The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Truck pull a family affair
The Lorain County Fair welcomed the truck pull on Aug. 23, featuring competitors in multiple divisions displaying their skills for the crowd.
Wednesday pull featured the return of the big rig modified semi-trucks after a multi-year absence in addition to four different pick-up truck divisions, giving guests much to look forward to.
A feature of the Lorain County Fair for close to a decade, the pull brings the USA East Sled Pulling modified semi-truck circuit and Buckeye Power Productions pick-up truck to Wellington.
“Every year we try to revamp it a bit and improve it,” said board member Joe Buchs. “Everyone loves the semis and we’ve been hearing about it a lot when they heard they were coming.”
The semi-trucks are anywhere from 2,000 4,500 horsepower and weigh about 20,000 pounds as they haul a sled across the track, transferring 300 percent of their weight, making for an incredible show physics and skill from the drivers, explained RJ Feicht, Director of Operations for Full Pull Productions.
The circuit runs about 50 events per year between May and October. Feicht is one of several multi-generation families who are involved in the sport, where he works promoting truck and tractor pulls with father Rick and son AJ. He said despite occasional rivalries, the sport is a family-oriented affair where multiple generations can compete together.
“The pullers are generally a really good group of guys and girls. They all help each other in the pit out
there to do their job, but I’ve seen many nights where a guy will break something, and go take the part off someone else’s truck. You don’t see that in many other sports,” Feicht said.
Jeff Lautanen of Jefferson was preparing his 1998 Peterbilt roll-back semitruck to compete. He built and customized the unit for competition over a two-year period and sits near the top of the points standings after competing in around 12 pulls in 2017.
He said the occasional rivalry exists, but smiled in pointing toward the divisions.
“There’s some. Not so much in this class, but in the other classes. It’s in everything you do, you know,” Lautanen said.
In the hours leading up to the pull before the arrival of the competitors, Lorain County Fair Board President Brian Twining was examining the grounds as crews carefully prepared the track for competition.
“You’ve got to have your head on a swivel,” Twining said, noting the many
heavy duty vehicles and equipment on hand being used to prepare for the evening’s event. “What they’re doing right now is preparing it. The track sits dormant
all year round. We get our graters out and a chisel plow and then the water truck and you break it up and mix it up and flood it with water.”