First Pull Kadlec's Bar

2012 Pulling season Beginner
Kadlec's Bar's

Well my wife talked me into taking a few days of vacation, So we loaded up the Mustang and took a spin up to St. Ignace and we spent the day at Mackinac Inland smelling the lilac's. It was a very peaceful week and I was getting antsy as the weekend got closer and the beginning of the pulling season came upon us .

Well Sunday got here and I headed out at 2:45 and showed up at Kadlecs at 3:30 it's only 44 miles from home so it was a quick run there. As I pulled in to the parking area the guy told be to pull out into the field by the other trucks, I then advised him I'd like to stay on the gravel area seeing we got 3" of rain this morning and I'd for sure bury my rig out in the field. So they found me a spot in the corner of lot to set up in just off the track. I thought this will work good. As I get done pulling all I have to do is pull off the track and I'm right here to change tires. But that was my first mistake of the day. So I go out to check out the track and all I could see was Grass. A whole field of Grass. I asked where the track was and they told me oh it's right here we just have to get the tractor here and disk it up. Well I should have headed to my truck at this point and headed home but I didn't, So the tractor gets there and drops there 20' disk and makes a run down where they decide to put the track. With the ground freshly disked up Bruce and Ed checked it out and said ya it should pack in good it wasn't that wet.
So they started to pack the track in with the wobble wheel and leveler and it started to look pretty good. Then Jimmy tried to back the sled onto the track and buried it up to the axles in a soft spot. Second notice I should have gone home. But they pulled him out with a tractor and Jimmy just found a better spot to enter the track at. Well they worked the track some more and finally got the show on the road at 6:30 p.m. Pull was suppose to start at 5:00. in the mean time the parking lot got over full and a few cars started to encroach upon my trailer but there still was a clear shot from the track to my trailer.

So the start the pull and the stock trucks couldn't even move the sled seeing it was heading up a little hill at the beginning, so Jimmy would put the sled in gear and run with the wheel down until they got a decent head of steam going then he kick it into neutral and let the truck pull from there. I guess as long as he did it the same for each truck it's OK. Well as the Sun went down the track seemed to pick up more moisture and the track started to get really sponge, and the sled started to sink about 6" into the track each time he'd come back to the starting line. 3rd Notice I should just load up and head home. But I stuck it out, with the start of Super Stock I was the last truck in the class, So I figured I'd give it my best shot and be a good sport about the whole deal. Well there where 5 trucks in Super Stock and each time Jimmy would back up the sled would sink deeper into the clay. I told Ed it seems like there's no bottom to the ground. Well as Derek hooked up he tried to take off and he had a malfunction and stopped to try taking off again well when jimmy tried to back up he got stuck right there on the track not 50 feet from the starting line. Dug some nice deep ruts in the track working to get him free. So when the leveler tractor tried to level the track he had to stop and put the tractor in low gear to get thru that spot. OK I'm up after Derek so now they got the track all boggered up in the starting line area. Well Derek hooked up again and did the best he could I didn't hear his distance but I just eye balled where he stopped and figured I try to beat where he stopped. Well as the tractors headed down to work the track the leveler tractor had to down shift again to make it thru the starting line spot again. needless to say it was a real mess now, But I was the last truck in the class get thru this and they can regroup after this.
So I get all hooked up and as I was leaving the line it was like I forgot how to drive my truck, With Jimmy giving us that little bet of help out of the hole my truck never got planted and the rear end was all over the place as I headed down the track, I had Clumps of Clay Flying everywhere but when it was all over with I was sitting 6 feet behind Derek. and as I got unhooked from the sled I now see the path to my trailer had two cars parked in it so that meant I had to go all the way around the lot to get a shot of putting ShaZam on the trailer. So it took me like forever to muscle ShaZam around the parking area and get her up onto the trailer with out knocking over any Motor Bikes or Driving over any cars. Super Stock Pulling Trucks are made to drive Straight not turn tight corners in a parking lot.
So I finally get ShaZam onto the trailer and my Daughter showed up to see if I needed a hand (Long Story but I cut my Thumb really bad the day before and needed stitches to hold it together) changing tires for Modified Class .. At this time I'm so pissed I just pulled ShaZam out of Mod for the night and went and had a beer. Well Jimmy moved the starting line over to on top the that little hill we'd been driving up all night that really seem to help the trucks out a lot.
So with the start of Modified Ed got hooked up and pulled the sled to the end of the track where nobody had been before put the front of his truck up against the semi trailer that was on the end of the track. and then the sled became stuck big time in the wet spot. So that took a good 20 minutes to get unstuck and they had to reset the sled. So now I'm thinking the track must have gotten better but the beer tasted good so I'll just watch the rest of the guys have fun. Everyone had a better run except for Craig he said he must have had to big of a gear and he had a run like I did last year at Sugar Bush. Motor never came up from under it self.

Well the pull was over at 9:30 p.m. and the DJ fired up and it was time to have some beer and fun. Well by 11:30 I was full and tried so I headed to bed, got up and headed home at 6:30. So Ed had told me they want to have another pull this fall, All I can say is I hope they get the track in order cuz I won't be back with it like it is now.

Saturday is Green Valley hope to see ya there.

Dan and ShaZam

Nothing sucks like bad track. Hope this is the only bad deal you have all year Dan. BTW I love your stories about the pulls, keep them coming.