Manassas Journal Messenger | Tractors, trucks pull in crowds

 Donald Duncan won a fuzzy, blue and black hat on the Midway at the Prince William County Fair on Saturday and had enough nerve to wear it.

The hat probably helped keep the sun off his head as he sat in the stands at the truck and tractor pull, where he and a couple thousand other people gathered to watch the hot rod trucks and tractors pull a “sled” that carries up to 43,000 pounds.

“I like it because it’s fast and loud,” said the 17-year-old Duncan, a recent Gar-Field High School graduate.

Duncan’s mother, Pecola Duncan, a veteran of hundreds of tractor pulls, said she was glad to see a good turnout for the truck and tractor pull since that would guarantee the event would return next year.

Pecola Duncan brings her family to the fair every year.

“I like to watch the power of the trucks,” said Pecola Duncan, the store manager at Leesylvania State Park.

This year she brought her 3-year-old grandson, Robert Duncan, to the truck and tractor pull.

Robert watched with interest as heavy machinery, scraped, moved and packed the dirt on the track before the race, while people around them munched on snow cones, popcorn, funnel cakes, turkey legs and corn dogs.

Wayne Tapscott said his truck, the “Tameless Too,” with 572-cubic-inch Chevrolet aftermarket engine can pull the sled between 270 and 300 feet.

“It makes a good show for the crowd,” Tapscott said of the trucks and tractors that pop wheelies and make dirt fly from their rear wheels when they pull the sled.

Tapscott and the other drivers went to a lot of expense to put on a good show.

Engines can go for $8,000 or more, and tires on some of the bigger tractors can run $7,000 a pair, said Charles Brommer, 71, of Columbus, Pa.

Some of the bigger tractors at the fair Saturday had four engines and all the vehicles were running super chargers, Tapscott said.

Brommer built his truck in 1978 and has been racing it since then.

Everything is original, except the two engines he replaced recently.

He even brought his son Art Brommer, 45, into the game. Sometimes Art drives and sometime Charles drives.

Art Brommer said it’s a cinch that people like to watch tractors and trucks pull a heavy thing down a dirt track.

“All kinds of motor sports is fun,” Art Brommer said.

“I guess most of ’em like hearing the noise,” Charles Brommer said.

Robert Roberts, 66, of Manassas; Steve Cransky, 17, of Bristow; and William Mayhugh, 16, of Gainesville; all verified Brommer’s suspicions and said noise was the thing.

And trucks called “Ridge Runner,” “Family Tradition,” “Agitator,” “Rambo Daddy” and “Boss Hawg” among others provided plenty of noise for the fans.