Grassroots motorsport pulls big tractors and bigger crowds

LANGFORD, N.Y. — For two days in August, this small hamlet south of Buffalo becomes a can’t-miss destination for fans of a distinctively agricultural motorsport: the tractor pull.

Spectators gather on wooden bleachers flanking a long dirt runway, forming an arena that seats 4,000 people — more than the surrounding area’s total population.

“Everybody looks and waits for this first weekend [of August] to come to Langford,” says Richard Love, one of the officials at the 79th annual competition this year.

“It’s non-stop action and it’s just kind of a big party here,” says Love. “It’s grassroots, it’s motorsports — this place is unbelievable.”

Tractor pulling was created in the 1920s by farmers wanting to show off their machines and have something to look forward to, says Love.

This event in Langford has been held annually since 1946, even hosting limited runs during the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain its position as the longest-running event of its kind in the country.

Rules of the Road

In the competition, tractors and trucks latch onto a contraption called a sled, which looks like a flat-bed trailer carrying a huge weighted box on a slider.

As the machines thunder down the track, momentum causes the weight-box to slide across the trailer until the balance shifts so much that the sled digs into the ground and the back tires lift, immobilizing it.

The further down the dirt track a puller goes before the sled grinds to a halt, the higher they score. If a driver makes it all the way to the end of the track, a “full pull”, they get perfect marks.

It’s a complex dance of skill and mechanics, as drivers juggle inertia, traction, and engine power in a contest that lasts only seconds. A winner is often determined by just a couple of feet.

That excitement is what keeps people coming back year after year.

Horsepower meets tradition

“The crowd is just electric here – I mean, these people come to see tractor and truck pulling and they just love it here,” says Kelly Giltinan, the driver behind the wheel of a red pulling truck called “Bull Headed,” fit with a 1955 chassis and a chrome-plated modern engine.

Giltinan, who came from Pennsylvania, says that driving in a pull is a bit different from driving on the road because his truck only runs in one gear, and its engine is specially designed to produce as much power as possible in as little time as possible.

“As the RPMs come up, the clutch grabs harder and it takes off,” he says.

“I mean, this horsepower you can feel in your chest.”

Giltinan’s trip to Langford didn’t go as he’d hoped — the pulling sled heavily damaged the back of his truck on his first attempt, which prevented him from making any more runs at Langford. Giltinan says he’s hoping to repair his truck in time for his hometown pull in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, later in August.

Like Giltinan, many drivers heavily modify their rides for maximum power and tire grip on the dirt track, but also for style and flair. Many of them dawn custom paint jobs and chrome details.

But the tractor pull includes competition groups for the farm workhorses, too. Andy Gabel and his brother Chris, both locals, entered a grey tractor from their family farm.

“My grandfather was here back in the ’60s [and] ’70s,” Gabel said from the stands, eyeing the competition out on the dusty track.

“It’s in your blood, you just love making horsepower.”

Like NASCAR, but for tractors and trucks

While drivers like Giltinan get all the glory, each competitor typically has a whole team of people supporting them behind the scenes. Collin Meals, who was getting his family’s tractor ready to compete, said it’s similar to NASCAR, where drivers are backed by pit crews to keep their cars in top shape.

“The team behind building them is just as important as a driver,” Meals explained, “If you don’t have a good driver, you can have the biggest motor you want, but it’s still going to fall short.”

One local, 20-year-old Matt Sweet, said that he’s been coming every year since he was born, and his father has been attending since 1975.

“The little kids love it – they run down the side of the track, chasing the tractors and in the pits, [and] the drivers will let them sit in the seats,” says Sweet, reminded of when he was in those kid’s position, “it’s very nostalgic, seeing that, I just really get a full circle moment.”