Fleece Performance Engineering’s hometown sled pull attracts some of the nation’s best Limited Pro Stock and Pro Street diesel trucks.
For 16 years, Fleece Performance Engineering has played host to the Hoosier State Showdown, a Labor Day weekend truck and tractor pull. Held in the industry juggernaut’s own backyard of North Salem, Indiana and in conjunction with the town’s annual Old Fashion Days festival, it’s an event that has transitioned from street trucks to dedicated pullers—and from late nights to early evenings—over the years. Now sanctioned by the Indiana Pulling League, the event flows like a well-oiled machine, with four highly competitive classes squeezed into a short but sweet, 2.5-hour window. We were in town for the 16th annual affair and, along with a full house of spectators, were treated to everything you’d expect to see at a Saturday night truck and tractor pull in America’s heartland.
It’s been a good year for Caden and Landen Perkins, with their Perkins Brothers Dodge becoming a regular front-runner in the Limited Pro Stock diesel truck class (3.0 smooth bore). At the Hoosier State Showdown, Caden guided the second-gen Dodge 334.30 feet down the track, putting 3 feet on the previous leader. The combination of an O’Bryant Diesel built, common-rail Cummins under the hood and a chassis that just flat-out works allowed Caden to build 30.8-mph worth of ground speed in route to the win.Early in the Pro Street diesel truck class (2.6 smooth bore), Jon Shew’s “Iron Patriot” set the mark to beat at 338.12 feet. However, it wasn’t nearly as easy as Jon made things look. Three days before the pull, the guys at Quality Diesel Performance noticed a catastrophic issue with the engine, swapped their Work Stock Cummins into place and thought the truck was good to go. Fast-forward to Saturday and injector issues surface. Luckily, fellow pullers and friends Erik Hucke, Doug Monroe, and Michael Asher (as well as a helping hand from the folks at Fleece and DDP) tore into the engine and swapped a new set into place just before go time. Jon would end up second in a 13-truck field.Philip Cambe’s wheels-up Massey Ferguson laid down a smooth pass in the Hot Farm class, a category that allows tractors to weigh as much as 9,500 pounds and that permits up to 510 cubic inch engines and a single, 3.0-inch map groove turbo. Philip’s 1130 ‘Massey coined “Rampage ” sports an IH-based power plant. In North Salem, he moved the sled 327.79 feet for the win, a distance that put him in front of Second Place by more than 11 feet.Just as it did in the Limited Pro Stock class, common-rail technology is slowly infiltrating the ranks of the more powerful Pro Stock category. With full backing from Fleece Performance Engineering, Paul Ritchardson and his “Fancy Hooker” Chevrolet got their feet wet in the latter class this season, and Paul made a 349.54-foot exhibition pass at the Hoosier State Showdown. Cummins-powered, Paul’s cut-tire Silverado benefits from a Freedom Racing Engines power plant, S&S Diesel Motorsport Ordnance CP3’s and injectors, and MoTeC control. According to Paul, the change to cut tires is night-and-day different from the DOT rubber he used to run—and the bump up to 3.6 meant playing with 700+ additional horsepower…Harbor Beach, Michigan native, Matthew Booms, swooped 450 miles south to come to the Hoosier State Showdown, and the trip proved more than worth it. Following in the footsteps of the aforementioned Jon Shew, Matthew’s common-rail third-gen Cummins clawed its way out to a First Place, 340.73-foot finish in the 2.6 class. In the process, his hard-charging Dodge broke the 30-mph barrier for ground speed. It’s yet another case of Freedom Racing Engines teaming up with Dynomite Diesel Products to get a talented driver into the winner’s circle.In the Light Super Stock Combo category, a mix of 6,300-pound tractors and 6,800-pound Modifieds mixed it up. Just as he’d done at the 15th annual Hoosier State Showdown a year prior, Matt Rausch moved the sled the furthest. “The Terrible Thing, ” a 4050 model John