Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SILVER LAKE - The 2000 NTPA Super Semi Grand National High Points Champion was fielding telephone calls earlier this week, none of them high-profile interviews.
With half the family on vacation, Mike "Hollywood" Metzger had to keep the business running by manning the dispatch station at Metzger & Sons Trucking just south of town on Ind. 15.
The super semi he pulled to certain glory two years ago, the Liberty Belle, sat in the shade of the garage. She's seen little National Truck Pulling Association action this year.
Metzger Motorsports will appear at the Super Nationals in Tomah, Wis., June 21-23 and return to the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds for the NTPA Super Semi Nationals July 5 and 6.
Regular pull attendees will have to look twice at the Liberty Belle because the 1976 Kenworth is sporting a new paint job, which Metzger calls "pretty racy."
Designed and painted by Jeb Baker, the Belle's back end displays a swinging Liberty Bell against an American flag.
The 25-year-old super semi, dubbed "The World's Most Competitive Truck," won the Ontario 200 truck race in 1979; set a new record for a single lap at a speed of 128 mph in 1981 at the Texas World Speedway; was Pro Show Inc. and American Truck Racing Association Points champion in 1982; was the 1984 and 1986 Indy Super Pull winner; the 1999 NTPA Puller of the Year and 2000 NTPA Puller of the Year, Mechanic of the year and Points Champion.
It has made appearances on TNN's "Trucking USA," "Motor Madness," ESPN's "Challenge of Power" and appeared in the movie "Smoky and the Bandit."
On July 5, in addition to the NTPA Super Semi points pull is the Super Farm Tractors Pull and Stock Pickup Pull starting at 7 p.m.
The seventh annual Show and Shine hosted by Metzger & Sons Trucking Co. is July 6 along with a Stock Semi Pull, NTPA Super Semi exhibition, cement mixer pull and Stock Pickups.
Open to working and show trucks, there is a class for nearly every type of truck and truck/trailer combination in the Show and Shine.
Last year there were 131 entrants. This year's categories include five Bobtail classes - 1974 and older, 1975 to 1989, 1990 to 1997, 1998 to 2000 and 2001 to 2002; dump truck, miscellaneous truck, straight truck, wrecker, cement mixer; seven truck/trailer classes: van, dump, flatbed, grain, tanker, reefer and miscellaneous.
Preregistration fee is $25. Registrations taken July 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. are $30. All entrants receive two tickets to Saturday's truck pull, door prize ticket, lunch and an entry plaque. Entrants who register before July 5 will receive two complimentary tickets to Friday's truck pull.
For a registration form, call 260-352-2381, write Metzger Trucking Co., P.O. Box 8, Silver Lake IN 46982 or on the Net: www.metzgertrucking.com
