The Big Rigs Pulling Series crowned its first-ever champion in September of 1991 when Gary Reis of Hastings, Minnesota grabbed the laurels in the first competition year for the series. Now twenty years later the Big Rigs Series under USA-EAST sanctioning is getting ready for yet another championship season. Many of the driver’s names and their trucks are different from those that actually ran in 1991, but the competition is still very strong and another super battle is expected in 2011. Many fans are not aware of the fact that in the last nine years (2002-2010) no single truck and no single driver has won the Big Rigs crown more than once. Will the tenth year of this cycle produce a duplicate champion or will another ‘new’ top Big Rig emerge??
It is expected that at least six of the past champions will be gunning for the top spot in 2011. Don Snyder won the Big Rigs Series in 2002 with his “Mr. Nasty” Peterbilt and that truck has been outfitted with a new transmission and appears ready to go. David Frantz and the V-8 Mack powered “Thunder Dog” was the 2006 champion and team capton Richard Price of Antrim Diesel in Greencastle, Pennsylvania reports that the cab-over will return to the Big Rigs Series this summer. Dick Bonner’s “Killer” won the Big Rigs crown in 2007 and was very strong a year ago at the events that he did attend including an impressive third place at Canfield. This truck could definitely be a factor in 2011.
The 2008 Big Rigs point winner was Richard Scott with the “Silver Bullet II” from the powerful Fred Sanders Team of Ravenna, Ohio. And then in 2009 the “Silver Bullet I” took the top spot under the capable driving of Fred Sanders. “SB I” is powered by a V-8 Mack, while the “SB II” has a Cummins QXK under the hood. Either of these gleaming silver Macks could win their second crown this season.
Last year the champion was Kendra Rodgers from South Zanesville, Ohio with the six-cylinder Mack Cruiseliner called “Unleashed”. Kendra’s victory was all the more impressive due to the fact that her truck was giving up significant horsepower to the others in the field. But consistency proved the mainstay for the Rodgers’ Team in 2010.
But what of the rest of the likely competitors with the Big Rigs in 2011?? The Rodgers’ Team debuted an all-new red twin to Kendra’s truck last season. Driven by Chad Rodgers, this Mack was named “Unpredictable” and showed some great promise with the Big Rigs. Now with some new parts and a freshening of the engine, could Chad Rodgers find a way to ride consistency to the 2011 Big Rigs crown??
Dan Adams from Leetonia, Ohio moved his truck into 2nd place in the Big Rigs points a year ago – the highest finish ever for Adams. Dan’s “Some Assembly Required” is another V-8 Mack but with only a single turbo charger. Rumors from Columbiana County continue to swirl around the plans for this Mack Superliner in 2011.
The Dick Bonner and Dale Francis combination from northeast Ohio has an awesome second truck in the barn in Middlefield. This V-8 Mack named “Killer Too” is one of the most unique pieces in the sport of modified semi truck pulling in America. It is a fully customized Mack Superliner that will turn everyone’s head when it comes out to compete with the Big Rigs.
Dale Mitchell from Mt. Gilead, Ohio has an awesome truck both in appearance and in power with the KT-600 powered “Down and Out”. Mitchell is a regular with the Ohio State single charger circuit and does not run all of the Big Rigs events with his International Big Rig. But with a win at Burton, Ohio and a huge victory in the Big Rigs FINALS at Bloomsburg in 2010, this truck could be a factor if Mitchell decides to run the eight-event Big Rigs Series this summer.
And perhaps the most intriguing new entry is the beautiful yellow Peterbilt of Joe Giulitto from Ravenna, Ohio. The truck named “Sneeky Pete” came on the scene a year ago with a CAT 3406 for power and immediately impressed while grabbing big wins at the Warren County Fair in Pittsfield, Pennsylvania and at the Crawford County Fair in Meadville, Pennsylvania near the end of 2010. Guilitto was the driver for the Sanders’ Team for many years and has the knowledge and the backing of his Ravenna team mates to rely on and could be the one to watch in 2011.
There are eight stops in the Big Rigs Series in 2011 starting at the end of May and running to the end of September with the FINALS at Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The Big Rigs Pulling Series starts the 2011 season on the all-new infield track at Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania on Sunday, May 29th at 6:30pm.