Deere, traveled 287.73 feet before it was brought to a halt. It’s a hook that allowed Matt to gain some ground, in terms of points, on class leader, Denny Dyson, who pilots the “Anvil Reforged” Modified.After traveling 300 feet and change on his first attempt, Jordan Kinderman turned it down, the sled was reset, and he patiently waited for another crack at it. Putting his Freedom-powered, Limited Pro Stock third-gen to work, Jordan built the fastest ground speed in the class (30.7 mph) and spun out at 332.56 feet—just a foot and a half shy of Caden Perkins’ First Place hook. Jordan and the “Cummin Get It” Dodge were just a week removed from a Third Place qualifier (out of 38 trucks) at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza.In pursuit of a PPL championship at one point, Nick Zaenkert’s “High Stakes 3.0” Ford has been a force to be reckoned with this season. The 6.7L Freedom-built Cummins under the hood boasts a 3.0-inch smooth bore turbo from Hart’s, a pair of high-speed, 14mm S&S CP3’s, DDP injectors, and was recently converted to run a MoTeC stand-alone ECU. Nick couldn’t make the trip to North Salem, so the truck’s builder, Erik Hucke of E&M Repair and Fabrication, strapped in behind the wheel. Erik turned in a 330.57-foot performance, good enough for Fourth Place in Limited Pro Stock.Spotting a V-8 powered tractor has a way of capturing our undivided attention, and Chip Cambe’s (Philip Cambe’s father) Massey Ferguson definitely did the trick. Without a doubt, Chip’s “Always Something” Massey is different. It packs a Perkins V-8, runs neck-and-neck with all the inline-six competition in the 9,500-pound Hot Farm category, and even earned Chip an Indiana Pulling League championship in the past. Chip would travel 276.63 feet at the Hoosier State Showdown, laying claim to fourth place points.As the IPL 2.6 Class (Pro Street) points leader and fresh off a Saturday qualifier win at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza, Evan Rusk had to have liked his chances at the Hoosier State Showdown. After all, as a Fleece employee he was also pulling on the home team’s hometown track. When Evan’s “Double Or Nothin’” Dodge finally spun out and the dirt stopped flying, he traveled 333.70 feet. And while a Fourth Place distance wasn’t what Evan was after, he didn’t lose any ground in the IPL points chase. In fact, he left North Salem 58 points ahead of the number 2 truck.David Reed’s GMC Sierra has been on the pulling scene for well over a decade. And throughout its long tenure in the dirt it’s remained under Duramax power. David didn’t get the win in North Salem, but he reminded the crowd that the 6.6L V-8 is nowhere close to extinct—not even in the Limited Pro Stock diesel truck class. Here, where well north of 1,500 hp is needed to win and Cummins power is the norm, it says a lot when a Duramax can hang. David and his battle-hardened “Wildside” would finish eighth with a 319.82-foot hook.Fifth and Third Place finishes at the Scheid Diesel Extravaganza and top five in points with PPL should help explain the type of strong season Tim Tuttle was having heading into the Hoosier State Showdown. His Limited Pro Stock third-gen Cummins coined “Common Cents” benefits from a Freedom power plant, an Attitude Diesel chassis, an Apex turbo, and a helping hand from S&S, DDP, and Kenny’s Pulling Parts. This time, Tim handed driving duties over to good friend and confidant, Jimmy Barclay, who proceeded to set the mark to beat at 331.19 feet. Only Caden Perkins and Jordan Kinderman would travel further.Doug Monroe’s ultra-clean, low-mile (try 25,000-miles!) ‘05 Dodge has been all but unstoppable in the Pro Street diesel truck class in the past, and it remains a highly formidable contender thanks to Doug’s driving experience and the Freedom Racing Cummins that propels his third-gen. And who doesn’t like seeing a pristine set of Welds on a pulling truck? Doug’s 29-mph momentum at mid-track helped carry him out to a solid, 331.24 feet at the Hoosier State Showdown. He would end up fifth out of 13 in the 2.6 class.
