Tractor pull brings roar to grandstands
On July 22, the Lassen County Fairground Grandstands got more than a jolt of energy from the roaring engines participating in the tractor pull.
5,800 Modified Tractor driver Luke Reilly pulls the weighted sled a total of 297.83 feet in his vehicle Mustang Legacy on July 22. Photo by Ashley GroganThe tractor pull was a new event at the annual Lassen County Fair, and the attraction certainly lived up to the hype.
The weighted sled and many pullers were brought in from Maxx Kakl Power Sports for the entertainment of Lassen County fair goers.
The sled is known as a weight transfer sled because as the sled is pulled down the track, the weight is transferred toward the front to make the resistance build.
The event saw nine different divisions with great effort seen from each vehicle in the separate divisions.
Though many of the pullers were visitors to Lassen County, fans did see quite a few local faces take on the challenge of the weighted sled.
In the 8,000 Classic Tractor class, Milford resident Fred Wemple took first with a distance of 220.46 feet.
Steve Jenkins uses a swerving technique to give the 6,000 Super Stock truck Farmer’s Toy a great advantage in the tractor pull at the Lassen County Fair. Photo by Ashley GroganMatt Wemple, of Milford, finished second with a distance of 217.62 feet. Christy Hansen, of Susanville, was the third to finish with a distance of 107.39 feet.
For the 5,500 Street class, local Devin Mallery was the first-place finisher with a total distance pulled of 161.72 feet. James Andrew Cardenas was the runner-up with 158.09 feet logged.
For the 8,000 Stock Diesel class, there were a total of six local
drivers competing for the furthest pull distance.
In first place for the 8,000 Stock Diesel class, Robert Arellano pulled a total of 282.92 feet. Cole Plumner Jr. finished second with 271.91 feet recorded. Third, Raymodn Kindle finished with a distance of 236.68 feet. Art Poteete finished fourth with 231.43 feet on the books. Fifth was Riley Fletter with a distance of 203.42 feet, and Chris Wattenburg was the sixth-place finisher with a distance of 145.98 feet pulled.
The OMG division saw two local drivers compete. Justin Powers finished first with a distance of 325.60 feet. Justin Simon finished runner-up with a distance of 235.38 feet.
In addition to the local talent, the tractor pull showed off visiting drivers and the modified vehicles the drivers used.
Dennis Nelson represents the Country Modified division with his Bad Apple truck during the tractor pull on July 22. Photo by Ashley GroganFor the Country Modified class, Dennis Nelson was the first and only finisher. His vehicle named Bad Apple finished with a pulled distance of 282.44 feet.
In the 6,000 Super Stock class, Dave Ramsey drove Bad Rig and finished as the winner with a distance of 284.53 recorded. The runner-up was Steve Jenkins driving Farmer’s Toy with a pull distance of 246.07 feet.
Pro Modified 4×4 division driver Dave Ramsey lowers the body of Running Bean to the engine before attaching to the weighted sled at the tractor pull during the Lassen County Fair. Photo by Ashley GroganIn the Pro Modified 4×4 class, Ramsey took on the track once more and ultimately pulled 329.23 feet to snag another first-place finish; this time, Ramsey drove Running Bear. Denny Tucker was the runner-up with a distance of 323.24 feet in his vehicle Ab-Ra Ka-Da-Bra. Chris Daniels was the third to finish in his truck Baby Huey with a total distance pulled of 309.98 feet.
The 5,800 Modified Tractor class had Mark Zohns in Bail Out finish first with a distance of 313.30 feet. Matt Leinfelder was the runner-up in White Lightning with 310.06 feet pulled. Luke Reilly finished in third with a distance of 297.83 feet pulled in Mustang Legacy.
The 8,000 Unlimited Modified Tractor class saw a first-place finish from Jeremy Corren in Git R Done with a distance pulled of 322.25. Donnie Fagundes was the second to finish with 263.86 feet recorded in the Maxx Kakl sponsor car.
