COFFEYVILLE, KAN. (August 13, 2019) The motors roared and the smoke poured out over the grandstands at Walter Johnson Park for the first night of entertainment at the 111th annual Inter-State Fair in Coffeyville.
It was tractor pull night, and fans got to watch three classes: pro stock, modified and two-wheel drive vehicles pop the clutch and turn on the fuel.
Winner of the pro stock class was Steve Bailey.
The Odessa, Mo. man has been “pulling” –competing at tractor pulls – for six years, but it took more than nineteen years to build a tractor for him.
As a kid, he was with his dad as they competed at farm pulls, with tractors with much less power than today’s equipment.
When he was in his twenties, he wanted to pull. He asked a guy to build him a tractor, but the man was busy, was competing himself, and for nineteen years, he never got it done.
It was a blessing, Bailey said. “I’ve always said, he did me the biggest favor that anybody could do.” Because he wasn’t pulling, he was able to focus on his work and family.
Then, seven years ago, when he turned fifty, he decided to pull. His family was behind him, happy for him to pursue his dream.
Bailey’s tractor, nicknamed Rut Cutter, is a John Deere “the only kind” of tractor, he joked, a 4560 model.
He competes at nearly all of the Outlaw Tractor Series pulls, which can be as many as 35. This year, there are 28 pulls, but he has missed four, due to a family wedding and break downs.
He loves the sport. “When you’re sitting on that kind of power, and you let out the clutch,” is an exhilarating moment. He also enjoys the people in the sport. “Our competitors, we’re all good friends, and we’ll help each other out, but we’re still competitive. Everybody wants to win, and if you do win, your buddies will be the first there to congratulate you.”
Tractor pulls are a good distraction from his work, but it’s hard to step away from his businesses. Bailey farms, runs a construction business, and does subdivision development. “It makes it a lot of work to get organized and keep it going.”
Lisa, his wife of twenty-six years, often travels with him. They have four children and eight grandchildren, and the oldest grandchild, a boy who is eleven years old, goes with his granddaddy, too. “He thinks he wants to do this,” Bailey said. But it won’t take him nineteen years to get his first tractor, Bailey said. “I’ll make sure of that.”
Results from the tractor pull follow.
Grandstand entertainment on Wednesday, August 14 is the LJ Jenkins Bull Riding, followed by two nights of PRCA pro rodeo on August 15-16. The demo derby wraps up fair week on August 17.
Tickets for all grandstand events are available at the gate or online at www.FairandRodeo.com. The fair schedule is also available online. For more information, visit the website or call 620-251-2550.
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Results, Outlaw Tractor Pull – August 13, 2019
Inter-State Fair and Rodeo, Coffeyville, Kansas
Pro Stock Tractors
- Steve Bailey, Odessa, Mo. “Rut Cutter” 337 feet.
- Clint Melling, Nordheim, Texas “Bulletproof Buck” 328.93 feet
- Grey Porter, Mercer, Mo. “Gang Green” 327.28 feet
- Dave Yarick, Rich Hill, Mo. “Dirtslinging Deere” 321.29 feet
- Jim Brackett, Richland, Mo. “Hillbilly X-Press” 304.13 feet
- CodyYarick, Rich Hill, Mo. “Gone” 303.41 feet
Modified Tractors
- Wayne Longnecker, Cambridge, Iowa “River Rat” 321.94 feet
- Donald Nelson, Cat Springs, Texas “Twisted Whip” 317.29 feet
- Cameron Neaves, Meadoo, Texas “Cotton Candy” 316.17 feet
- Donald Nelson, Cat Springs, Texas “Texas Bullwhip” 306.45 feet.
Two wheel drive
- Jake Miller, Whitewright, Texas “Bad Decisions” 309.99 feet
- Robert Zajicek, Columbus, Texas “Gun Smoke” 298.77 feet
- Donald Nelson, Cat Springs, Texas “”Lil’ Whip” 275.21 feet
- Scott Wilms, Beatrice, Neb. “Inheritance” 272.12 feet
- Donald Nelson, Cat Springs, Texas “Bull Whip Motorsports” 267.30 feet
- Dustin Corliss, Cat Springs, Texas “Run and Tell It” 261.56 feet
- Cole Zajicek, Columbus, Texas “Texas Two Step” 253.55 feet
- Scott Jensen, Dell Rapids, S.D. “American Ethanol” 251.19 feet.
