Coming to you from the grandstand at the Polk County Fair, a half hour before show time and the contestants are weighing in.

Who knew there were weight classes for tractor pulls?!?

Half an hour before show time and the track is being graded.

There is some serious machinery on display

The track inspectors are conferring with the road grader.

One picks up dirt samples in his hands, the other tests the track with his bare feet

Finding conditions to be acceptable, the track compactor kicks into gear.

They are now two minutes behind schedule, and putting the final dust-settling touches on the course.

Pretty impressive to see a road constructed before your eyes.

The contestants are lined up and the national anthem plays to hats removed.

The first contestant made it 100 feet. The tractor pulls a contraption that has a weight which slowly moves forward on its sledge, gradually digging its nose further into the dirt, thus increasing drag. Nobody gets to the end of the course. Next up: a classic John Deere A.

And the John Deere A makes it 150 feet! Next up: a Farmall. Despite holding his throttle wide open with one hand while steering with the other, he made it 100 feet. A John Deere H just made it 289 feet! Woo hoo! But even that cannot hold a candle to the Massey Ferguson that just made 363 feet. But then a John Deere 2 cylinder with spoke wheels just dusted him. Oh no! A John Deere just got stopped cold at the start of the track. I think there's a technique to this. The old guys make it further.

BTW, so far there is a unique gender identity in drivers.

But not in tractors. Here comes an Alice Chalmers tractor. Made an adequate showing, but not a winner.

Here comes the first Oliver. Made it to 300! The young guy on the Farmall made it to 295. A 356 just missed out being in the top 3.

383 first place-john deere

378 second place-john deere

363 third place-Massey Ferguson.

Now we are getting into souped up tractors. An International Harverster just went fast, but not long. The Farmall with the roll cage went 292, mostly with his front wheels off the ground. Here comes the IH with the flames. 12 MPH for 279.8. Wowza. And that's the show folks.