Perhaps nothing is more iconic for farmland play than the tractor pull.

A new variation is the diesel truck pull.

Here in Indiana, it seems 90 percent of the vehicles on the road are pickups. A few are jacked up with crazy-big tires, but most are real work trucks.

And all have diesel engines…because they pull, they last, they get the job done.

We went to a diesel truck pull! Our handicap parking hanger even got us a free parking spot in the “pits” alongside those who came to pull…right up next to the track!

Most of the puller trucks had some type of modification for the event. We saw guys bolting on special bars to handle the extra stress on the rear axles, and it seemed everyone had a special exhaust system. Still, all but a couple trucks were driven to the event.

This wasn’t just a show-off event, either….there was money being awarded to the top finishers in each class. Although one young man pointed out to me that money wasn’t likely to be much of a motivation, since many owners had $70,000 tied up in their trucks and first place was bringing $1,000. “You could easily break something that costs more than the prize money,” he said.

So this is serious fun….
Talk about serious…a neighbor to the track stopped by with his new $600,000 tractor! Ryan thought he’d hop up and check out the cockpit…
The serious truckin started about the time the sun went down. These trucks had some significant modifications for the event and arrived on trailers.
The final event was for semis that had been very specially modified. Most obvious was a large box in place of the fifth-wheel…which carried massive weight to give the rig traction. These major engines put out major smoke!

We’re still hanging in Kokomo, IN. Ryan’s meds are being adjusted…and we don’t need the upheaval of travel while he and we go through THAT process.

And Robyn has family here…

Indianapolis is just 55 miles to the south, and a small town between here and there, Noblesville, seems to have a penchant for some of life’s nicer things. Like Ferrari.

Noblesville has always had a special claim to fame: Sharon, the boys’ mother, was born there.

But on the day we visited, everyone seemed most interested in the red cars parked at the curbs…
The event was a gathering of the Ferrari Club of Indianapolis for lunch at Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano…and what better excuse to stop traffic for a couple hours?

Not all cars were red.
Ross and Ryan had to check out the yellow calipers on the black one. Actually, Ryan was more intrigued by the pavement. Ross kept saying, “Did you see how old that owner was? He was older even than you, Dad! What a waste of this car on such an old guy!” Ryan may have been giving his subtle opinion about such a wrong…
Some people have trouble justifying $250,000 for a car…mostly spouses…but then….
Not all the cars were shiny and new. This one was shiny…and all very original…from 1966. Depending on its exact condition (it was driven to the event!), it could be worth upwards of $300,000….
If you have a quarter mil of green, here’s a nice way to turn it into red…