The North East Ohio Championship at the Great Geauga County Fairgrounds was another step forward for the “Little Irish II” team and new driver Crystal Zedreck from Chicora, Pennsylvania.  Zedreck who has taken over the behind-the-wheel duties from husband Eddie had garnered her first-ever win at Meadville, Pennsylvania two weeks ago during the Sertoma Truck Pulls.   After finishing  fifth a week ago in Brookville, Pennsylvania the llittle lady with the very heavy foot was back in the winners circle again in Ohio.   But it might be said the “lady luck” was on her side on this night in NE Ohio.

After drawing the #1 pill and laying down a pass at 285+ feet, Crystal chose to drop last in the class.  Sixteen other competitors all took a shot against the all-new ‘Palestine Dyno IV” transfer with Kirk Zimmer as the operator.  But only the “Huffman Auto . com” Chevrolet piloted by Doug Martin from Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania was able to make a full pull.  And when Martin’s machine eased past the FP line at 300 feet and three inches the front rears came apart and that competitor could not return for a pull-off.  So as the final puller in the class, Crystal Zedreck sailed past the Full Pull mark with some ease to capture the victory and the NE Ohio Championship.  John Lorenz from Dover, Ohio was third with the top diesel in the class with the 2009 Pro Stock Diesel champion called “Gray Wolf”.

This USA-EAST sanctioned pull featured four divisions of pulling on a warm and humid night in Burton, Ohio with a serious threat of showers throughout the contest.  The fear of rain came to fruition during the Limited Pro Stock and Super Farm Tractor division as a 45 minute shower stopped the action on the track after 2/3 of the class had hooked to the sled.  The Limited Pro/SF class was declared a ‘rain-out’ for the night and rain-points were awarded to all member tractors and all of the class purse money was paid using the rule book formula for such situations.

When the rain ended and the track was peeled and prepared some two hours had transpired and only a handful of the throng of dedicated fans has left the facility.  The first class to pull after the delay was the Street Licensed Semi trucks including the famed “Pennsylvania Posse”.  Gerry Hairhoger and “Jerry-Atricks” has been unstoppable in 2010 and last year’s champion was at his best on this night as the 1973 Kenworth with a huge KT-600 Cummins won in a pull-off.  Cory Fox was the only other semi to make a full pull as his 1998 Peterbilt, “Bad Influence” was at its best at Geauga County.  Nathan August was 3rd with the  ever-improving “Work In Progess” a beautifully prepared Kenworth from Beaver County, Pennsylvania.  The class was marred by a high powered turbo explosion on the 1975 Kenworth of Jon Auers from Ashtabula, Ohio.  The loud and volotile explosion caused another brief delay in the action as the turbo pieces had to be dug out of the track.

Just before midnight the final class of the night took to the track.  The 2.6 Street Diesel 4x4 Trucks are always a crowd favorite in this area and the fans stayed in order to watch some of the best USA-EAST trucks and some of the best NADM trucks settle the score.  A total of thirty-two of the diesels competed in this class that was run using a floating finish line due to the late hour and the impending threat of further rain showers.

Brandon Swanson from Wooster, Ohio took the win with a Dodge named “Black Ice” while the runner-up is the current USA-EAST point leader Casey Gildersleeve from nearby Jefferson, Ohio with a Dodge called “Wasted Wages”.  Third went to the truck that won it all in Meadville two weeks ago as Dustin Kraft from Garrettsville, Ohio just missed in Burton.  Last years USA-EAST champion, Dale Bennett from Salem, Ohio, finished fourth with the Duramax Chevrolet for his best finish of 2010.