A considerable amount of work goes into making the Championship Tractor Pull (CTP) a success year after
year, yet most fans only get to enjoy the finished product - the pull itself. Have
you ever stopped to wonder about the people, resources and hours required to prepare
a "championship" tractor pull? The information featured on this page provides you
with an insider's view of some of the key elements that make this the greatest indoor
tractor pull in the nation.
Tractor Pulling is Not One Size Fits All: Drivers Come From
Different Backgrounds
In
a sport where only fractions of an inch make the difference between first and
second place, vast miles and diverse professions separate the drivers from one
another, adding to the sport’s uniqueness.
Making History at the Championship Tractor Pull
With more than 75,000 fans packing Freedom Hall to experience
five pulse-pounding performances in four days, the nation’s oldest indoor tractor
pull has a vivid history to share with its loyal supporters.
The Color of Loyalty: Pullers and Fans Stick with Their Favorite Brands
More than 15,000 spectators fill Freedom
Hall for each performance of the CTP, eager to see which competitor will be next
to etch his or her name in the history of the nation’s oldest indoor tractor pull.
But who—specifically—have the fans come to see?
Number Four Could Mean One-of-a-Kind
Since the Saturday night Finals were added to the CTP competitive format in 1993,
only two drivers have held the title of three-time grand champion: Joe Eder and
Jordan Lustik. With the "sting" of second place on their minds, both drivers have taken somewhat
drastic measures to try and surpass the competition this year.
The Name of the Game
Ever wonder what goes into some of those names you see painted on the sides of the
engine-revving beasts that roar down the track during the CTP? Well, naming the
ride isn't something to take lightly.
Tatum Goes "Full Throttle"
On February 16, 2003, 22-year-old Lisa Tatum made CTP history when she finished
the Finals competition with a distance of 234.70, becoming the first female ever
to earn the Grand Champion title.
A Family Tradition
If you are a regular at the NFMS
and the CTP then you have probably heard about, if not seen in action, the Sullivan
family. We recently took a trip down memory lane with Donnie Sullivan, a third generation
puller, to get an inside look at his family's tradition.
The Voice of the Championship Tractor Pull
Over the years, people have come
to expect a few things from the CTP: fierce competition among the nation's best
drivers, the indoor roar of powerful machines racing down the track, and Butch Krieger
right there in the thick of things to tell everyone about it.
The Longest Haul
There is no better way for a top-notch
driver to start off his pulling calendar than with an invitation to the CTP - part
of the reason he is willing to come from any corner of the continent to compete
in it.
Mudslinging
Dan Cristiani enjoys mudslinging.
As a matter of fact, he’s made a profession out of it. Forty
to fifty times each night, in a very limited amount of time, Cristiani and his crew
must recreate the desired compaction of a championship-level track.
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