June 27, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact person:  Bill Dailey cell: (501) 416-4657 
Email: purplehull@juno.com
Web site: www.purplehull.com

 

Evangelist New Garden Tiller Racing Champ

 

   A 36-year-old evangelist from Junction City, Arkansas, is the world’s new garden tiller racing champ.

 

   Kelby Nelson won the magnoliareporter.com 200 World Championship Rotary Tiller Race at the Emerson PurpleHull Pea Festival Saturday.

 

   Nelson tilled the 200-foot track in 10.37 seconds.  He was competing in the fastest category, the men’s modified tiller division.  This was well off the world record of 5.72 seconds set by Shane Waller in 2004, however the race had new rules this year that resulted in slower speeds.

 

   It was a good day for the Nelson family.  Nelson’s wife, Tammy Nelson, won the women’s modified tiller division, with a time of 12.09 seconds.

 

   Neither had much experience racing tillers.  Their total exposure to the sport consisted of about 30 minutes practice the night before.

 

   “I think I know why they won,” said Bill Dailey, spokesman for the PurpleHull Pea Festival.  “We so little experience, they hadn’t had time to develop sufficient fear.”

 

   After the race, when asked if he had a name for his tiller, Nelson made an on-the-spot decision to name it “Midnight Special,” since work on it began only the Tuesday night before the race.

 

   Nelson received $1,000 for his win, while his wife won $500.

 

   The payoff was considerable given his relatively minor investment modifying his tiller for speed.

 

   “I spent $22 on a piece of angle iron, $10 on paint and a half gallon of gas,” said Nelson.

 

   Immediately after the race, Nelson headed to Monticello, Arkansas, where he was to preach two sermons on Sunday.

 

   This year’s tiller races also saw the return of a former world champion and fan favorite, 46-year-old Wayne Waller of Parkers Chapel, Arkansas.  After being away from the sport for five years, Waller made a respectable showing, placing second in the men’s modified division, with a time of 10.61 seconds, only 0.24 seconds behind Nelson, and earning $300.

 

   Waller also competed in the stock tiller division, winning that category and earning an additional $250.

 

   The top three finishers in the men’s modified, women’s modified and stock tiller divisions are as follows:

 

   Men’s Modified Tiller Division:

  1. Kelby Nelson, Junction City, AR, 10.37 seconds
  2. Wayne Waller, Parkers Chapel, AR, 10.61 seconds
  3. Blake Hanson, Emerson, AR, 11.62 seconds

 

Women’s Modified Tiller Division:

  1. Tammy Nelson, Junction City, AR, 12.09 seconds
  2. Robin Kidwell, Warren, AR, 16.09 seconds
  3. Cortney Waller, Parkers Chapel, AR, 19.48 seconds

 

Stock Tiller Division:

  1. Wayne Waller, Parkers Chapel, AR, 26.23 seconds
  2. Jessica Samples, Emerson, AR, 30.12 seconds
  3. Jennifer Kirkpatrick, Magnolia, AR, 31.06 seconds

 

 Kids Flower Bed Division:

1. Ty Cunningham, Emerson, AR, 22.42 seconds
2. Aaron Hanson, Emerson, AR
3. Will Taylor, Emerson, AR

  

   The magnoliareporter.com 200 World Championship Rotary Tiller Race is the feature event of the Emerson PurpleHull Pea Festival.

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