Markesan and Green Valley WI pulls

TRUKPULR August 12th 2012, 12:35 pm

Two Pull Day
Timing it's all in the timing..
OK I had Two pulls today the first one was in Markesan WI 145 miles 2 hr 46 min Drive there.
On the Schedule it showed Started at Noon. But Lance the Club's President called me and told me to show up around 2 and be ready to pull at 2:30 because there wasn't much parking in the pulling area. So Bruce and I headed down there at 11:00 a.m. and pulled into the parking area at 1:15 p.m. Seeing how we where in the Middle of the state there was a few other trucks there from the other clubs in the state looking to pull. We had 6 N.E.W. Trucks and 5 Visitor Trucks there.

Well 2:30 came and went and I let Lance know we had another pull back home in Green Valley WI @ 5:00 p.m. We'd like to make today. So he went to see if they could move the Super Stock Trucks up on the Schedule some to get us back on the road. With that I called Gary at Green Valley to see how things where going there and to let him know we'd be bringing Six Trucks back with us so try to stall if he needed too.

So the Super Stock trucks finally got up to pull at 4:00 p.m. Now I know how you all like my pull by pull stories but today seeing how we had a time crunch here in Markesan, Once I got done pulling I headed back to the trailer to get loaded up which was a Mile down the road. They had Tractors to pull us down to the track but none where to be found after I was done pulling.
I was the 8th puller out of 11 today Pat was there with the Luedtke Yellow Sled and the track was sucking up the water faster then they could put it down. the track was a Clay Sand mix which I heard they just added the sand to it this year cuz the clay was to good. I watched the 7000# N.E.W Tractors pull and it seemed to pull the engines down at the big end of the track so I had my 750 gear in the box and figured if I could pull 7800 with it I'd have a good run there.
So here's what I saw while I waited to pull.
First puller today Tory Laubach in Locked and Loaded Tory left the line good and Had what I thought was a good run pulling 289.30' with a track speed of 24.7 mph, but he used his option and turned the pull down to come back at the end of the class. Next Truck in the class was Mean Streek with the old man behind the wheel today. This truck has been dead on all season, so when Scott left the line and he seem to hook too the track at the 150' mark and the sled stopped him at the 275.56' mark I looked over at Tory and told him he probably threw away the winning pull today. Next truck up was Jeff Koller He left the Line a little soft and mustered a 260.76' pull. Now I'm thinking the tracks going away faster then expected due to the Wind and Sun. Next truck up was Bruce Wagner and Bad to the Bone, He took off and he lite the tires up really easy off the line but Drove the track like and old pro waiting for his tires to hook then matting the throttle and pulling the sled 293.73' mark with a track speed of 25.0 mph. So at this point I'm seeing good track speed so I stood pat on my gear selection at this time. Next up was Derek Peetz He too was a little lazy coming off the line and the sled stopped him at the 281.64' mark. Next up was Ben Holtger and as he drove onto the track and went to put the truck in reverse to back up the Hiem joint on his Clutch slave cylinder broke and he needed to be towed off the track. Next up was Randall Potratz one of the P.I. Trucks he hooked up and took off and Pat stopped him at the 280.49' mark. So ShaZam's up next, I get hooked up and pull the Chain tight get the green flag and Ride the Clutch out for the first 50' then as I felt the tire seem to hook to the track I Matted the throttle and the watched the tach head to 7000 then 7900 and drop back to 7800 when the last stage hit me I was sitting at the 287.02' mark and had a track speed of 24.6 mph. OK from here I headed to my trailer Driving ShaZam that 1 mile down the road and got loaded up.
Here' where the trucks behind me pulled.
Mike Kauss pulled 277.56'
Tom Scheffen pulled 282.13'
Nick Egbert pulled 279.69'
Chad Klatt pulled 282.80'

So ShaZam takes 2nd Place today in Markesan WI. We got back on the road @ 5:00 p.m. had to make a fuel stop in Fairwater WI, Then once on the road I called Gary to see how things where going there in Green Valley Registration was suppose to close at 4:00 p.m. but the lawn Tractors where still pulling at 5 p.m. So Gary said we should make it no problem. OK 112 miles 2 hr 17 min per Google Maps. Pulled into the parking area at Green Valley @ 6:50 p.m.

