The Epic Pulling Series’ inaugural season concludes on the two-lane, hard-packed clay highway at Wagler Motorsports Park.
Right before harvest, when the first signs of autumn were setting in, more than 80 trucks and tractors descended upon Lyons, Indiana for the Wagler Fall Nationals. That day, the last race of the Outlaw Diesel Super Series season took place on the eighth-mile drag strip at Wagler Motorsports Park. At nightfall, the entertainment shifted to the hard-packed clay pulling surface a few hundred feet to the east. The action there was sanctioned by the newly-created Epic Pulling Series, an organization started by former puller, Carey Clark, and longtime sled pull official, Britany Greene. With fair payouts, highly competitive classes, and top-notch track prep, the Epic series quickly gained the attention of the sport’s heaviest hitters in 2023—and a boat load of them made the trek to Wagler’s on September 30th.
In the Limited Pro Stock (3.0-inch smooth bore) diesel truck class alone, there were 28 competitors—all of them competing for the $4,500 payout. The Pro Street (2.6-inch smooth bore) category was also on the docket, and a dozen of the strongest-running 2.6 trucks in the country turned out for the affair. Among the Pro Street entries was Nick Zaenkert, who’d just been crowned COTPC champ, and Dallas Zunker, who was fresh off securing the Pro Street title in the Wisconsin Tractor Pullers Association. Before the night was through, the Pro Stock tractors even took to the dirt for the ultimate display of horsepower and ground speed. If the high-caliber action at Wagler’s is any indication of what we can expect from the Epic Pulling Series going forward, expect more coverage from its events in the future.
RayJay Rindt set the distance to beat early on in the 8,000-pound, Pro Street diesel truck class—and it was a mark that would not be beaten. In fact, the 355-foot effort Rindt’s Advanced Diesel Performance-backed, ’04 Dodge put forth would end up more than 7-feet out in front of Second Place. If you’ve seen “Wicked White Knight” in the winner’s circle before, you’re not alone. It’s earned a lot of W’s over the years, including last years’ Pro Street title in the Wisconsin Tractor Pullers Association.Lee Stiltz’s ’05 Chevrolet Silverado turned in a solid, 341-foot hook in Pro Street, but this Bow Tie isn’t packing a GM V-8 any longer. Over the summer, Stiltz crossed over to the dark side, ditching the Duramax he’d long campaigned in favor of a Cummins. The new common-rail power plant was built by Freedom Racing Engines, is S&S fueled, MoTeC-controlled and, if we know the truck’s driver like we think we do, a lot of wins are in store for the “Privileged” Chevrolet.After sewing up the Pro Street points championship in the Wisconsin Tractor Pullers Association (topping RayJay Rindt in points in the process), Dallas Zunker pointed his tow-rig south for the Wagler Fall Nationals. At go-time, his Mud Grappler-equipped third-gen Cummins didn’t disappoint, moving the sled 347 feet and change before spinning out. From everything we’ve seen of Zunker’s “Furious Farm Truck” thus far, it’s extremely rare for it to finish outside the top three, anywhere.It doesn’t get much more iconic than having the Masterson name show up at one of your pulls, and that’s exactly what happened at the Wagler Fall Nationals. At the helm of the “River Rat” John Deere 6030, Kevin Masterson wasted no time putting on a show. Before the sled could bring the Pro Stock machine back to reality, Masterson lit up the ground speed monitor with a 35.2 mph reading. All told, his green machine would cover 388.16 feet in a matter of seconds—and put an incredible 25-feet on the rest of the field!The Pro Street field was all sorts of bunched up, but things were packed especially tight between the Second and Eighth Place finishers. Nick Zaenkert was right there in the thick of it. Fresh off of sewing up the 2023 Central Ohio Truck Pull Circuit (COTPC) Pro Street championship, his “High Stakes” Dodge’s ground speed would top out at 30.1-mph on its way to dragging the Lowery sled 343.26 feet. Four feet further, and Nick would’ve moved from the number 7 spot to second.Variety is something that is sometimes lacking in truck and tractor pulling, which is all the more reason to fall in love with Adam Hallien’s old-school creation. It blends vintage looks with new-age engine tech thanks to the immaculate bodied ’77 Chevy concealing a MoTeC-controlled, common-rail Cummins under the hood. And because Adam came from a second-gen Dodge called “Wrecker,” this one is ingeniously named “Wrecker2” (get it?). The one-of-a-kind square body would move the sled 328.21 feet in the Limited Pro Stock class.Big payouts, the