Interview with Chase Richardson who runs a tractor pulling betting business!
Out of the things you bet on, truck and tractor pulling is probably not top-of-mind. But that’s what makes it cool, right?
When I first heard about tractor pulling – and that you can actually bet on it – I was curious to understand what the fuzz is all about. I got in touch with Full Pull Entertainment CEO, Chase Richardson, who is also a competitor in the sport himself, to find out more about the platform and why the sport is ripe for new fans.
About Full Pull (great name btw)
Full Pull Entertainment is modernizing one of the oldest, most established sports in the U.S.: truck and tractor pulling. A sport with 75+ years of history in rural areas across the country has long lacked a digital hub for its millions of fans. As the official fan engagement app for truck and tractor pulling, Full Pull gives fans event schedules and results, professional live streams of competitions and soon, a legal wagering app called Full Pull Picks.
First off, tell us about this sport many people have never heard of – truck and tractor pulling.
Richardson. Truck and tractor pulling is a sport rich with 75 years of tradition in the U.S. This rural sport is three generations old, and is deeply ingrained in the Midwest farming lifestyle. Truck and tractor pulling is first and foremost, a motorsport. But, instead of measuring time or speed like other motorsports, we measure distance by hooking a weighted sled up to a truck or tractor, and seeing who can pull it the furthest. The season runs from June through September.
Why did you see a need to start Full Pull Entertainment?
Richardson. Thousands attend each pull event. The biggest pull each season takes place in Bowling Green, Ohio, and near 100,000 people come for the weekend to compete and spectate.
While there is a huge and dedicated fan base, there is no real digital experience for those fans during event weekends or in between. We view it as an opportunity that no one had capitalized or solved yet. We aim to provide fans with complete schedules and results, live streams of major events and real money gaming contests.
How do you hope fans will use all the products you’re offering?
Richardson. The sport is naturally set up well for wagering. One truck or tractor goes at a time, with a few minutes in between each one. People have been making handshake-style bets for years in the stands – it was only a matter of time before it was formalized.
We hope fans will come to our app and Full Pull LIVE (our streaming service) as destinations for information, content and a way to engage with the sport. We also know that once a new audience gets a taste of tractor pulling through wagering, they will be hooked. The wow factor and power of the machines is too engaging to look away.
How do you see the sport growing in the next few years, and how will Full Pull enable that growth?
Richardson. Our goal is to bring the sport to existing and new audiences in a more professional way – the way it deserves to be streamed, consumed and engaged with. All the pieces are already there, we are simply amplifying the community, technical skills and uniqueness that make it a sport we love. Full Pull is just giving the sport the fuel it needs to grow.
For people who have never heard of pulling, why should they engage with the sport?
Richardson. The power of the vehicles competing is like no other motorsport. It takes so much technical skill to build and run the tractors, that it makes watching them compete so engaging. I’ve never met someone who came to an event and didn’t fall in love with it. The season is also perfectly timed in the summer months, when there isn’t much to wager on outside of baseball. It’s the most all-American sport and we can’t wait for the new fans this will bring to the sport.
