CLEARFIELD – Smoke erupted into the air as the Full Pull Truck and Tractor Pull started at the Clearfield County Fair Thursday night.
The “Full Pull” consisted of five classes that differentiated depending on the pulling vehicle: semis or tractor-trailers, modified trucks and tractors consisted of the main event. Afterward the track was opened up to two classes for locals: diesel engine street legal vehicles and gas engine street legal vehicles.
The crowed cheered many times throughout the pulls rivaling some of the quieter vehicles on occasion as the semi tractors proved too much for the weight sled’s maximum capacity, sparks flying from some of the modified vehicles and the smoker series tractors hopping down the track.
“Awesome show of horse power as for the tractors and trucks,” said Keven Smith of Spring Mills, who came to watch his friend participate in one of the street legal classes.
Excitement was high for the street licensed semi truck category as Jim Barron kept Gerry Hairhoger from increasing his winning streak from seven pulls to eight. The two went into an “over pull” to break the tie, Barron inching ahead with 324 feet, eight more than Hairhoger. “Full Pull,” or was had been considered the official end of the track, was 300 feet. Cory Fox came in third with 279, feet and winner of the local prize, Ken Johnson, falling in fourth with 277 feet.
Chevy battled Ford model vehicles in the modified vehicle class with a lone Dodge being the exception to the rule. George Nichelson of Mount Pleasant came in first a few inches shy of a full pull at 299 feet. Ryan Ritzert of Cabot fell two feet short of Nichelson with Jim Tudor of Titusville on his tail at 296 feet as the only Ford in the top three.
The last of the big three classes was not the least. Ray Link of Patton and Stanley Auen of Saltsburg had the announcer for the event confessing to the crowd his relief that they were using lasers to measure the distance this year. Link edged Auen out of first place by a mere five one hundredths of a foot.
Coverage of the Clearfield County Fair on GantDaily is brought to you by: Strattan Automotive in Clearfield and Miller Brothers Furniture in Falls Creek.