John Strickland has had a championship-caliber car ever since he burst onto the PDRA Pro Boost scene in 2015 as a part of the GALOT Motorsports team . He finished second in points behind teammate Kevin Rivenbark in 2016 when the duo ran a pair of roots-blown entries tuned by Todd Tutterow . But his busy schedule as a championship tractor puller forced him to miss at least one race each season , preventing him from contending for the championship . That changed this year when the tractor pulling world essentially came to a dead stop because the county and state fairs that typically host their events were canceled . Finally , Strickland would have a fair shot at a Pro Boost championship to go with his four consecutive National Tractor Pulling Association Super Stock Open titles .
Strickland came out swinging , following up a runner-up finish at the season-opening East Coast Nationals at GALOT Motorsports Park with a “ full pull ” win at the Carolina Showdown at Darlington Dragway . A red light in the semifinals at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown in Virginia kept
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Strickland from his third consecutive final round .
“ Well , obviously the win was the highlight of the season ,” Strickland says . “ As good as we were doing , I felt like I had a really good chance at winning the third race if I hadn ’ t given it away with a red light . The whole season , the car performed really well and the team ’ s performed really good . It ’ s just been a good season for us .”
Semifinal finishes at DragWars and the World Finals added to Strickland ’ s points total , allowing him to clinch the championship by just under one round over former Pro Nitrous world champion Jason Harris . He also qualified No . 1 twice in 2020 .
Strickland is now the third driver to win a PDRA Pro Boost title for team owners Earl and Peggy Wells . Tutterow won the inaugural title in 2014 , then Rivenbark won it in 2016 and 2019 .
“ Mr . Wells has done a really good job of putting us in situations where we have some of the best equipment and the best people with us ,” Strickland says . “ It started early on with Todd and those guys with the roots , then when we went to the ProChargers with Proline .”
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The championship also gave ProCharger its second consecutive PDRA Pro Boost title . The three legal power adders in the class – roots blowers , turbochargers and centrifugal superchargers – are tied with two championships each . A fourth option , screw superchargers , will join the mix in 2021 .
“ We couldn ’ t ask for a better group of guys to work with ,” Strickland says of the ProCharger team . “ They ’ re constantly improving . ProCharger stepped up and they ’ re improving their product all the time and giving us what we need to be successful .”
Finally , Strickland ’ s title contributed a third Pro Boost championship for Proline Racing Engines and lead tuner Steve Petty . The Proline group , which includes Craig Pettis and Chris Foster , houses and maintains Strickland ’ s “ Dirt Digger ” Camaro and Rivenbark ’ s similar entry , just as they did for 2017 world champion Jose Gonzalez .
“ Just being affiliated with and working with people like that gives you the drive and the momentum to want to be successful and do as good as you can as a driver so the team can continue to succeed ,” Strickland adds . DI
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PHOTOS : TARA BOWKER |