
For those who may not be familiar, the Outlaws offer six truck classes, eight tractor classes, and two modified classes on the national circuit. Let’s start with the truck folks first. In the Super Modified Two Wheel Drive division we have 2022 points champion Richard Morris in his Jeep Willys he calls Buffalo’s Chips currently sitting in the number one spot. Richard picked up a nice win in Whitewright, TX and has finished second and third in his two other hooks this season to give him a nice early season lead. Not far behind him is defending, 2023 champion, Ray Miller in his T-Bucket titled Another Bad Decision. Son, Jake picked up a win in the cockpit of the truck in hometown Whitewright as well, keeping their truck squarely in the hunt, just seven points behind Mr. Morris. Texas Bullwhip Motorsports team members Donald Nelson and Dustin Corliss find themselves in third and fourth, respectively, with fellow Texan Timothy Michalsky rounding out the top 5. It’s a tight points race as only 11 points separate the first and fifth place vehicles.
In the Modified Four Wheel Drive truck division, the standings essentially mirror the finishing order of their lone hook in Manilla, IA. Team Thornton has a stronghold on the class so far, claiming the top three spots. Layne Thornton in Ram Rod sits number one, Murray Thornton has last year’s points champion Thumper in second, and Ryan Thornton has the truck he calls Backdraft sitting in third. Dustin Ridder with a revamped and freshened Ford known as Stroker Ace is currently in fourth, and Tom Byers in Agent Orange rounds out the top five.
The Limited Pro Stock Diesel trucks, also known as the “3.0” class have had two sessions of pulling in this early season. Jason Wayman in Megatron swept the weekend in Whitewright, TX to give him an early grip on the number one spot. Skyler Leeper has the next two spots locked up with his his trucks Legal Limits and Chain Smoker hanging out in the two and three spot, respectively. Last year’s points champion Ryan Stahl has the truck he titled Spooled Up currently rounding out the field in the number four position. This class will certainly get tighter and heat up as we see more trucks hook as the tour shifts back to closer tracks for the middle of the season.
The Modified Two Wheel Drive trucks have some familiar faces in leader positions, David Gemes who claimed a title in 2023 is off to defend it in 2024 with his T-Bucket, Black Sheep of the Family. Behind him Luke Rentner sits number two in Running Wild, followed by Matt Phelps in The Dirt, a truck that always hooks hard, and I look to challenge the top spots in the next segment of the season. Fourth and fifth spots are occupied by Tammie Huenink in her flatbed Dirt Diva and Loy Woerman in the truck called Mean Famer.
The Pro Stock Four Wheel Drive trucks also offer very few surprises at this point. Bi Polar driven by Keith Hammons has won everything but the kitchen sink in the past season. He currently has a seven point first place lead. Studs of the class Marty and Loretta Selman have their husband and wife co-driven truck Rattrap in second. The Irritator of Jeremy Stephens is in third, with long time driver and winner Philip Kreisler and Show Me Chevy in fourth. Rounding out the top five is Phil Kinney in Ol’ Grizz. Look for all of these competitors to come charging hard at that Bi Polar truck during the rest of the season.
The final truck class, the Pro Stock Semis, haven’t hooked for the first time this season. They will make their debut in Rock Valley, IA this upcoming weekend.
Moving to the tractor classes. The 3200 RPM Super Fields have had one hook. Points will follow finishing order in Norfolk, NE. Deere Cruiser driven by Casey Ausmus has a current number one spot. He is followed by Red Edge II driven by Gary Kavanaugh in number two; Like Father Like Son Piloted by David Peterson in three. Jason Reinke in the cleverly named Ekniers Express has the fourth position, and Marc Reardon in the tractor he calls Rum Runner rounds out the top five.
The big mean and multi-turbocharged Diesel Super Stock class has a two way tie for first at the moment. Father/ son team Mike and Jason Schultz have The Remedy sharing a number one position with Tyler Boeckmann in his tractor called Born Green. Tiger Bradley, perpetual hard charger and x-factor of the class has Second Hand Smoke in third. Guest pullers Steve and Stan Blagrave have their multi-champion tractor they call Red Horse currently in number four, and National Farm Machinery Show competitor, Brad Campbell rounds out the field with the tractor he calls Maybe sitting in fifth. Gremlins have plagued this class so far this year, and something tells me the champion will be the driver who focuses on the war, not the battle.
