Thursday's Internet Edition, December 04, 2008.
in association’s points race
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| TOW-MINATOR - Misty Burrows is taking the competition by storm competing in tractor pulls sponsored by the TExas Truck and Tractor Pullers Association. She won in her class competition at Sweetwater last weekend. |
By day she is a mild-mannered, beautiful young mother who works in the Business Office at Hamilton General Hospital, but on the weekends she is quickly becoming a tractor-pulling pro in the male-dominated sport.
Last weekend, she dom-inated the Limited Modified Class competition, taking home the cash from the contest at Sweetwater only a month after her first sanctioned pull.
“That’s a big part of the fun of it,” she said. “Last year I went to a lot of tractor pulls with my boyfriend and helped him, then later got elected as secretary of the association.
“They all pictured me as a pretty little girl, all prim and proper. The funnest part is being the girl competing against the guys.”
Winning at Sweetwater was icing on the cake for Misty, who is now second in the points race. The puller who now holds the lead is the one who orders the jackets for the points winner.
“Someone was rubbing it in that I had won, and told him he might have to order a pink jacket,” Misty said. “That was pretty awesome, since I was the only girl in any of the classes.”
Misty’s boyfriend, Jason Glueck, built the Tow-minator and competed with it last year. It is an Oliver Super 88 with a 410 cubic inch Ford motor, single Holley four-barrel car-buretor and slipper clutch.
“I told him all last year that I wanted to drive it,” Misty said. “I never imagined that he’d let me, but when he built a new bigger one with nitrous, he let me drive it. To hear and see it just makes you want to drive it.”
Jason let her drive it around the lot of his Dublin business, Glueck’s Towing and Recovery. There was no sled attached, so Misty was able to learn where the gears were and to get a feel of the clutch system. Then he took her to some antique tractor pulls, where they let her do some practice runs. It wasn’t long before she was hooked.
The rest, as they say, is history. Now this petite, blue-eyed blonde is a card-carrying member of the Texas Truck and Tractor Pullers Association. She is even pictured on the association’s home page at www.tttpa.com
“My first pull for the association was at Priddy,” Misty said. “It was my first time with competition where the pull mattered. There was no trial run, and I didn’t think Jason would really let me do it. His parents couldn’t believe it!
“I kept asking if he was nervous because I sure was, but if he had admitted then that he was nervous, I probably would have backed out. On that day, if he had said, ‘No, don’t do it,’ I would have immediately said OK.
“Now I’m glad I didn’t let my nerves win because it’s a blast! If Jason said now I couldn’t drive it, I’d be disappointed.
“I had butterflies, and I was anxious,” she said. “It is intimidating and loud; it’s like almost nothing to compare it to… you hook to the sled, which has a weighted box at the back, and as you go, it pulls the box forward. The more momentum you get at first, the better, because if you don’t get enough speed, it won’t pull the sled once the weight gets closer to the top of the sled.
“You rev the motor, let out the clutch, then go full throttle. Depending on the weight of the sled, sometimes you get up to 20 miles per hour with that big motor, and the front end comes up, and you have to steer with the brakes. Then you feel the bog and the tires start spinning. It doesn’t slam to a stop, but you feel that spinning, then the flaggers signal that it’s over.
“Jason helps so much,” she said. “He’s right there with me as soon as I get on the tractor. He tells me exactly what to do, to get the RPMs up and let the clutch out and ease out the throttle. Once the clutch is out, hammer down, full throttle! I love it!
Her son, 15-year-old Gary Schumann, was not really interested in the sport until his mom got involved.
“Now he gets excited right before the pull,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “He gets my attention, then gives me a thumbs up. I think he likes the fact that I’m doing this.”
Tractor pulling is a family-oriented sport that is regaining popularity across the state. The TTTPA was formed last January with 22 members. The next sanctioned pull will be in DeLeon June 7. Proceeds from the pull will go toward a new two-track facility being built in DeLeon.
“We’re all friends in the association, and it’s a family atmosphere. Everyone is nice to me and happy for me when I win. They’re happier when they win,” she laughed, “but the competition is not fierce or ugly.
“I love being the only girl and beating them though!” she said, grinning.