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The day finally came where we would see the crowning of the Ultimate Callout Challenge [2] king. With the drag racing [3] and dyno [4] behind us, it was time to hit the dirt for sled pulling. The stands were packed during the nicest day of the weekend.
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There was close to 8,000 fans that came in to watch the last day of the 2017 Ultimate Callout Challenge. Which is better, the America overalls or the guy who used purses to bring his beer in?
Lavon Miller would come into today’s action on top of the scoreboard needing to put in a good hook to be able crowned the champion. Jeremy Wagler’s shop truck missed the dyno the day prior as they were busy building a new motor, but had something special in store for the pulling.
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Just some of the carnage that took place during the sled pulls.
On the last day, we knew that there was going to be carnage with the teams putting it all on the line. We saw a couple fires, a rear axle that rotated, and plenty of broken drivetrains. The trucks competing in the challenge are setup as drag trucks and do not compete in pulls, normally.
“This was the first time I had ever done a sled pull,” Todd Welch explained. “It was really fun, I was a little shocked. I scared, it was my first pull with six cut tires. Some people told me I was crazy.”
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The day had plenty of great pulls from all of its competitors.
The sled pulls consisted of two rounds. The first round had a dry and dusty course, but during the intermission, the crew went to work adding plenty of water. Not only did this allow the trucks to hook more, but it also through in a curveball as it was completely different than the first round.
In the end, the top five pulls were as follows:
- Todd Welch – 321.02 feet
- Donavan Harris – 312.11 feet
- Derek Rose – 312.07 feet
- Wade Minter – 311.05 feet
- Jeremy Wagler – 297.05 feet
[13]Lavon Miller may have not pulled the furthest, but his prior day’s work put him on top of the scoreboard.
When the dust settled there was one truck that performed well in all three events. Winning his second consecutive Ultimate Callout Challenge, Lavon Miller was crowned the 2017 champ.
“I can’t thank everyone enough,” Miller Said. “I owe it to everyone that pitched in weekends, long hours, and time away from their family. It is relentless to find the next level from where we were last year.”
[14]Derek Rose fought hard once again. The determination he has makes him a threat at any event.
For the second straight year, Derek Rose was runner-up it almost the same fashion as last year. “We came into this year’s sled pulls like deja vu of last year,” Rose explained. “We were a little closer this year, but we didn’t do a whole lot last night and shut it down early. We woke up this morning and made a hell of a first pull, thinking we heard a valve or something we gave it hell on the second pull.”
The top five in the standings after the trifecta of events were:
- Lavon Miller – 2,386.578 points
- Derek Rose – 2,337.118 points
- Wade Minter – 2,249.627 points
- Donavan Harris – 2,145.022 points
- Jesse Warren – 2,038.652 points
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Lavon Miller (left) and Derek Rose (right) collecting some hard earned hardware!
The 2017 event may be in the books, but everyone is already looking forward to next year’s event. The rumor is the event will be relocated once again, with a possibility of it landing in Texas. More information on next event will come within the next few months.
[17]Lavon Miller and team collecting the Ultimate Callout Challenge crown and the $20,000 check.
Do you think Lavon Miller will come back to defend his title? Who will take it next year? Tell us in the comments and be sure to check out highlights from the sled pulls below!
