Truck Pulling, Competition and Camaraderie

Kris and Roger Torgerson of Harmony have found a great hobby, one in which they get to enjoy the thrill of winning and a great group of friends: truck pulling! The Torgersons are not new to truck pulling. Roger drove his first pull when he was a mere 14; his father, Stan, was supposed to drive the truck that night, but got busy running the pull and had Roger drive in his place. 

Roger started truck pulling in the early ‘80s at the truck pulls his dad ran. Kris came on board when she started dating Roger; her job was to sell tickets at the pulls. At that time Roger drove in the 4WD class and continued in it until 1988, winning region championships in both 1984 and 1985 in 4WD class. Roger took a break from truck pulling and got into car circle racing at Deer Creek and Decorah for a while. 

After thinking about getting back into truck pulling for about a year, Roger decided to purchase a used ‘97 Ford F150. He updated the truck, putting in a different engine, drive train and clutch and wrapped the exterior. He chose an engine built by Miner Brothers Racing (MBR) based on a hemi. This engine is “whittled out” from an aluminum block and uses methanol for fuel. MBR motors are the standard of engines for truck pulling. Roger relies on mechanic Adam Koestner from MBR who has pulled all his life to do all the necessary work on his engine. 

Roger and Kris began truck pulling again in 2023, entering the 6200 pound limit 2WD class; in their first full year in the 2WD class, the Torgersons won the region championship. 

In order to enter a pull, you need to register and be a member of NTPA (National Tractor Pullers Association). The Torgersons follow the NTPA circuit and rules. This includes Tomah, Wis,, Decorah, Iowa, and Austin, Minn. This past year, they entered eight pulls. 

To compete and win a regional championship, you need to travel to all region pulls. These pulls are all within a two hour drive from Harmony. 

There is also a grand national level. While Roger feels that they would be able to compete at that level, the Torgersons prefer not to travel more and farther to compete. Kris and Roger would love to try for another region championship, but find it difficult to be gone so often from their business, Torgerson Auto, which they have owned since 1998.

Roger and Kris find truck pulling to be more laid back than car racing and not as competitive. Roger noted that he doesn’t get stressed out during a pull as he did in car racing. They’ve made many friends with other truck pulling families. Young people as young as 14 to 16 and people as old as 87 all compete in truck pulling. 

A lot of women pull; according to Roger, they are very competitive. A woman recently won the highest purse of $50,000 at Farley, Iowa. Average purses at pulls are around $1,000. 

The short season runs from June to the first week of August. After going through safety inspections, the Torgersons have the afternoon to sit around, grill and chat with the other pullers. Kris compared it to camping; their truck hauler includes a camper. There is a camaraderie among the pullers. If an engine goes out, they are willing to share parts as needed. 

Competitors draw numbers for their position in the pull. Roger prefers to pull toward the end of the night. He said that the track can change during the pull; he likes to watch other pulls and adjust the weight set as needed. Fifty-pound weights are located above the front and rear axles of the truck. Air quality affects the pull as well. 

While a moist clay track is considered the best, Roger prefers a track that isn’t quite as good. At that point, there is more strategy involved in the set up for the pull. Newcomers can make mistakes doing that or overthink the pull. 

The first hundred feet of the pull is where Roger knows how the pull is going. It’s important to get the 2800 horsepower to the ground. Roger said he can literally feel it in the “seat of his pants” (the truck vibrates) when to throw on more power.   

A mechanical system moves weights during a pull automatically. An average pull distance is about 330 feet; a bad pull might end at 280 feet. 

Torgersons’ truck uses methanol; they purchase 55-gallon drums of the fuel which cost $286. About eight gallons of fuel are burned during the eight second pull. 

After about 30 pulls, the engine needs to be “freshened up” by the mechanic. Roger has a “bible” of notes that he can refer to in order to check the jottings and the track pokes when planning a pull. Soon the Torgersons will be sending their engine off to mechanic Adam Koestner from MBR; it will be ready in February for next year’s season of competition and camaraderie.