McCurdy’s take to the track
By Brandie Gay
A prominent pulling family, the McCurdy’s are living the American Dream.
They live between Vandalia and Middletown. Michael McCurdy, his wife Amanda and their three children, Katelyn, Megan and Chase enjoy living out in the country with their two dogs.
Amanda, Michael’s wife, grew up with pulling in her blood, watching the Sprock family pull. Amanda watched her dad, her two brothers, Paul and Tim, brother-in-law, Danny Hubert and her three nephews, Luke, Andrew and Daryl pull 2-wheel drive trucks.
Her third brother Mark and his kids pull antique tractors. Amanda’s family has been pulling a long time.
Michael’s journey into the pulling world began 10 years ago, driven by a passion for the sport and a desire to excel. Over the years, he built an impressive team that not only competed but often dominated the Xcaliber section. His dedication and strategic ability led to numerous victories and accolades, making him a celebrated name in the pulling circuit. Over the years, he built a reputation for excellence, not just through his competitive spirit but also through his willingness to help others. His team became a staple at local events, and his presence was always a highlight for fans and fellow competitors alike.
One evening while driving back from Nashville, Ill., in the fall of 2021, after a long day at a pulling event, Michael and his daughter, Katelyn, were driving home. The night was filled with the hum of the truck’s engine, the radio, and the enjoyment of another successful pull. As they drove through the familiar roads, Katelyn turned to her dad and asked her father if she could drive the pulling tractor because she wanted to beat the boys. Michael agreed and told her they would start the next year.
Katelyn, who has been a part of her father’s journey from the beginning, has grown up immersed in the world of pulling. Her involvement in the team has been significant, and she has shown a natural talent and enthusiasm for the sport. With her father’s guidance, she has developed the skills and knowledge necessary to lead the team to continued success.
As a young competitor in the sport of tractor pulling, Katelyn faced several challenges.
Managing her time effectively is crucial to ensure she excels balancing school and pulling a tractor. Katelyn must juggle her academic responsibilities as she attends the University of Missouri-Columbia studying nursing, extracurricular activities, and her pulling career, and all while continuing to learn the nuances of the sport.
Competing against seasoned veterans means she must quickly adapt and learn from each event to improve her performance. Tractor pulling is physically demanding, requiring strength, endurance, and quick reflexes.
She must also maintain her physical fitness to handle the difficulties of the sport. Understanding the mechanics of the pulling tractor and making necessary adjustments is essential. Katelyn relies on her father’s guidance but also needs to develop her own technical expertise. With her father being a well-known figure in the pulling community, there are high expectations for Katelyn to perform well.
She must manage the pressure and stay focused on her goals, because establishing herself as a serious competitor in a male-dominated sport can be challenging.
Katelyn also needs to prove her skills and earn the respect of her peers and competitors. Despite these challenges, Katelyn’s determination, passion, and the support from her family and community give her a strong foundation to overcome such obstacles and succeed in the seasons to come.
Working with their equipment
The 235 Magnum Case IH with a 466 cubic inch motor known as the “Devil Dog”, makes 1400-1500 horsepower with a small turbo. When it’s going down the track it looks like it’s going 60 mph, but it is only running about 28 to 30 mph. Teching the motor has become more frequent at the tracks and Michael welcomes it.
Weight can be spread around the tractor for traction. When asked about adding weight for a pull, Michael said they are limited to a certain amount of weight depending on the pulling class, and competitors can put the weights wherever they want, but he added, it can be under the weight limit but not a pound over.
Coming from a racing family myself, I know how weight can be a factor in winning. It surprised me to learn that the tractor could be lighter.
In dirt track racing, the vehicle cannot be a pound under, but it can be over as much as the competitor wants.
Michael explained that the heavier the vehicle is the better traction it gets.
Michael said, “You couldn’t believe 100 pounds, and under horsepower could beat you.” He added that, “You are all the same, but placement of those 100 pounds, he can smoke the others. Like racing, pulling tractors you meet a lot of people, and some become your friends that are like family, or in McCurdy’s case, engine builders.”
At a pull in Cape Girardeau, Michael said there was a tie for first place. He said it was so close it was down to the thousandth of an inch, and they were still tied. Because both tractors were hot and still needed to pull the next day, both competitors decided to just tie for first place and drink a beer.
While drinking, the other puller asked who built Michael’s motors, McCurdy told him,”Me and my friend, Tony Wortman.”
The other puller looked at McCurdy’s motor and said this is all outdated. McCurdy replyed, “Yeah, I know, I don’t have any money, I just want to pull.”
The next night, Michael noted that, they finished second and had a great weekend. After that pull, the guy that tied with him the night before told Michael, you are going to bring that to my shop over the winter and I’m going to get you running like you are supposed to. That’s when the McCurdy’s joined the 618 Motorsports family.
Joining a motorsports team is a success in itself. With a team, there are no secrets. What one person does to their tractor, they all know and can do the same.
For example, McCurdy bought some injectors that he wanted to see if they worked for his motor. As luck would have it another motor like McCurdy’s was in the motorsports shop getting dynode.
Instead of McCurdy taking his motor there and tearing it down, the team just dropped the injectors in the motor to try them, and they were way off. No matter what they tried they couldn’t get them to work with their setup.
Being a part of a motorsports team has its advantages. When the injectors didn’t work, McCurdy sent them back without having to tear down his own motor, saving time and money.
Continuing with the family pulling tradition, Michael and Amanda have two more children, Chase and Megan.
Megan said she might want to continue the family tradtion.
“Maybe a couple of passes would be fine,” she said.
Chase, on the other hand, said he would like to be on the building and fabrication side of the operation.
Michael will continue to pull, and Katelyn will pull when school allows her. She even pulled the night before she went off to college.
Time will tell for Megan and Chase if they, too, will get the pulling fever. Michael stated that everyone wants to go bigger but he wants to go backwards and would like to at some point go into farm stock pulling, or a new class of 2-wheel drive minis.
This class, he noted, goes back into the grassroots of the 2-wheel drive. This class must have a stock frame and stock body. With the cost always going up for pulling, Micheal said he could have two farm stock tractors for the price of one tire for the pulling tractor.
If you’re interested, you can catch either Michael, his kids, or the 618 Motorsports pulling somewhere in the surrounding states and at a local track near you.