The Missouri Invitational Fall Finals Truck and Tractor Pull is Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Warren County Fairgrounds, 615 Fairgrounds Road in Warrenton.The event is open to the public beginning at 4 p.m. and the truck pull begins at 6 p.m.What makes this event unique is “drivers come in by invitation only and it’s a bracket-based competition,” said Jay Staiger, director of Missouri Invitational Truck Pull.At the event, 40 trucks and tractors will take 55 passes down the track pulling a sled that transfers weight, making the sled go from lighter to heavier during a pull. The trucks and tractors, which have after-market engines, struggle to pull the sled about 300 feet down the track.“The weight box moves up and the weight gets transferred,” said Staiger. “It increases friction between the skid pan and the ground until the vehicle pulls down or spins out. That distance is measured with a laser.”Competition trucks run on gas or diesel fuel and are not street legal. They are brought to events by trailer.Staiger said the engines on these machines are 950 to 1,350 horsepower. To compare, the horsepower of Ford F-150 model trucks is 282 to 450.The concept of truck pulling dates back to the early days of county fairs.“It came from the idea of ‘My team of horses is stronger than your team of horses,’ ” Staiger said.The first competitions were horses pulling sleds. Much later, it evolved into pulling with tractors and customized trucks.Staiger is adding his own changes with the Missouri Invitational Fall Finals Truck and Tractor Pull.“These 40 trucks and tractors are by invitation only based on performance at pulls all across the state this season,” he said. “It’s not me and 39 of my buddies, it’s the best of the best competitors from around the state.“People can see all of these trucks and tractors pull in Missouri at different fairs and events but not all of them can be seen at one time,” said Staiger. “But they can at this event.”While brackets are used in other sports, they are not used in other pulling events.“We are the only bracket-style pulling competition in the U.S.” he said. “Only three pullers are competing against each other. The winners are advancing to the next round.”There is a winner about every 12 minutes.Staiger said people are encouraged to come early to meet drivers and see the pulling vehicles. Other activities include vendor booths, sponsor displays, music, inflatables for kids and a concession stand for food and snack purchases. The event scheduled for May 20 was cancelled after 3.8 inches of rain saturated the Warren County Fairgrounds the day before the event.“But this isn’t simply a reschedule of the Spring event,” Staiger said. “We have included an excited group of some of the best 8,500-pound Limited Pro Stock Tractors in Missouri.”This is the first time the event will be held in Warrenton and the second time it’s been held. Its inaugural event was held last year in Wentzville.“We were at standing room only so we elected to move to a larger facility to accommodate more spectators,” said Staiger.It’s a family event and extremely loud. Staiger recommends wearing ear plugs. Children in particular should wear them, he said.The live bracket drawing is at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6 to 12 and children 5 and under get in free.Anyone who buys tickets in person at Lincoln Power Sports, 100 Raceway Park Drive in Moscow Mills, will receive a 20 percent discount.A portion of the proceeds will go to the Warren County Fair Board.For more information, visit www.missouripull.com or their Facebook page.Truck and Tractor Pull