Mt. Hope Nationals 2026: Overflow Crowd Packs Mt. Hope for a Full Night of Pulling

Mt. Hope, OH. (August 2, 2026)- The 2026 Mt. Hope Nationals delivered a night that outgrew its own grandstands. Six classes of truck and tractor pulling hit the track at the Mt. Hope Auction Facility in Millersburg, Ohio on Friday, July 31, and the crowd showed up in numbers nobody saw coming. Every seat was full, the fence lines were packed, and Mt. Hope proved why it belongs on the CS Pulling Promotions schedule.

We would like to thank the Mt. Hope Pullers Association for having us, and we owe the fans an apology as well. We were not expecting a crowd of that size, and we know plenty of you spent the night standing or sitting atop buildings and trailers. Planning for 2027 is already underway, and we have some big things coming to make sure next year's event has the room this crowd deserves.

The Light Limited Super Stock Tractors joined CS for the night, and Chad Loyeermilk of Carolton, Ohio set the bar with the John Deere "Coming in Hot" at a winning 344.010. Derek McIntire kept it in Carolton with the Oliver "Green Grenade" at 338.160, and Jake Huffman of Atica, Ohio rounded out the podium with the Case IH 1896 "Blood Born" at 336.270.

The Hot Rod V-8 Tractors followed with one of the largest classes of the night. Logan Cooper of Bucyrus, Ohio drove the Moline "The Five Star Fiasco" to a winning 320.100, with Josh Vanhorn of Malta, Ohio taking second in the Cockshutt 40 "Dirty Sexy Money" at 313.750. Zachary English of East Springfield, Pennsylvania claimed third and 50 points with the Massey Harris 44 "Red Slinger" at 311.330.

The Hot Street Semis turned into a Flesher family showcase. Jeree Flesher put "Mr Excavator" out front at 308.070, and Jerry Flesher of Chesterland, Ohio made it a family one-two with the 2006 Kenworth W900B "Devil's Trucking" at 301.940 to claim 50 points. Olin Benjamin of Mantua, Ohio, fresh off his monster night at Sheakleyville, took third with the 2000 W900 Kenworth "Black Panther" at 293.080. The social media-famous "Spare Parts" piloted by Allen Kisamore also made the trip down.

The Wimer Performance Limited Pro Tractors brought the big horsepower smokers to Mt. Hope, and Forrest Kemp of Belmont, Ohio put the Ford 9000 "The Nightmare" out to a winning 330.490 and 50 points. Gavin Stewart of Marion Center, Pennsylvania took second with the John Deere 4320 at 322.020, and Jim Swiontek of Clinton, Pennsylvania rounded out the podium with the John Deere 4430 "Buck Up" at 319.480. The Graham camp had a night to forget, with Kayla Graham and Nathan Graham both cutting their passes short and suffering major engine issues. The class will look for a full Graham rebound at the next stop. The Limited Pro season points were completely upset after this event.

The Apex Diesel 2.6 Pro Street Diesel Trucks kept rolling as one of the strongest classes on the circuit, and Amanda Weakland of Chest Springs, Pennsylvania made it back to back wins. Fresh off her Trumbull County victory, Weakland drove the Ford "Just Puttin' Up a Fight" to a winning 316.370. Renee Dean of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania took second and 50 points with the 1979 Chevy Silverado "Harvest Wrecker" at 312.980, and Trevor Raney of Adamsville, Pennsylvania completed the podium at 310.390 in the 2008 Dodge 3500 "Wound Tight." Don Carlyle of Cardington, Ohio brought the 58 Chevy Apache "Phoenix" out for an exhibition appearance.

The Open Street Diesel Trucks closed the night with the deepest field of the event. Travis Jones of Graysville, Pennsylvania drove the 03 Dodge "Work Wages Wasted" to a winning 348.250, the longest competition pass of the night. Brandon Park of Bucyrus, Ohio took second at 330.590 in the 04 Dodge "Jekyll and Hyde," and Case Alt of Baltimore, Ohio rounded out the podium with the 1994 Dodge 2500 "Borrowed Parts" at 310.960. A strong run of local Millersburg and Holmes County iron filled out the field, and the exhibition hooks kept coming late into the night for the home crowd.

"Mt. Hope blew us away," said Chase Steinman, Owner of CS Pulling Promotions. "The crowd was bigger than anything we planned for. To everyone who stood all night, we apologize, and we promise we're already working on 2027. Big things are coming for this event. Thank you to the Mt. Hope Pullers Association for having us and for everything they do for pulling in Holmes County."

A thank you as well to our title sponsors Wimer Performance and Apex Diesel Performance, and to every sponsor and marketing partner who makes the CS Pulling Promotions season possible. Full class-by-class results, distances, and season points are available now at cspulling.live.

About CS Pulling Promotions:

CS Pulling Promotions is one of the region's fastest growing motorsports production companies, organizing professional truck and tractor pulling events across Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and West Virginia. With a strong emphasis on fair partnerships, professional production, and top tier competition, CS Pulling Promotions continues to raise the standard for independent pulling events in the region.