Breaking Barriers Podcast

From a $100 Oliver tractor to an estimated 500 victories, Ken Miller’s tractor pulling career was built on ingenuity, determination, and a whole lot of homemade horsepower. Ken joins Gary Bontrager to share the stories behind his 14 OSTPA modified points championships, pulling alongside his brother Jim, and building competitive tractors in his own shop. Ken takes us through the evolution from sing...

From farming with his tractors to competing on some of pulling’s biggest stages, Arlin Jensen has decades of stories to tell. This week on Breaking Barriers, Gary Bontrager sits down with Arlin to revisit his start in 1964, his Allis-Chalmers 190 XT and D21, and the trial and error that helped turn farm equipment into serious competition. Arlin shares memories of pulling at Louisville, traveling t...

Before he owned a vehicle, Rick Behrendt owned a farm tractor. In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Rick joins Gary Bontrager to share how a childhood love of tractors became a pulling career spanning more than 30 years—and the friendships, championships, and hard lessons that came with it. One of the founding members of Nebraska Bush Pullers, Rick reflects on his early days at local farm pulls,...

From farm tractors to three-turbo Super Stocks, Gary Kohl has lived through some of tractor pulling’s biggest changes. On this episode of Breaking Barriers, host Gary Bontrager visits Gary’s shop in Perrysburg, Ohio, to explore a lifetime of pulling alongside his father, Dale, and the ingenuity that kept their International Harvester tractors competitive. Gary shares memories of Dale’s wins at Bow...

Before the NTPA, tractor pulling was largely a collection of local events with different rules, different organizations, and no national standard. In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Gary Bontrager sits down with NTPA founder Ed Hart to hear the firsthand story of how a conversation among pullers grew into an organization that would help shape the future of the sport. Ed takes us back to the ear...

Seven national championships. Hall of Fame careers. And a legacy that helped shape the foundation of modern tractor pulling—this is the story of the Brabec Brothers. In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Gary Bontrager sits down with Alan and Dennis Brabec to uncover how two farm kids from Iowa built championship-winning machines like the legendary Country Dude and The Imposter. From their very fi...

For Fred and Kyle Petsch, tractor pulling has always been about more than winning—it has been a lifelong family tradition. Together, they share nearly 40 years of experience, seven championships and the evolution from local farm pulls to competing with their twin-turbine modified tractor, Thermal Thunder. Fred looks back on his early fascination with tractors, his career working with John Deere, t...

Rick Feicht entered the world of tractor pulling with no previous experience in the sport. What began with announcing local events eventually became a remarkable career in promotion, helping transform big rig truck pulling into a recognized and celebrated class. In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Rick joins Gary Bontrager to share the story behind Full Pull Productions, the creation of the Big...

In this episode of the Breaking Barriers Podcast , Gary Bontrager sits down with Chuck Wheatley , a Grand National Champion, regional champion, and one of the most innovative minds in early modified tractor pulling. Chuck shares stories from the beginning of his pulling career, building tractors with his dad, experimenting with V8s, turbos, intercoolers, fuel injection, alcohol setups, and the mec...

