Sixth Annual Hoosier State Showdown

Sled pulling is serious business in the Midwest. From local fairs to national-level events, some of the best pullers in the country call the Midwest home. Regional pride runs high, with various factions throughout several states claiming to have the strongest trucks.

Of course, the guys from Indiana believe that they’re the best and the team at Fleece Performance Engineering aims to prove it by hosting the Hoosier State Showdown. This huge sled pull happens every year on Labor Day weekend in conjunction with the North Salem “Old Fashion Days” festival. The Hoosier State Showdown gives everyone a chance to prove who’s best. This year’s event had $9,500 in prize money up for grabs as extra incentive for everyone to put in a top effort.

Kolin Dunn’s Dodge looked great on the way to his first place finish in the Hot Work Stock class.

August 30, 2014 marked the sixth running of the Hoosier State Showdown, with around 1,000 spectators descending upon the small town of North Salem (Population 513). The event effectively triples the population, and every fan is there to enjoy the festival and take in the pulling action on the track. This year, seven classes were pulling, including four diesel truck classes and three tractor classes on the well-prepared and maintained North Salem Antique Machinery Field. Local enthusiasts make a day of it and take in the parade and other festival activities before settling in for the afternoon at the pulling track.

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The North Salem Antique Machinery Field has bleachers to make it comfortable for spectators to enjoy the pulling action on the track.

The track crew had some serious equipment on hand to prepare and maintain a great track surface that held up to hook after hook of high-horsepower abuse throughout the event.

After track prep and technical inspections, the pull got underway at around 3:30 and wrapped up just before sunset at about 8 p.m. A combined total of 65 trucks and tractors hooked to the Bungart Motorsports X Factor sled, putting on a great show. The crowd was thoroughly entertained as many competitors were able to drag the sled out past 300 feet.

The first class to tackle the X Factor sled was the Hot Work Stock 2.5-inch class with a total of nine trucks battling for the win. Six of the trucks pulled past 300 feet. Josh Clark was the first hook after a sled adjustment and elected to drop his distance. Clark then suffered a mechanical issue on his rehook. The longest truck pull of the day was by Kolin Dunn at 334 feet, taking the win in the popular class with his bright red Dodge. The top three trucks were separated by less than 5 feet, with Tim Tuttle finishing third and David Reed in second.

A combined total of 65 trucks and tractors hooked to the Bungart Motorsports X Factor sled, putting on a great show.

As evidenced by the close competition, the track crew did an excellent job prepping and maintaining the field. This allows the trucks to get good traction and put the power to the ground. The track crew alternated between truck classes and tractor classes, keeping the action flowing smoothly and entertaining for the crowd. With three different tractor classes for 9,500-, 10,000- and 11,000-lb competition, and a total of 30 tractor hooks you would expect diversity on the podium. However, Brandon Glenn had different plans in mind. He took the win in each of the tractor classes with his “Buck Wild” John Deere 6030. Glenn dominated the tractor field with the longest pull of the day at 338.10 feet. Adam Lahnow had a good day as well, putting his tractor on the podium in both of the tractor classes he entered.

Charles Chesuk’s GMC looked great as it blasted down the track during his exhibition hook.

Dirt flies through the air, flung off the tires of Doug Monroe’s Dodge as the truck tries to get traction past the 300-foot mark.

The second truck class to pull was the Hot Street 2.6-inch class. Seven out of the 10 trucks entered ended up pulling beyond 300 feet. Like the Hot Work Stock class, competition was very close, with the top three trucks finishing within 4 feet of each other. Adam Hallien finished on the top step of the podium pulling out beyond 331 feet with his truck called “Wrecker.” Second place went to C.W. Cartmell, who pulled 330 feet—less than 3 feet more than Nicholas Weaver in third.

Five trucks were on hand to contest the Super Street 3.0-inch class. Evan Smoot put a hurtin’ on the field by taking the win with more than 20 feet past Terry Biggs. Kyle McCutahan finished third with a pull of just under 300 feet.

To finish out the event, 11 trucks pulled in the popular True Work Stock class. Once again the competition was very closely matched with the top four trucks pulling within 8 feet of each other. The top two trucks were within about a foot at the end. Devan Barnes took the class win with his hook that drug the X Factor sled just over 325 feet. Barnes was followed by Justin Brewer in second and Travis Mader in third.

Like looking down the barrel of a gun, as Adam Hallien drove the “Wrecker” to a first place finish in the Hot Street 2.6-inch class.

People love seeing tractors with the front wheels high in the air and smoke billowing from the pipe.

As in years past, the team at Fleece and their sponsors put on a great event. The competition on the track was close and the weather cooperated this year allowing each class to pull to completion. Who’s the best? We may never know for sure, but we can say that on August 30th, 2014 four different truck drivers and one tractor driver can say that they won the Hoosier State Showdown! Dodge Ram trucks had a great day on the track taking first place in each of the four truck classes.

The date for the 2015 Hoosier State Showdown has been set for September 5, 2015 to determine bragging rights for another year. If you’re in the area you should head over to North Salem, Indiana, and take in the Old Fashion Days festival in the morning and then enjoy some great pulling action on the track in the afternoon. We plan to be there and hope you will be too. For the latest updates and information point your browser to FleecePerformance.com. DW