Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SILVER LAKE - A lobby full of trophies, a leather jacket and commemorative watch that came when he won the sport's Cadillac event a week ago in Tomah, Wis., speak for themselves.
Over the years, Mike Metzger, 48, owner of Metzger and Sons Trucking Company in Silver Lake, and the famous Liberty Belle, a modified 1976 Kenworth, has done it all in the National Truck Pulling Association (NTPA).
Well, almost everthing.
The truck set the world land-speed record in the Bonneville Salt Flats (Utah) in 1975, and appeared in one of the Burt Reynolds-starred Smokey and the Bandit movies, among numerous other accolades.
Metzger, who bought the Liberty Belle in 1978 for $50,000, won the Pro Show Points Championship, Milwaukee Bobtail 200 and American Truck Racing Association Points championship, all in 1982. In 1984 and '86 he won the Indy Super Pull. And in 1999 he was named NTPA Super Semi Puller of the Year, just to name a few.
Just as quickly as he can rattle off what he's done in his illustrious career, he can also tell you what is missing from his trophy case - he's never won the NTPA points championship.
And this is exactly what he may be on course to do this year.
"We've won everything but an NTPA championship," Metzger said. "We've won everything else. That's our goal this year, to win the NTPA championship. We've run four times (this year) and we've won four times."
At the time of this interview Metzger had won all four Super Semi Series points events of the year, pulling the sled seven times, with all seven being full pulls (300 feet).
On July 12, Metzger took the Liberty Belle to Peoria, Ill., driving to a full pull in his first attempt, but he broke a transmission in the pull off. He came home with a fifth-place finish. In nine official pulls this season, Metzger has gone the full distance eight times.
Metzger said on the phone Thursday the points race is a lot tighter now with his fifth-place finish Wednesday, but he believes he is still leading the pack.
The Liberty Belle will next be on the 300-foot dirt surface Friday and Saturday at the Kosciusko County Fair, a place where Metzger will definitely be the hometown favorite and a place Metzger has also never won at. Friday night's show is the one that counts towards the series points standings.
"Not until we win the NTPA points championship and I win at the county fair," Metzger said when asked when he saw himself leaving the sport. "We've never won at the Kosciusko County Fair."
Metzger said he got started in the sport of pulling in 1979, becoming interested while at a truck show in Louisville, Ky. Metzger also said he was "one of the first to pull with a semi."
The Liberty Belle is a 20,000-pound 1976 Kenworth powered by a 1,150 cubic inch Cummins diesel engine with four turbo chargers that produce 2,500 horse power and will burn between five and seven gallons of fuel per pull, or in "15 seconds" as Metzger said.
"Because of the rules we use regular fuel," Metzger said when asked if the Super Semis used some sort of racing alcohol. "It is water injected. With all those turbo chargers the engine sometimes gets hot."
The Metzgers are only the second owners of the 24-year-old famed Kenworth, which is now on its third engine. Metzger says the truck has but 12,000 miles on it, most of them coming from his late father Ernie driving it home from Fort Dodge, Iowa, after buying it.
"They're pretty hard miles, but those are the only actual miles," Metzger said.
Ten to 12 Super Semis are expected to participate Friday. Other classes that will allow local drivers to enter their street-legal trucks will also participate. Saturday's show is set to have a show and shine event where trucks are cleaned up and paraded around the track.
