Story by Dale J. Quamme, Regional National Director
Photos by Rick & Kim Moore

Going into the 2011 season, I had an eerie feeling that this season might be more unpredictable than most. Not just who would win the championship in each class but how we would fare dodging stormy weather. The spring was wet and cold causing crops to be planted late and it looked like this was going to be the case throughout the summer. Looking back, I was only partially correct. Rain was definitely an issue during the series, but colder than normal temperatures were not. Desert-like temperatures reached the high 90s the first week of the series and coupled with equally high humidity. The weather drained every ounce of energy from the NTPA crew working event entry and tech duties as well as the competitors and crew readying their vehicles for competition. And we can’t downplay how much the weather impacted the promoters also.

Stop 1 - Monticello, Iowa
Gene Brunscheen and his crew did an excellent job working the track into perfect condition. This year’s series featured a balance of diesel powered Super Farm and Super Stock tractors and two truck classes, including Modified FWD and TWDs. John Harms, Manager of the Great Jones County Fair, broadcast the pulling action on two huge screens used during the fair. The Heavy Super Stock Diesel class started off the event with nine tractors hooking to the sled. Pete McGiffin took the early points lead by putting a comfortable six foot margin on second place Roger Peterson driving the “Just One More”  IH. Adam Vaske rounded out the all-red top three with a solid run aboard his Case IH 8920 “Chance Encounter.”

In TWD truck action, the class showed 15 strong running trucks with only one finishing with a distance of less than 300 feet. The Simon family brought their GN trucks (not MSS points eligible) over from nearby Farley, Iowa. RJ Simon led off with a flawless test hook aboard his T bucket “Ol’ Blue.” Officials looked at a second hook and decided to leave the sled stay as set. It was an all Simon top three with Brandon taking second aboard the “Simon Sez Chevy” and RJ taking the third spot with “Dirty Pearl.” Taking the top points finish in TWD, Lynn Stumme piloted the “Heartbeat Again” Chevy and landed just two feet out of third place for the early lead in the series.

In Super Farm action, 15 competitors were on hand. Rod Deck and his son Bryan are competing in their first MSS while also vying for the NTPA Region V title. Bryan held the lead over his son Rod right down to the wire, but Denny Healey decided that Monticello was a perfect place for his Case IH MX170 “Ambush” to capture his first win of the season and did so in dramatic fashion on the last hook of the class. The “Red Brigade” captured the top seven spots.

The Modified FWD trucks were 16 strong. Ted Skelton and his family have traveled west from Harvard, Ill. to compete in Region V for the past several years, including a near miss at an MSS title in 2009. This year Ted got off to a fast start with “The Rock” by capturing the win. The second family truck is a Ford called “The Bone” and is driven by either his son Tim or daughter Heather who on this night finished a respectable fifth place. The Modified FWD class includes several past Region III and V champions and past Grand National competitors including Mark Mangan campaigning “ZBAG Edge” with his brother Matt aboard the original “ZBAG.” Mark finished a close second to Ted. Rounding out the top three was Ken Beine driving his “Brut Force” Ford.

John Harms stopped by the trailer after the show and expressed his approval stating, “That was a great show tonight, one of the best ever I think.” Those are the words you like to hear and they make all the work by the NTPA crew and competitors gratifying.

Stop 2 - Knoxville, Iowa
Starting in early 2010, the Marion County Fair Board, promoters of the famed Knoxville Raceway, worked with NTPA to plan the debut of the “Titan Machinery Pulling for the Fair” event hosting NTPA RN pulling in conjunction with their county fair. Initially Roy Jahner was the lead contact and later in the planning process Mark Drost became more involved with procuring sponsorship, equipment and personnel necessary to host a successful event.

We arrived early on Thursday morning. Throughout the afternoon, Chris Dunkin worked to add water and make the black, river gumbo into a track that would test the high powered tractors and trucks. Neither party had ever built a track with this material or location in the infield so neither of us could predict the end result. As the temperature rose, the ability to keep moisture in the track became more and more difficult. We also knew that a 50,000 pound sled would be tough to pull if the track became too wet and soft. The large Case IH application sprayer from Titan Machinery added the water evenly and not too fast. The final product was a consistent track that allowed each vehicle to make a solid pass.

The show began with the Heavy Super Stock Diesel tractors which were hampered by an assortment of issues and operation errors. As we moved on to the Modified FWD class, we found after a couple test hooks that a sled adjustment was necessary. After removing weight and changing gears, Kevin Bauer had the Iron Man sled working well and we had a nice, close finishing order. John Yantzer traveled more than 700 miles from Mandan, N.D. to compete in the MSS with his bright orange colored Ford called “The Boss.” On this night he showed the rest of the class he was the “Boss” when he captured his first ever MSS win. Heather Skelton with the “Bone” and Mark Mangan finished second and third, respectively.

Super Farm action was fierce. Kevin Lindstrom took a mid-lineup pulling position and converted it into a decisive win over Rod Deck. Denny Healy made a solid run to finish out the top three and keep his title hopes alive. Again tonight the red guys took the top five spots in the finishing order which is quite a shift from similar John Deere dominance just a year ago. Wrapping up the show, the TWD trucks found out quickly that hooking their high-horsepower, blown engines was going to take a good job of spotting the sled and not getting on the throttle too quickly. Lance Fleming and his “High Maintenance” Chevrolet took a fifth position and made the most of it with a solid pass just shy of 300 feet. Chad Christensen hooked two spots behind Lance and nailed down the second position with “Pack Rat V.” Rounding out the top three was Rick Austin guiding his “Dirt Flirt” Dodge to within a couple feet of second place.

