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The Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Champions Tour Roars into Knoxville, Tennessee for the Great Smokey Mountain Shootout. After a successful season opener for the Champions Tour in Concord, North Carolina, the pullers, staff, and fans should be nothing but excited for the event in Knoxville. The Great Smokey Mountain Shootout presented by Geico provides an amazing landscape for a pull as it is hosted at the Knoxville Zoo. The fans will be treated to three classes of piston power with the Super Modified Two Wheel Drive Trucks, E3 Super Modified Tractors, and Pro Modified Four Wheel Drive Trucks slated for hard core competition. In between shows the fans will have a great opportunity to walk through the zoo and enjoy the venue that has attracted the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Champions Tour.
The Pro Modified Four Wheel Drive Trucks will open their 2009 points circuit in Knoxville, with Terry Hagedorn looking to defend his 2008 points Championship. Hagedorn celebrated a highly successful 2008 season that found him distancing himself from his competitors early in the season and running away for his first Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Champions Tour Points Championship. Hagedorns, biggest challenge may come from former PPL Points Champion Steve Clem who hopes to place his Ratical Chevrolet back on top in 2009. The Varner Brothers have added a second weapon to their arsenal as they hope to debut Darrell's new pulling truck. Darrell a seasoned veteran in the sport has sold his Super Modified Two Wheel Drive Truck to focus his efforts on dethroning the Untamed Spirit of Hagedorn. Another threat will come from Jake Zaring's Dixie Chopper Dodge out of Fillmore, Indiana. Zaring has found himself in the thick of the Pro Pulling League Points Championship and would love nothing more then to take home the crown in 2009.
The Super Modified Two Wheel Drive Trucks power into Knoxville firing on all cylinders after their first event of the season. The first win and early season points lead went to Jared Nelson and his Midnight Revenger Chevrolet Silverado out of Altamont, Illinois. Nelson hopes to capitalize on his win and cap off the championship that evaded him in the 2007 season. The 2008 Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Points Champions Ricky Long battled difficulties at home with his hauler before leaving for the pull and was unable to attend. There is no doubt that Ricky and his brother Keith will accept the points challenge presented ahead of them and will fight to bring home their third consecutive championship. After Concord, Jordan Nelson has his newly painted Ford Midnight Madness in second, while the Sullivan's have their Hansel Sullivan Memorial Pull Chevy in 3rd and their Chevy S10 Big Ed Red in 4th. The Super Modified Two Wheel Drive Class has already set the table for what will be an amazing points race.
The E3 Spark Plugs Super Modified Tractor Class found a new member and winner leaving Concord in Jamie Austin's Predator out of Charleston, Illinois. Austin's Predator in just its first season in a points race immediately found success. The seasoned veteran Bill Leischner powered his Dirtslinger into second and looks full throttle for another Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Championship. The 2008 Champion Shawn Swearingen will look to bounce back up to the top of the ladder after a couple of top ten finishes. There is no doubt about the fact the fans are in for a treat when the E3 Spark Plug Super Modified Tractors bring the noise to the zoo.
For advance tickets go to www.knoxvilletickets.com; call (865) 656-4444 or visit your friendly East Tennessee Dodge Dealer.
The Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League will conduct in excess of 240 truck and tractor pulling events across the United States and Canada, from a roster of more than 1,000 active members. Its elite Lucas Oil Champions Tour series of events receives valuable and comprehensive international television exposure on major cable television networks, including sports giant ESPN2, SPEED and Versus. The core of the PPL’s support structure comes from Team Lucas, a powerful marketing consortium of leading automotive and major brand companies, including Lucas Oil Products, Dixie Chopper, R&L Carriers, E3 Spark Plugs, General Tire, K&N Filters, and Super Clean. For a full Midwest Region Schedule or any other information regarding the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League contact our office at 812-216-4024; email: pro_pulling@yahoo.com