Special Section
me, sometimes working at home
while I’m out playing. I couldn’t do
it without her.”
But it all starts with the owners of
GALOT Motorsports, and Strickland’s
in-laws, Earl and Peggy Wells. Earl, a
longtime tractor pulling enthusiast who
later became interested in drag racing,
oversees the tractor pulling and drag
racing teams and the track, with input
from the Stricklands and Rivenbark.
“Mr. and Mrs. Wells, they’ve gone
way above and beyond getting us
good people to work with and giving
us this opportunity,” Strickland says.
This season, Strickland and Rivenbark
are really getting into a groove
with their Proline-prepared, Pro-
Charger-boosted entries. They were
rather successful in 2019, with each
driver taking a PDRA win. Rivenbark
won the Pro Boost world championship
and Strickland won the Shakedown
Nationals in Pro Modified.
They’re on pace to have an even
better season this year, though, as
both drivers have a win and a runner-up
finish in the first three races.
Strickland defeated Rivenbark in an
all-GALOT final round at the Carolina
Showdown presented by ProCharger
at Darlington after taking runner-up
at the season-opening East Coast
Nationals presented by FuelTech at
GALOT. Rivenbark won the most
recent race on tour, the Proline
Racing Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented
by Line-X at Virginia, where
Strickland red-lighted away a 3.69.
“I felt like I had a really good chance
at winning this last race if I hadn’t
given it away with a red light,” Strickland
says. “Just the whole season,
the car’s performed really well and
the team’s performed really good.
It’s just been a good season for us.”
It’s a championship-caliber group
from top to bottom. Before winning
the world championship together last
season, the GALOT and Proline
groups each won PDRA Pro Boost
championships separately. GALOT
won the inaugural title in 2014 with
Todd Tutterow driving. Rivenbark
earned another championship in
2016 in a roots-blown entry tuned
by Tutterow and Jeff Bohr. Proline
won it the following year with Jose
Gonzalez’ turbocharged car.
Together, it’s a powerhouse combination
full of talented people. Strickland
credits them for the success
he’s enjoyed so far.
“It’s just a pleasure to be involved
with such a successful group of
people,” Strickland says. “As a driver,
I tell them all the time, I feel like I’m
the smallest piece of the puzzle. I
get in there and do what I do and I
actually screw it up from time to
time. They’re good enough that they
can help me overcome a lot of my
lack of ability. It’s just great to be a
part of this team.”
Even after a handful of seasons in
eighth-mile Pro Modified racing,
Strickland downplays his driving
abilities. But he’s improved considerably
since his rookie season in 2015.
Plus, he’s more motivated than ever
to secure a Pro Boost world championship
to go along with his four
National Tractor Pulling Association
national championships.
“Driving is what I like to do,” he says.
“I know I’m probably not the best
driver out there, but it sure makes
you feel good when you’ve got
championships in tractor pulling,
then you can get in the car and win
a few races or even win a championship.
It makes it feel like the passion
you have for driving and the effort
you put in makes it all worth it.”
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