BONNER’S “KILLER” TERRIFIC AT TRUMBULL COUNTY
 Dale Francis drove Dick Bonner’s “Killer” to a resounding victory over a field of ten Big Rigs at the Trumbull County Fair in Cortland, Ohio on Friday evening, July 11th. “Killer” is a Mack SuperLiner with a specially built E-9 Mack engine now equipped with four turbo-chargers. Dick Bonner had a serious fall from a trailer in late June and fractured his collar bone. That has required Dale Francis, the engine-builder and crew chief, to handle the driving duties at the past couple of events. The new four-charger set-up worked flawlessly as “Killer” won by nearly twelve feet in a pull-off with four other Big Rigs.
Second in the pull-off went to Richard Scott from nearby Diamond, Ohio with the Sanders’ Excavating Mack named “Silver Bullet I”. This incredible Mack has an all-new Mack V-8 engine that was built by Francis Engineering in LeRoy, Ohio. The trucks that finished first and second on this night in Cortland, Ohio have almost identical engine set ups although the “Silver Bullet I” has only two turbos.
The beautiful Peterbilt named “Mr. Nasty” with Don Snyder from New Springfield, Ohio finished third in the pull-off after blowing the head gasket on the gigantic Cummins mid way down the track. “Mr. Nasty” was the winner at Mercer Raceway in May and now after three straight third place finishes sits in second place in the Big Rigs Series point race for 2008.
 Fred Sanders was the test puller in the class and made a full pull, but the Dan Nearpass sled operated by Craig Storm was reset following that run. Sander’s “Silver Bullet II” returned at the new weight sled setting and made a second full pull. However Mr. Sanders opted not to return to the pull-off with a very hot engine and settled for fourth place on this night. That Cummins-powered Mack SuperLiner is currently third in the 2008 point race.
Kendra Rogers from Philo, Ohio made a super run with “Unleashed” to finish just out of the pull-off at 292 feet. Kendra will be a freshman at Marietta University in the Fall of 2008 and was a definite crowd favorite at the Trumbull County Fair. This was the best finish of the season for the completely revamped “Unleashed”, now sporting a very strong Mack six-cylinder engine in a conventional body truck. Dan Adams from Leetonia, Ohio has made great strides forward with his Mack for 2008. His “Some Assembly Required” V-8 Mack was sixth at Cortland, in only the second run of this year for the truck.
The Big Rigs Semis will now take its mid-season break before returning to the track at the Warren County Fair in Pittsfield, Ohio on Friday, August 8th.
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