The light limited pro stocks have hooked multiple times, and arguably are giving us our most entertaining race so far. With first place only being separated by seven points, it’s currently Mike Hargens in Wild Side edging out Brady Goslar in Spare Time, despite Brady’s multiple wins on the season. Like I said in the last paragraph, sometimes it’s the war, not the battle. Molly Edmister in her tractor called Never Say Never sits in number three, with Andrew Meister and Jerry Hanigan hanging on to fourth and fifth spots in tractors they call Dirtslingin Demonstrator and Forever Red.
The Limited Pro Stocks, or “4.1’s” to the loyal fans have had a fun race so far. David Novak in The Mean Farmer has claimed the title spot at this point, Bryan Deck in his former Super Farm called Dram On sits number two. 2023 points champion George Beyer has his latest iteration of Side Piece sitting in the three position. Joe Moriondo in No Green, No Glory and Lane Paulsen in Life in the Fast Lane have the number four and five spots at the moment. Keep your eyes on both George Beyer and Lane Paulsen. I look for both of those gentlemen to climb the points ladder as the season progresses.
The alcohol burning Light Super Stocks have a field of four so far that looks like this: Frank Bohaboj, fresh off a trip to the National Farm Machinery Show has Green Lightning sitting in the pole spot. Allen Ulmer in the mean looking Never Enuff IH machine is in second. The Frese family campaigning their legendary tractor in honor of their fallen patriarch have Red Ink sitting in third, and Deere Factor of Taylor Craig rounds out the field in the four spot.
The Light Super Stock Ag folks have a familiar battle occurring in the top two spots. Currently it’s Cory Schluter atop the class with his tractor he calls Barn Burner. Cory has played second fiddle to Mark Ulmer more than once, but at the moment, it’s Mark in the on deck circle while Cory swings for the fences. The Ulmers have Eleanor in second. Born Loser Lite piloted by Tyler Spotanski is in third, with Still Going for Broke of Don Scholting and Under Construction commanded by Ryan Boysen rounding out the four and five spots.
The smoke belching 10,000 pound Pro Stocks have a few hooks under their belt. Behind a pair of victories, Doug Sobotka has Let’s Go in the primary position, but just one point behind him is 2023 points champion Cody Yarick in his John Deere he calls Gone. Gregg Jager has the legendary Wampuscat sitting in third, partially in thanks due to some fill-in driving by Doug Meissinger. Fourth looks to be Lotta Green by Kyle Carstens. Gary Porter in the well known Gang Green looks to move up the field in the rest of the summer sitting in fifth.
The Super Farms might be the hardest class to anticipate a winner for this season. The whole class is an all-star lineup of pulling vehicles. At the moment it’s multi-time champ Allen Andrews in Dakota Deere sitting number one. Cornhusker Cadillac is only five points behind him, driven by Luke Schmitt. Third is Someday piloted by Chad Weitzenkamp. This is the tractor I think with the biggest red X on the back of it. To win this class, you’ll have to beat him night in and night out. Blaze of Glory by Jerrod Johannsen has the fourth position and Chad Andrews’ Brule Buck is in fifth. There is not a single driver in that top five that can be counted out!
Let’s talk about the noise boys. Having already grabbed multiple wins on the season, Blake Otte, perpetual champion of Light Modified class looks like he is going to be exceptionally hard to beat this year. He is currently in first. Wes Sievers, who finished 2023 on a winning streak, and started 2024 with a win is only 4 points behind in second, though. This mean running diesel will not make things easy on the Otte brothers. Speaking of which, it is brother Gage sitting in third in the vehicle he calls Warhawk. Pure Pressure driven by Andrew Beckman and Captain Hook piloted by Garrett Geiger round out the field.
As far as the big mods, the Modified class, is concerned, it’s defending champion Donald Nelson in his Twisted Whip tractor, fresh off two wins in his home state of Texas currently in the leader position. Fellow Texan, Cameron Neaves has Cotton Candy sitting in second. Craig Ulmer, multi-time champion of the class, has his three engine mod he calls Sweet Pain parked in third. The boys from Iowa have the final top five spots. River Rat by Wayne Longnecker and Say Goodbye of Vern Huser round out the four and five positions. The champion of this class was not determined until the final pull of the year in 2023. Will 2024 shape up similarly?
All classes are putting on great shows. We want to thank all our hard working drivers, mechanics, crew chiefs, and team members for the work they put in every single weekend to bring the fans the best show on dirt. The rest of the 2024 season is only going to get hotter. Find your way to the track folks!
Pullin’ is fun.
Mike Eitel
Engagement Specialist
Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulling
660.342.0206
