Gary Ulmer | 55 Years of Innovation, Grit & The Educator

In this episode of Breaking Barriers, Gary Bontrager sits down with pulling pioneer Gary Ulmer — a man with over 55 years in the sport, dating back to high school farm stock days in South Dakota. From early Oliver tractors to snowmobile drag racing circuits and eventually dominating the Light Super Stock ranks, Ulmer’s story is one of evolution, relentless experimentation, and hard-earned mechanical wisdom.Gary takes us inside the mindset of a builder who learned the hard way — breaking blocks, blowing head gaskets, redesigning valvetrain stability, and machining his own solutions when parts didn’t exist. From helping build sleds in the 70s to campaigning one of the top Light Supers in the region, he shares what it meant to be at the top of the class… and why politics ultimately pushed him to transition into a component chassis.This is not just a horsepower story. It’s about the constant pursuit of reliability, the chess match of tire selection and fuel systems, and the reality that in today’s pulling world, you can make all the horsepower you want — but if you can’t put weight on the nose and hook it to the track, it doesn’t matter.Ulmer also reflects on what’s changed most over five decades: RPM increases, boost levels, chassis development, and the rise of specialization in everything from cutting tires to building heads. Yet for all the technological advances, he makes it clear the most valuable part of tractor pulling isn’t the trophies — it’s the relationships built over a lifetime in the pits.From farm stock beginnings to chasing points with the Outlaws, this conversation captures the full arc of a competitor who has seen the sport evolve from brush pulls to precision-built component machines.If you care about tractor pulling history, mechanical innovation, or the mindset required to stay competitive across generations of change, this episode is one you don’t want to miss.Subscribe to Breaking Barriers for more deep conversations with the builders, drivers, and innovators who shaped the sport.