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| Down and dirty |
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| Written by Marc Aceves / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 30 July 2008 | |
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Local drivers shine in the mud at the county fair’s truck and tractor pull TURLOCK — They thundered down the backstretch of the track at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds. Wheels spun, mud flew, and the dozens of vehicles competing in Saturday’s truck and tractor pull teetered on the edge of mechanical meltdown. All in the name of competition and entertainment. Patterson was well-represented during the competition. Local drivers Todd Sinclair, Tim Henley and John Chamoro swept the 4-by-4 local 4,500-pound truck class. Sinclair’s first-place nod was his sixth of the season. “My best friend, John (Chamoro), and I have invested a lot of time into our trucks,” Sinclair said. “Winning first place is the coolest thing. There’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into our trucks, and it’s nice to kind of sit back and reap the rewards of all our hard work.” “Patterson sweeping one of the tougher (weight classes) is something we can all be stoked about,” said Chamoro, who finished third. “It’s only going to get better from here.” Newman’s Kelly Serpa came away with second-place honors in the 4-by-4 local 6,500-pound truck class.  Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator This year, close to 150 “pullers” tested engines and power in as many as 15 different weight classes for tractors and four different weight classes for trucks. The hundreds of spectators seated in the grandstand bleachers and the hundreds more sitting and standing in the infield at Turlock’s Food Maxx Arena got a chance to view diesel power first hand. The souped-up trucks hooked up to, shuttered under the weight of and then dragged a 36,000-pound sled as far as their engines and reinforced frames could take them. The crowd cheered many times throughout Saturday’s pulls, rivaling some of the quieter vehicles on occasion. The rides proved too much for the weight sled’s maximum capacity, as sparks flew from some of the modified vehicles and the smoker series tractors hopped down the track. “We come out here to show each other what our trucks can really do,” Patterson’s Tony Zuniga said. “Everybody has a hobby — this is ours. I was hooked after the first time that I ever hooked up to a sled.”  Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Truck and tractor pulling has been around for as long as there have been tractors. Farmers used to pull their horses, mules or oxen and, just like today, each bragged that he had the biggest and strongest. Today, at the top echelons of pulling, the technology is equal to anything else in motor sports. Chamoro believes that the event is always a hit because farmers like trucks and tractors, and they really like seeing more in action than what they have on the farm. The nonfarmers attending the event, he said, come because of an attraction to speed, power and smoke. The sled that a tractor pulls weighs up to 62,000 pounds and resembles a hook-and-ladder fire truck. As the tractor drags the sled down the track, a weight on the sled slides forward, causing a set of plow blades to sink deeper into the dirt, increasing the resistance. The driver’s goal is to gather enough momentum for a “full pull” — 300 feet to the end of the track. The vehicle that pulls the weight the greatest distance wins.  Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Each sled also has a driver, who sits in a cab in back with a switch to kill the tractor’s engines. This can come in handy, because tractors sometimes jump the track and start racing toward the grandstand. But pitting their rides against the sled isn’t the only draw for drivers near and far. For some, it’s also a matter of continuing a family tradition. “I remember hanging on the fence, watching my dad compete in truck pulls,” Chamoro said. “My son already wants to compete, so it’s a great thing that we can keep this tradition alive in our family.” To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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