Curt Ulmer has spent more than 55 years in the sport of tractor pulling, building, competing, innovating, and winning with one of the most respected modified tractor programs in the country. From the early days of farm tractors, homemade sleds, and small South Dakota pulls to multiple Outlaw championships and a three-generation family team, Curt’s story is deeply connected to the history and growt...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , Gary Bontrager sits down with Hall of Fame tractor puller Bill Hirt for a story-filled conversation about the early days of pulling, the evolution of the sport, and the family legacy built around the legendary Running Bare name. Bill looks back on his first pull in 1970 on the blacktop with a garden tractor, his jump into Allis-Chalmers machines, the D21 days...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , Gary Bontrager sits down in Oskaloosa, Iowa, with Bob and Roger McKim to talk about their championship-winning journey in tractor pulling, their deep Allis-Chalmers roots, and the story behind the Allis 180 that took them from antique pulling to competitive Super Stock pulling. Bob and Roger share how their pulling story started with farm stock and antique tr...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , Gary Bontrager sits down with Jody Ross , a lifelong tractor puller whose story stretches from climbing onto a garden tractor as a kid to building one of the most respected Super Stock programs in the country. Jody shares how his pulling journey began at a local fair, how his family’s implement business shaped his mechanical instincts, and how years of persis...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , Gary sits down with longtime puller Vern Huser—a name synonymous with Iowa tractor pulling and the legendary Slater Shaker . With decades of experience, multiple championships, and appearances on the sport’s biggest stages, Vern shares the story behind one of the most respected careers in pulling history. From building his first machine out of scrap to domina...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , Gary Bontrager sits down with George Everett—one of the last remaining original-era competitors who helped shape tractor pulling into what it is today. From his first pull at just 14 years old in 1954 to still competing at 85, George’s story is a living timeline of the sport’s evolution. What starts as a conversation about early days on circle tracks quickly...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Gary Bontrager sits down with Ken Veney, a true pioneer in drag racing and Funny Car innovation, for a conversation that captures the raw grit, ingenuity, and relentless work ethic that defined an era of motorsports. From growing up as a farm kid in Ohio to building his first hot rod in a converted manure shed, Veney’s story is a powerful reminder that greatne...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Gary Bontrager sits down with pulling pioneer Gary Ulmer — a man with over 55 years in the sport, dating back to high school farm stock days in South Dakota. From early Oliver tractors to snowmobile drag racing circuits and eventually dominating the Light Super Stock ranks, Ulmer’s story is one of evolution, relentless experimentation, and hard-earned mechanic...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Gary Bontrager sits down with one of the true pioneers of organized tractor pulling — Ed Hart. Born on a farm in Republic, Ohio, Ed’s story begins long before national organizations, professional sleds, or major indoor championships. What started as a young farm kid catching the pulling bug at local fairs eventually turned into a lifetime of shaping the sport...

Some names don’t just compete in a sport — they redefine it. In this episode of Breaking Barriers , Gary Bontrager sits down with Ron Perry, the mind behind the legendary “Solid Junk,” a tractor that pushed performance so far ahead of its time the rulebook eventually had to catch up. Ron opens up about the farm-shop creativity that shaped his life — from fixing equipment as a kid to engineering so...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , host Gary Bontrager welcomes back Kenny Sanders alongside tractor pulling historian Jason Skillen for a deep dive into the innovation, personalities, and pivotal moments that shaped an unforgettable era of the sport. Kenny shares firsthand stories from his early days in light super stock pulling—breaking down how tractors were built, modified, and refined thr...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , host Gary Bontrager sits down with Craig Schlabaugh , a legendary mechanic whose hands helped shape some of the most dominant machines in tractor pulling history. Known quietly across the sport as one of the sharpest minds in the shop, Craig shares the story behind decades of innovation, problem-solving, and hard-earned lessons learned far from the spotlight....

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , host Gary Bontrager sits down with Bob Parks , one of the most influential — and often overlooked — innovators in tractor pulling history. From hand-cutting tires with butcher knives to pioneering double-cut technology and custom pulling tires, Bob’s work quietly reshaped how the sport is run today. Bob walks through his journey from the early days of tractor...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , host Gary Bontrager sits down with legendary tractor puller Danny “Rooster” Dean to revisit one of the most innovative and competitive eras in the sport’s history. Danny shares how he went from a farm kid at county fair pulls to a national champion, working alongside Hyper-Max founder Jerry Lee God and helping shape the technology that changed tractor pulling...

In this episode of Breaking Barriers , Gary sits down with longtime puller and Illinois farmer Rudy Huber to trace the rise of Pro Stock tractor pulling from its small-town roots. Rudy shares how growing up in his dad’s John Deere dealership led to sneaking toy tractors out the back door, learning from old-school mechanics, and eventually campaigning his iconic 6030 Pro Stock, the Midnight Flyer ....

In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Gary sits down with Mark Gettinger, a 60-year veteran of tractor pulling and the man many consider the godfather of Allis Chalmers performance. Joining the conversation is Tylan Reynolds, Mark’s right-hand man, fellow puller, and long-time collaborator both in the shop and on the track. Together, they walk through the evolution of pulling—from dead-weight conc...