By Gabriel Maier
The 3rd Annual Tom Culwell Tractor and Truck Pull kicked off at 7 p.m. this past Saturday at the Vandalia Area Fairgrounds.
If you ever need a way to keep yourself awake, this is the place to do it. Truck engines were screaming like banshees as they tore down the track, tugging the X-Factor sled right behind them. The distances the sled was pulled were close on Saturday in some categories, but there were some clear winners.
In the Street Stock Gas category, Trey Gibson took the winner’s spot with 311.85 feet.
For Small Block Gas, Bill Miller won first place with a long 319.31 feet.
Joe Creason pulled to 316.08 feet, winning him the leader’s position in the Hot Stock Gas category.
For Pro Stock Gas pullers, Chris Meyer stood out with a 328.49 feet sled pull, the longest distance out of any of the gas categories.
True Stock Diesel gave its categorical crown to Chris Ludwig, who pushed his machine to 350.67 feet before he stopped.
Hot Stock Diesels had a far-blown winner, with Storm Campbell going 12 feet further than second place. Pulling the sled 358.44 feet down the track, no other pullers could hold a candle.
2.6 Smooth Bore Diesel pullers conceded to Cory Bokermann, who got a respectable 317.09 feet, beating out second place in his category by nearly 13 feet.
For the Work Stock Diesel pullers, Abe Wiser took off and took the sled a massive 397.16 feet, the longest distance of the night.
It was loud, and these competitors were proud of their machines.
This tractor pull was named in honor of Tom Cullwell, who lost his battle with COVID in August 2021. It was then, that his family and many, many friends decided to hold a memorial tractor pull in his honor. Tom loved his tractor pulls, his family said, and having one named for him is a fitting tribute to a man who was loved by so many in his community.