Friday, July 31, 2009 11:02 PM CDT
Even queen pulls for tractors
Cissna Park, Scheller men
win events
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — The heat came early to the second round of the Coles County tractor pulls Thursday night.
But the smoke didn’t come from a tractor smokestack. The source was a burning car just outside the perimeter fence of the track. No one was hurt, but the blaze caused some early excitement before the pullers revved up their engines.
Thursday’s competition drew a huge crowd for the farm stock class and the “big noise boys” in pro and modified stock tractors with intimidating names like “Danger Zone,” “Relentless,” “Predator” and “Dirt Slinger.”
Coles County Fair Queen Audra Ferguson was attending her second round of tractor pulls after hitting on all cylinders with a fine performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” before the pulls started sending black smoke and dirt clods skyward.
“I had never been to one before this year. Some of these tractors look like spaceships,” said Ferguson before she went her seat in the grandstand on the track.
The fair queen and the rest of the spectators were treated to a close-cropped competition in the farm stock class to open the second round of pulls.
Dean Eisenmann of Cissna Park in Iroquois County won with a pull of 316.57 feet in his John Deere. Mike Kessler of Stewardson was just a foot behind at 315.48 in his International. Just a yard behind the winner was David Bumpus of Charleston, who rode his International out to 313.16 feet.
“There were about three of us who could have won tonight,” said Eisenmann. “Kessler and Bumpus are fine competitors.”
Eisenmann was driving a John Deere 6030 that came out in the 1970s. The farm stock class tries to keep the tractor as close to original as possible, but in most competitors the new engine and transmission are well past the standards for field work.
“We have enough rules to keep everybody even, though,” he said.
The rest of the farm stock had Scott Hoene of Neoga in fourth place at 298.03 feet; Tim Brauer of St. Peter in fifth with 297.64; Stanley Ridgway of Robinson in sixth with 296.88; Mike Grafton, Hume, seventh, at 292.72; and Brian Kessler, Mode, with 291.40.
The Limited Pro Stock winner was David Kozuszek of Scheller, with a pull of 297.67 feet in his IH 1466. Second place went to Gene Stumpf of Columbia with a pull of 293.14 feet in his IH MX255, and third went to Danny Barker of Shelbyville with 291.76 feet in his New Holland Rhapsody in Blue New Holland.
The rest of the Pro Stock field included Dan Bartling of Nashville with 285.50 feet; Kenny Kozuszek of Nashville, 284.19; Wayne Tedder of Tamaroa, 282.74; Victor Miller, Lewistown, 281.73; Keith Barr, McLeansboro, 278.54; and Aaron Esker, Fults, 275.07.
Other pull results were going late Thursday. The results will be printed later.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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kamfong wrote on Jul 31, 2009 10:18 AM: