Super Stock. Pro Stock. Private Stock. My Personal Reserve of Pulls.
Super Stock. Pro Stock. Private Stock. My Personal Reserve of Pulls.
Roughly a year ago, I wrote an article that highlighted and featured what I felt were some of the most unique and entertaining tracks in the world of pulling. I was on a mission to denote and hunt down what I felt provided the most non-traditional, obscure, and awesome places to hold a pulling event. My list was based on atmosphere, track presentation, and anomalies. I would like to revisit that idea, but with an additional spin. This time around I will endeavor to simply list and present my personal choices. In my time as a fan, announcer, and broadcaster, which pulls are my absolute favorites? This isn’t necessarily a recommendation list. It certainly isn’t a power rankings of the best quality pulls, the most prestigious, or renowned. This is MY private stock and reserve. These are the pulls that Mike Eitel looks forward to the most each year, quantified by nothing more than my personal experiences there, and the significance of the pull itself.
Let’s get into it. I have mulled and thought and rethought what approach I should give this list. How do I make it “fair” so to speak? Should I denote my personal pick from each association? Should I try to include state and regional level pulls? Independent and destination pulls? How do I make sure everyone is equally represented? Last year I attended nothing but Outlaw pulls (for the most part). How do I ensure I don’t show them favoritism? Ah, the heck with it. I don’t see a rulebook anywhere, and even if I did, I think I’d throw it out the window on this particular day. In no specific order, and with no determined structure here are my favorite pulls.
Can I, or even should I, list pulls that occurred in the past, and no longer take place, or at least don’t exist in their current form? Wait… my last paragraph threw the imaginary and nonexistent rule book out of the window anyway. We’re shooting from the hip and driving by the seat of our pants this morning folks! Retired or defunct pulls just made the list. I’ve also concluded we will be ranking them, countdown style, five to one. Continuing with the anarchy and mayhem this morning, I have also just decided the fifth spot will be a tie.
Sharing this position will be two pulls that no longer run in their current form (one of which no longer exists at all): Jefferson City, Missouri and Macon, Missouri as the NTPA Show Me Showdown of the late 80’s and early 90’s. I attended Jefferson City in 2012 and witnessed a double feature show. In a move I haven’t seen replicated since, the NTPA and the Outlaws each hosted a pull, back to back, on the same track. NTPA ran and concluded a four class show, the track was stripped, banners and sponsors changed, and the Outlaw show began immediately after. Combine that with the fastest track I have ever seen, and Esdon Lehn and the Shramek family taking the Diesel Super Stock Points right down the last hook of the pulloff- it was one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed. The Show Me Showdown of Macon, Missouri in the glory days of pulling was a testament to what everyone loves and remembers about the sport. For me, it was the birthing ground of my obsession. My hometown pull that featured a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday session introduced me to tractors such as Red Horse, Bad Medicine, and Iron Elk. Doc Riley and PC Long on the microphone inspired my lifelong dream. A fifteen minute drive from home, with the promise of a stop at Sonic with my dad along the way. There isn’t a single red-blooded American five year old boy that wouldn’t immediately fall in love with that experience. It is worth noting the pull in Macon will be returning as the Show Me Showdown for the first time in decades this year. I look forward to what the rebooted version will have in store.
Pull number four: Sac City, Iowa. How on earth does a single track, single session Thursday night pull from the heart of Iowa fair season crack the top tier list of my private stock of personal pulls? This is a bread and butter, day-in, day-out show. What could be so special about it? For one, the classes the Outlaws decides to throw at this Thursday show are pretty stacked- Modifieds, Diesel Super Stocks, and Super Modified Two Wheel Drives to name a few. The grand stands are an idyllic setting of traditional Americana, looking like they would have been right at home in the movie Field of Dreams. The town and fair are as charming as home-made apple pie, the… ok ok, I’ll get to the point. This is the first place I ever announced a pull. This pull probably wouldn’t stand out to others as much as myself (though it was awarded Regional National Pull of the Year in 2023). This is where my goals came to fruition. The first place where I grabbed the microphone, and brought the pull to the fans. This one will never not be special to me.
Number three: Diesels in Dark Corners. White Plains, Georgia. Let’s get the obvious out of the way, so we can talk about the greatness. This pull will wear you out! But, in retrospect, that was half the fun of it. Over 150 hooks on a single track, back to back nights, including a class of Limited Pro Stock Diesel Trucks with over sixty contenders. This pull created sessions that were pushing 10 hours in length. It is the first location where I remained awake for more than 24 consecutive hours. It is taxing, and, truth be told, absolutely amazing. The sheer spectacle of it is unlike anything I have ever seen. It is truly a mecca for diesel truck pullers. And it happens, seemingly in the most random spot of the deep south you could imagine, which only adds to the charm and mystique of it. The reddest dirt I have ever seen in my life, and a lineup that will take a back seat to nothing (for outside of Bowling Green, no collection of vehicles exists like this at any pull) puts this one on my list. Do you want to put it on your calendar every year? Maybe not. But this is one that all pulling fans should strive to see at least once.
Number two will also be a tie: Seriously folks, there are absolutely no rules, and we have gone deep off the rails. But I collect pulls the way others collect whiskey or firearms. Go ask Hickock 45 to pick his top five lever action rifles, and see how difficult it is. So in a world where numbers don’t matter, and Mike somehow managed to turn his top five list into a top seven, let’s look at the tied spot of number two. I’m going to slide Rock Valley, Iowa and Wisner, Nebraska into this slot. The foundational pulls of the Outlaw schedule. The only three session pulls on their schedule, and two of the best pulls in the land. Thunder in the Valley, and Thunder by the River are almost sister pulls in my mind, but with completely different styles and approaches. Rock Valley has the best power track in the country. Period. I will die on that cross. Wisner has a very tricky and uncertain hole shot, with some major back end power. Rock Valley has the most pristine and top tier driver facilities I’ve ever seen. Wisner has the cottonwood trees. They are both destination pulls. They are both awesome. The fan experience is amazing.
Number One: Chapel Hill, Tennessee. The Lions Super Pull of the South is the pull time forgot. You will never convince me that I am not in a time machine, and it’s not 1994. The south brings a charm and hospitality that doesn’t emphasize technology and the rat race of life. The single track, sandwiched between two massive grandstands with the banners atop is everything I remember Macon, MO feeling like as a kid. The competition is truly unwavering. With nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide, these small and fast confines feel like the Bristol Motor Speedway of pulling. Moonpies and sunflower seeds at the concession stand, with the Miller Light truck in the background make me feel like I’ve traveled back to the golden era of pulling. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see a cageless Up’n Atom roll onto the track, or a vintage version of Midnight Raider. It’s a special pull, and offers an experience my fingers are incapable of bringing to life on this keyboard.
Rapid fire bonus round: Leigh, Nebraska- best fan reaction and passion I have ever seen. Wayne, Nebraska- this will be the next major pull the world starts hearing about. Mound City, MO- hardest track to tame in pulling, speed off the start, power at the finish. Fort Recovery, OH- absolutely historic.
Green Flags and Tight Chains.
Pullin’ is fun.
Mike Eitel
Beer Money Pulling Team
Engagement Specialist
michael.eitel.bevier@gmail.com
660.342.0206