addiction-forming nature of truck pulling, the camaraderie with other pullers and geographical area all play a role in why Travis and Jennifer Pushlar spend so much of their time on the road. The New York natives made the 800-mile haul to the Wagler Fall Nationals with both of their 3.0 trucks in tow. Here, Travis’s ’08 GMC is in hot pursuit of the leader cone. His Cummins-powered ’08 Sierra would end up in Fifth Place thanks to a 343.88-foot distance. Jennifer would wind up eighth aboard her own Cummins-propelled GMC.It was a busy summer for Tim Tuttle, and one where he and his ‘05 Dodge spent a lot of time winning. You can bet that a Friday night Limited Pro Stock win at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza, which was preceded by wins at both the Missouri State Fair and Horsepower In Horse Country, were sound momentum builders heading into the big, Epic Pulling Series finale. At Wagler’s, and once again, Tim and his “Common Cents” workhorse pulled off a victory—this one a 349.87-foot effort that earned him a check for $4,500.Watching a Duramax dig its way to a top three finish in the Limited Pro Stock field doesn’t happen every night—but it’s a beautiful thing to see. Just the fifth truck to hook in his class, 23 other drivers would have an opportunity to beat Cory Frank’s 344.93-foot haul. In the end however, the Exergy Performance-backed, “Causin’ Trouble” Chevrolet would lay claim to Third Place. Making Cory’s distance even more impressive was the fact that the truck endured a not-insignificant hopping spell at the end of his pass.As further proof that the Duramax can still make the cut in the 3.0 class, Evan Davis edged out 20 other competitors behind the wheel of his “Grey Area” Chevrolet. He was part of a tightly packed group of trucks separated by mere inches. In fact, if the extended cab Silverado had inched forward another two feet, Evan would’ve finished second. For die-hard Duramax fans, Evan’s truck, the aforementioned “Causin’ Trouble” driven by Cory Frank, Joe Hill’s “Durt Gobbler,” Ronnie Hall’s “Hall Pass,” and Chuck Dutter’s “Common Hooker” continue to hold the line in Limited Pro Stock.If you see the Quality Diesel Performance name on a truck, chances are good it’s going to run hard in the dirt. Brian Shew’s “Iron Maiden” second-gen would give the sled a 338.51-foot ride at Wagler’s, which meant an 11th Place overall distance. Trust us, it felt almost criminal to find Brian placing outside the top 10, but that’s pulling sometimes. Earlier on, Megan Shew turned in a 334.54-foot performance behind the wheel of the “Iron Patriot” third-gen in Pro Street.Long-time puller, Josh Land, revamped the second-gen Limited Pro Stock Dodge affectionately known as “The Crippler” this season. And despite being away from the sport for nearly four years—and essentially everything other than the cab, front fenders and hood being different now—Josh’s late-summer return to the dirt proved fruitful. Front-of-the-pack and mid-pack finishes were on tap right out of the gate, even though he’s still fine-tuning what amounts to a brand-new setup. At the Wagler Fall Nationals, Josh and The Crippler moved the sled 334 feet and ended up 17th out of 28 trucks.As the last truck to hook in the 3.0 class, Paul Richardson had his work cut out for him, but he also had the advantage of observing everyone else take a shot at reaching the leader cone. When his common-rail, Cummins-powered Silverado finally spun out, the “Fancy Hooker” had traveled 336.86 feet. Once again, the middle of the Limited Pro Stock field was about as tightly packed as it gets—and with another two feet, Paul’s 14th Place distance would’ve turned into a Ninth Place finish.Adam Kincaid may have (uncharacteristically) finished 10th Place at the Wagler Fall Nationals, but that didn’t keep him from finishing the season as the Epic Pulling Series’ first Limited Pro Stock champion. This O’Bryant Diesel-equipped, Hart’s turbo’d second-gen has been a front-runner in the 3.0 class for several years now. On any given night, never count the “Hill Brothers Pulling Team” Dodge out. It’s the current champion, a past champion, and will likely win many more championships in the future.It’s worth mentioning that the Epic Pulling Series’ inaugural season would’ve never gotten off the ground had it not been for a handful of sponsors backing its every move. Wagler Competition Products, Dynomite Diesel Products, Fleece Performance Engineering, O’Bryant Diesel, Solutions Directional Drilling and Reed Farms are among the list of businesses that donated time, resources, and capital to the Epic Pulling Series in 2023. As this promising pulling organization continues to grow, expect more big-name companies to rally behind the cause.
