7/12/2022
Pro Pulling League
Chris Wood Eager to Compete at Inaugural World Series of Pulling presented by Ohio Cat at Summit Motorsports Park
Charlestown, IN (July 12, 2022) –
Interview by Mary Lendzion - Summit Motorsports Park
While Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio has been a home for drag racing for more than 50 years, it is preparing to present a tractor and truck pulling event for the first time in its history.
The Inaugural World Series of Pulling, presented by Ohio Cat, is set for July 21-23, 2022, and the race surface that is usually glued for the most grip will be covered in dirt for the most powerful pulls as competitors eye a share of a $250,000 purse.
Chris Wood of Shreve, Ohio will be among the competitors, and he will be a commanding presence in his 1977 Peterbilt semi in the MAC Trailer Hot Rod Semis category. When Chris is not piloting his semi at a pull, he works at CRW Freight Management Services in Shreve, Ohio, which he co-owns. He also shares a mulching business with his family, and grows corn, soybeans and alfalfa at his family’s farm. We talked with Chris about his semi and how he feels about competing at the highly anticipated upcoming event, and among the things he shared is that he is coming to gain championship points, but also to entertain, and he is ready to roll into America’s Racetrack.
WHEN DID YOU DEVELOP AN INTEREST IN TRUCK- AND TRACTOR-PULLING?
I went to watch them at local fairs when I was growing up, and I had a lot of family members who competed in them at the time. I was interested in the mechanics behind all of it, and then in 2003, we decided to build a semi for pulling. It seemed to go hand-in-hand with CRW Freight Management, the trucking business I own with my brother, Ken.
WHAT WILL YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR 1977 PETERBILT?
It was actually in our fleet at CRW Freight Management. It had been parked because it had a broken frame rail on it, and we decided to start with that chassis, cab and hood, and I bought a set of frame rails and we came home and started building. The truck has a 3406 Cat Mechanical Engine with a Wimer turbo and it was built by Jim Fink at Cyclone Machine in Polk, Ohio. He’s the only one who has done my engine work since 2004.
DID YOU TALK TO OTHER SEMI PULLERS PRIOR TO PUTTING TOGETHER YOUR OWN TRUCK-PULLING PROGRAM?
We did talk to a few of them, and I was relying on my engine-builder and mentor, Jim Fink at Cyclone Machine, who had campaigned a Pro Stock Tractor for a few years. He shared information with me about gear ratio in the rear or in our Mack transmission, and we worked with Pro Fab Gear in Wisconsin, since they build gear boxes for trucks and tractors for pulling. We had to decide wheel base, and because we are to run at 20,000 pounds and the stock truck weighed about 15,000 pounds, we had to figure out where to put the weight and where to put the hitch for the sled. That’s one of the areas where we’re different from the racing world. Racers need everything to be light, and we need it to be heavy in the pulling world.
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR VERY FIRST PULL?
Because I had been a spectator at a lot of pulls, I had a rough idea of what to expect, and I was comfortable because I had been around semis my whole life. It was the Greenwich Firemen’s Festival in Ohio in 2004, and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to slip the clutch enough to come off the line like I needed to, so we went back and revamped the clutch linkage to get it where we needed it to be.
DO YOU GUN IT OFF THE LINE OR EASE INTO IT?
We are up on the RPM quite a bit at the hit, and it could vary if we think we’re on a loose track or a biting track.
THERE WILL BE PEOPLE AT THIS EVENT WHO HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED TRUCK- AND TRACTOR-PULLING. WHAT CAN THEY CAN EXPECT?
In the pulling world, whoever pulls the sled the furthest is the winner. At Summit Motorsports Park, every category is going to be pulling twice, and the top five will come back for the Saturday night show.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN PREPARING YOUR SEMI BETWEEN ROUNDS?
We always hope we won’t have major breakage that requires us to swap anything out. We go through and check every bolt on the semi , and we check oil filters, because if anything is going on with bearings or pistons, we can catch that on oil filters. We have to add fuel and water, and look at the clutch and make adjustments as needed. We use a datalogger to record pertinent information, like fuel, oil and water pressure, as well as turbo speed and rpm. That’s comparable to the drag racing world, where racers are recording as much as possible. In addition to Keith McConahay, I have help from my buddies Joe, Jimmy and Kevin. They know who they are, and how much they help me.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT COMPETING AT SUMMIT MOTORSPORTS PARK?
We have always heard good things about Summit Motorsports Park and the Baders, and what they do to entertain fans. For this event at Summit Motorsports Park, they are going to be putting dirt on their high-dollar race track just for us, and that’s pretty darn exciting. We as competitors are used to pulling on different kinds of dirt, and it will be up to us to show up and prepare our chassis the way they need to be prepared to have the best pull down the track. Fans can stop by our pit area for T-shirts, and if the youngsters want to sit in my truck for pictures, they’re certainly welcome to. It’s going to be a great event, and this is the first time that elite-level pulling will be on an NHRA track.
The Inaugural World Series of Pulling presented by Ohio Cat, a Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League event, is July 21-23 at Summit Motorsports Park, 1300 State Route 18, Norwalk, Ohio. It will feature Super Modified Tractors, Hot Rod Semis, Unlimited Super Stock Tractors, Pro Stock Tractors and other categories. Activities and fireworks will enhance an already exciting line-up. Various ticket levels are available depending on preferred experience, including the Full Pull Club, which includes food, beverages and special seating. To avoid long delays at the gate, fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. For more information or tickets, visit www.summitmotorsportspark.com or call 419-668-5555.
(View interview also at: https://www.summitmotorsportspark.com)
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Submitted By: Bryan Lively