Enjoy the fun...
The sport of Truck and Tractor pulling was started a long time ago by farmers who wanted to do something on a Saturday afternoon. If you talk to a pulling fan or for that matter, a puller them self, most of them will have at least one story about the old days of tractor pulling. Most of the stories are not so much about the old Farmall H, or that size of stock tractor, but would likely be about Jack Grant a very strong running International from the 1970's and Frank Lafferty a good running John Deere. Both of these guys are Canadian and competed very well in US, a country that is considered the "King Of Motorsports."
But, to answer that question "What is Truck and Tractor Pulling", I should start with the pulling vehicles. Today the vehicles are split into a number of different classes such as Two and Four wheel drive trucks and Hot Farm tractors. These tractors are producing anywhere from 200 horsepower for the light weight classes and up to 700 or 800 horsepower, for the heavy weight classes. The name Hot Farm or Modified Farm means that the tractor is limited to a smaller turbocharger and a little smaller engine. The other tractor class is Pro Stock and they run about 1000 - 1200 horsepower. All of the tractors, have to still somewhat look like a normal farm tractor. There are other classes in the US such as Super Stock and Unlimited Modifieds.
The easiest way to describe pulling is that the pulling vehicle, being a tractor or a truck, is hooked onto a heavy weight, called a sled. The sled most commonly used today looks somewhat like a flatbed semi-trailer with a weight box on top and a skid plate at the front. The weight box starts at the rear of the chassis of the sled and as the tractor moves forward the weight box moves toward the front of the skid plate. The rear wheels drive the box, through a series of drive lines and gear boxes. The box can be moved at faster or slower speeds by means of selecting a gear in the transmissions of the transfer, and this varies between the different classes of tractor or trucks.
The pulling surface is dirt, either clay or sand. Clay is the most popular type of soil because you can get the best traction. The tracks at each pull are always similar because they have to be set up the same way. The tracks must be a minimum of 30 ft wide and 300 ft long with a 100 ft run-off. The track is marked with signs at 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 feet, 300 being a "FULL PULL". The pulling vehicle has two attempts to try and pull the sled as far as they can down the pulling track. If on the first attempt the driver isn't satisfied with his/her start, they can shut the vehicle down before the 100 ft mark and be towed back for a second attempt.
A second attempt is also allowed if you are the first to pull in each class. These pullers are called "test" pullers and can re-pull if they think they can do better or the sled is changed.
A driver who touches the boundary line with the vehicle or loses a weight while pulling is disqualified.
When the driver makes his/her way down the track, without touching the chalk lines, pulling as far as they can go, their distance is measure by a laser. If more than one driver pulls a "Full Pull" (300 ft) there is something called a Pull-off. Before the Pull-off, the sled operator will usually put more weight in the sled box or change a gear in the gearbox to make the box go forward faster, thus making pulling the sled harder. The driver is trying to pull the vehicle as far as they can go, even over the 300 foot mark, as the longest distance wins.
I hope this has helped you understand the ins and outs of the sport of truck and tractor pulling, I tried to put this into the best words I could, but the easiest way to explain it is to come and watch it for yourself. Look at the SWOTPA Pull Schedule for the closest event to you.
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