Worth the Trip for Tripp: Haisley and Fellow Young Guns Drive Supreme at Diesels in Dark Corners.

Worth the Trip for Tripp: Haisley and Fellow Young Guns Drive Supreme at Diesels in Dark Corners. 

Diesels in Dark Corners, the annual pulling extravaganza held at the Liberty Truck and Tractor Pull in White Plains, Georgia each year has become what I can only describe as a pilgrimage for diesel truck pullers and fans alike. Upon attending it for the first time this weekend it has an aura that I feel could only be likened to the early days of the Woodstock music festival. It’s huge because, well, because the pullers made it huge. 

Just shy of two hundred competitors assembled to compete in an absolute marathon of pulling over the course of two days. Consisting of six classes, all but one being a diesel truck variety, the sessions ranged from nine to ten hours of pulling each. Fans, this is an event you need to attend, at least once in your life, if only for the sake of saying you have done it. Did the sessions drag on and become wearisome? Not as much as you would expect. With a superb track, and an equally as perfect prep crew, the maintenance time was whittled to under three minutes between hooks. 

The competition was impressively tight and engaging as well. Combine this with the most enthusiastic announcer I have ever heard, yielded a crowd that was well engaged, and an event that was an utter blast to attend. However, as enthralling as the atmosphere of the whole experience was, the true stories that need to be told happened, where they always do in pulling, right down the track. 

If I were to place a theme I saw for a central story at Diesels in Dark Corners it would have to be the impressiveness of the upcoming generation of pullers, and the raw emotion each of them displayed in achieving their goals and success. Let’s take a look at three specific drivers and tell the tale of their time at this massive pull. 

Tripp Haisley, Nick Headley, and Zander Lee. A pair of Super Stock Diesel trucks and a Limited Pro Stock truck. Three winners. Tripp and Zander checked into the pull at the green-old age of seventeen. While Nick, is obviously the elder statesman of the three, and not a true young gun per se, he still hails on the upward side of his career, and has many decades of pulling left in front of him. 

Tripp Haisley piloted perhaps the most legendary truck in the Super Stock Diesel Truck class as Grandfather Van turned the driving duties over to him for the weekend. The family that essentially created the class carries it on through its next generation. Tripp absolutely blew the doors off the field, parking the Rock Hard Ram at a distance of 371 feet. This may have been the easier part of the battle for the youngster, as he then had to watch the rest of the field go by, one at a time, dodging bullets, praying for that first career victory. I mean this in the best of ways when I tell you I could see Tripp visibly shaking with excitement. He had the electricity of a charged wire, and as the final truck hooked, and his victory became clear, the joy he displayed was absolutely crystal clear. 

Nick Headley and team spoke extensively with me prior to Saturday night’s hook. They explained their unique set up, and elaborated on why they were such big believers in it. They spoke humbly of making a clean run, and just enjoying the experience, but beneath their polite veneer, a hunger loomed in their eyes that was obvious. They were here to win. What would they have to do to accomplish this? Knock off the aforementioned Rock Hard Ram (Friday night’s winner), and sneak past Craig Dickey’s Cummin’s Killer (NTPA Grand National Champion). Not in spite of, but rather because of their cast-iron and twin charger preferences, Nick Headley parked his mean runnin’ Binder Express in the number one spot at pull’s end. Every fan and puller loves to see a good story in the victory circle. 

Zander Lee brought his Limited Pro Stock pulling machine dubbed The Farm Truck to Georgia all the way from Texas in search of some “cooler” weather. This is a truck I have seen from time to time on the Outlaw circuit. He doesn’t pull for points, but he is an absolute X-Factor to be reckoned with every time he shows up. His mission: find the preeminently perfect sweet spot in the track that sixty other competitors failed to identify. Folks, it’s the little things in pulling that matter. Zander and his team paced the end of the track for over twenty trucks, analyzing every run, and scrutinizing every granule of dirt. To them the key to victory was going to be simple: Where do we spot the sled? With their data in hand, and with a fearless hole shot, Zander spotted the sled perfectly, and built a head of stem in the ol’ Farm Truck that propelled him squarely into the gold position. I have never seen more excitement and joy from a puller than what Zander and his pals displayed when the dust settled. Their hoops and war cries could be heard all through the pits. Zander picked up his first win of the year at the biggest of stages. 

Diesels in Dark Corners reminded me that we are pulling in the right direction. The emotion, joy, engagement, and desire were all on full display. The next generation is taking up the mantle. There is a lot of talent to be put on display over the next several years. 

Green Flags and Tight Chains. 

Pullin’ is fun. 

Mike Eitel 

Beer Money Pulling Team 

Engagement Specialist 

660.342.0206