“BROTHER’S DIESEL” BACK IN WINNER’S CIRCLE

Joe and Dom Gambino’s “Brother’s Diesel” Dodge from Western New York is the reigning champion in the Pro Stock Diesel division with USA-EAST, but has not found the winner’s circle since very early in the 2011 season.  That winless streak came to a halt at the Erie County Fair in Sandusky, Ohio as the big orange Dodge disposed of a stellar class of the turbo-charged diesel machines.  A four way pull-off was necessary to separate the top trucks, but before the pull-off began Tim Jackson from Chardon, Ohio – the current point leader with the “Ridin’ Dirty” GMC – had to withdraw due to a broken injection line.

Dan Holnader from Latrobe, Pennsylvania made his best run of the 2011 season to make the pull-off with “Nuthin’ Lucky About It”, a greatly improved Dodge.  But the truck made a series of clinking sounds at the starting line in the pull-off and could not come away from the starting line and had to settle for number three in the class.  John Lorenz, driving for owner Justin Wilkins from Fresno, Ohio, pushed the former USA-EAST Champion “Bad Reputation” Dodge into the pull-off and then came back to post a distance of 291.2.

But the run of the night belonged to Dominic Gambino of Springville, New York as he coasted the “Brother’s Diesel” machine across the full pull line for the second time in the pull-off and total distance of 308.4 for the victory.

Later on Wednesday evening, the Open class winner was Billy Debenedictus and the “Real Deal” from Mentor, Ohio.  This was a non-sanctioned division that attracted pullers from all of the other pulling classes from earlier in the session.

Also during this session at the Erie County Fair the non-sanctioned 2.6 diesel class was won by Adam Brown from East Lake, Ohio with “Direct Deposit”, a great running Dodge that was also the winner of the NE Ohio Championship pull at the Geauga County Fairgrounds in late August.  Brown is a regular with the USA-EAST 2.6 series.

Next up for the Pro Stock Diesels will be a trip to the Warren County Fairgrounds in Pittsfield, Pennsylvania on Friday evening for the All-American Nationals Tractor and Truck pull at 8:00pm.