OK get up to the registration stand to pay and they haven't even started the evening part of the pull yet. I told Gary they didn't have to hold the whole show up just drag the feet a little would have been fine. So I go and check out the pulling order for tonight and they have 20 classes of trucks and tractors here with Super Stock being 14th Class and Mod 4x4 the 20th class of the night.
So tonight we had Jimmy Luedtke's Red 007 Sled and it seemed that Jimmy was letting everyone fly tonight So I went and put an 850 gear in the box. 850 @ 8000 rpm's = 35 mph
OK So after a few hours of walking around the Super Stock class lines up at 9:30 p.m. There was 6 truck in the class Two of the trucks from Markesan Broke so they didn't make the trip up.

First up was Steve Swanson he stopped at the 319.80' mark and kept his pull. The girls up in the announcer booth didn't mark down the track speed for me in Super Stock so all I have is distances.
Next up was Ed McClain and Ed pulled the sled 302.44'
Next up was Jack Peters with his Open Stock Truck and he pulled the sled 285.95'
Next up was Bruce Wagner he pulled the sled 328.96'
ShaZam was up next and I left the line at 4500 rpm's Riding the clutch out for the first 50' or so then got into the throttle and at mid track the Light was flashing on my tach 8500 rpms I saw and then it came back down to 8000 then 7800 and I felt the last stage hit and it was dark down at this end of the track, so I could see where Bruce had stopped, But the flag man said I was close to where he was. Jimmy stopped me at 320.79'
So a 850 gear @ 8500 rpm's = 37 mph too fast for DOT Tires.

Next up was Derek Peetz and he pulled 335.54'

So Derek was 1st Bruce was 2nd and ShaZam was 3rd in Super Stock.

So got the tires changed over for the Mod Class and went back to my 750 gear seeing how I lost track distance due to over spinning my tires in Super, then waited for the 5 classes to get over.

OK 11:30 p.m. now and Where getting lined up for Mod. ShaZam is the last Truck in the class tonight.

Steve Swanson is 1st he pulls the sled 327.88 And 22.1 mph track speed and Kept his pull.
Ed McClain was next and pulled 307.90' and 21.5 mph track speed
Bruce was up next he pulled the sled 342.17' and 25.4 mph track speed
Next up was my Beer drinking buddy Craig Emmes
Here's a story all in it's self here, He gets to Green Valley @ 3:00 p.m. sits there all night waiting to pull 8 hours later he get to the line with Cold Ethyl all shined up Pulls the chain tight takes off the his tires never get hooked to the track turns 8400 rpm 37.8 mph wheel speed the Sled stops him at 335.54' with a track speed of 24.9 mph.
OK ShaZam is up next I had it in my mind that I was going to try a drive ShaZam to night with the throttle instead of the steering wheel. I knew from Super Stock that the sled was getting light at mid track so I had to keep the wheel speed in check if I wanted to drive it out the back door tonight.
So I get the chain tight and I get off the line with no problems at the 100' mark I feel the rear end tuck under and I gave ShaZam a hand full of throttle and at the 200' mark I felt the r's starting to clime so I back out of it for just a second and back down again and everything felt to be working great, At the 300' I felt the pan get light then heavy really fast, Jimmy stopped me at the 340.27' mark and I had a track speed of 23.8 mph.

So Bruce got 1st ShaZam took 2nd and Craig took 3rd
At 1:00 a.m. we where having Yard Bird at the Oconto Shell gas Station Best Chicken in Oconto.
There's NO Pulls next weekend But I have the U.P. State Fair to take the wife too and I have to help my Daughter Move to Oshkosh during the weekend, So it's still going to be a busy weekend. Gillett Fair Aug. 24th See ya all there.

Dan and ShaZam