Despite a few early hiccups in the program, the inaugural NTPA event at the Knoxville Raceway went well and brought a new brand of high performance entertainment to the Marion County pulling fans. We look forward to making this an annual stop on the MSS schedule.

Stop 3 - Independence, Iowa
NTPA and the MSS were making their first ever stop at the Buchanon County Fairgrounds and home of the Independence Motor Speedway. Darin Burco, Scott Fry and the entire fair board made sure they had all the equipment and people in place. Once the yellow clay track was ripped open, an even mixture of water and disking developed an awesome track and had the pit area abuzz with talk about how much fun this track was going to be. As starting time rolled around, storm clouds began to build.

The show got underway with Heavy Super Stock Diesel tractors making a good showing despite some breakage to Jeff Rose and Nick Dahl the night before which ruined their chances to compete for the MSS title and earn valuable Region V points. Mike Schultz led off the event with his “Black Jack” D21 Allis Chalmers laying down a solid run and the sled was determined set for competition. One by one the tractors kept making stronger passes on the power hungry clay track until Roger Peterson took the “Just One More” all the way to a 310 foot finish and solidly in the lead. Eugene Williams with “Virgil’s Dream” and Dave Hovden on “Ol Woody” both had mechanical engine problems. As Scott Franke was backing “Chance Encounter” to the sled the rain came down strong enough to make the track slimy and unsafe. The fair board was determined to hold an event later in the season but knew that calling this event a rainout was in the best interest of everyone’s safety and well being.

Since no classes were entirely complete, only rain points were earned. Independence did reschedule their event and it was held on September 10. This was a non-points event but an enthusiastic crowd turned out on a beautiful night for pulling to watch a solid lineup of trucks and tractors. And just as we predicted, the Buchanon County guys built a track just as good as the first one. As I told Darin and Scott, “You have the recipe for a power track down pat. See you next year.”

Stop 4 - Dubuque, Iowa
Well, almost a stop. As we approached Rochester, Minn., a phone call came in from Marty McClain telling me how much rain had hit Dubuque County. Reports varied from 8 to 12 inches and even worse in isolated areas. The fair board was left with little choice but to cancel the event. Losses to the fair were high as you can imagine but a call from Marty this fall assured me that NTPA and the MSS would be back in 2012.

Stop 5 - Waverly, Iowa
So this is what it all comes down to: sweltering summer heat and humidity, severe weather and torrential downpours. What more could we face to finish the 2011 edition of the Midsummer Shootout Series? After all that we endured, the excitement in Waverly was electric. No matter how disappointing it was not to hook in Independence and Dubuque, this day overshadowed all of that with bright sunshine and a light breeze. Scott and Toby worked their magic on the track as they always do. The single word used to describe the track this year was consistent.

The points battles going into Waverly were extremely close with several ties. The Heavy Super Stock Diesel tractors did not hook in Waverly so the final order was decided by their finish in Monticello and additional rain points earned. Roger Peterson is your 2011 champion while Adam Vaske is the runner-up.

In Super Farm competition, Rod Deck took the win and the MSS Championship by just one point over Denny Healey who missed out on first place and the title by a mere .03 feet. If Denny had finished ahead of Rod he would have become the champion based on the tie breaker rule, but that’s pulling. Despite his win in Knoxville, Kevin Lindstrom finished down in the order this night landing him a distant third in points. Congratulations to Rod and his son Bryan this season.

The Modified FWD series points leader coming in was Mark Mangan with Ted Skelton and the “Rock” right on his heels. Mark finished fourth leaving the door open for Ted but the “Rock” finished just one position behind “ZBAG Edge” and did not gain any points. Heather Skelton finished in the third position in series points with “The Bone.” Meanwhile Tom Scalzo and his “Dodge n Bullets” took the win convincingly in Waverly.

In TWD truck competition, wins and top three finishes were hard to string together. 2009 MSS Champion, Doug Christensen, took a second place finish in Waverly and turned it into the 2011 MSS Championship. Younger brother Chad finished second in points just two back while Lance Fleming rounded out the top three.

I commend the promoters for their hard work in providing outstanding facilities and tracks that were well prepared and conducive to RN competition. These promoters also contribute to the end-of-series points fund which will be distributed as bonus money to the top finishers in the series. Our presenting sponsor, Midwest Diesel Engines and Parts, has been a rock solid sponsor for the past four seasons offering their financial and marketing support that not only provides additional points fund money, but offers the services of their web site guru, Kyle Kramer, to design and produce all decals and banners. Contingency sponsors Cen-pe-co Oil and K3 Tire both provide product certificates for competitors. After seven seasons of promoting the Midsummer Shootout Series this one has to be labeled as the hottest, rainiest and most unpredictable. None the less, I don’t think we have ever had better fan support, better competition, or a more dramatic conclusion to the series. I hope everyone enjoyed the series and we look forward to an even more exciting series in 2012.

Final Series Points (PDF)